Ascot Cafe Bike Photos

[trinorman]

Let me be the first to post some photos on your new forum.

I just posted some photos on my Photobucket page of my 1984 Ascot that I converted into a café racer over the past year. It’s not an obvious choice for a café bike, but I always liked the engine, gearbox, and driveshaft of this bike. I bought the bike last spring just for this project. I thought you might be interested as I think it is probably one of a kind.

The last photo in the album is my first café bike that I built back around 1970 from a 1965 Honda CB77 Super Hawk. I fitted it with a Paul Dunstall tank, seat and clip-ons, among other things. It took me a few years to get around to building my second one, this Ascot, which was a bit more involved.

The Photobucket links are (the first is individual photos, the second a slideshow):

photobucket.com/AscotCafeRacer

s85.photobucket.com/albums/k55/trinorman/Honda%20Ascot%20Cafe%20Racer/?albumview=slideshow


Here is what I did to it:

1. Custom twin exhaust system using chrome Shadow header pipes with 17” Emgo megaphone style mufflers. Custom pipes fabricated to join headers to mufflers.
2. K&N air filter and DynoJet jetting kit.
3. Seat from a 1989/90 Honda GB500 with about 1” removed from the front to allow for a longer tank.
4. Gas tank and side covers were custom made by Fred Muhlenhort of Racetec in Oxnard, California near where I live. They are strictly one-off items that Fred designed after I showed him photos of the look I was going for. Fred makes a lot of the gas tanks for AMA Pro Flat Trackers among other things.
5. Raask (Sweden) rearset foot pegs.
6. Tommaselli adjustable clip-ons. I’d like them lower for the true look, but at my age my back can’t take them much lower, so a compromise. Front suspension is stock, albeit moved up about 30mm to accommodate the clip-ons mounted above the triple tree.
7. Alloy headlight brackets (Tommaselli copies) with a 7” classic British headlight assembly.
8. Stainless steel mini speedometer and tachometer. The speedo has warning lights for oil pressure, high beam, neutral and turn signals.
9. Handlebar mounts removed from top triple tree and then polished. The fuses were relocated to inside the headlight.
10. Both wheels stripped of the black paint to the natural aluminum.
11. Norton Commando fork boots.
12. Lower fork legs polished.
13. Digital water temperature gauge.
14. Alloy fenders, front and rear, with hand fabricated mounts.
15. Lucas type alloy tail light.
16. Hagon rear shocks.
17. Stainless steel front brake line (not fitted in photos).
18. Roller bearing headset
19. Lots of time and TLC!

Hope you like it!

Chris

[Huck]

Beautifully done!

How much fuel does that tank hold?


(I added a pic into your thread from your Photobucket site, hope you don't mind)

[trinorman]

Thanks for the compliment and for adding the photo. Would have done that if I knew how.

Tank holds a measured 5 gallons.

Chris

[badascot]

That is a very cool looking Ascot Chris!

Have you ridden it much? Curious about how it handles.

[Chris]

Thanks! I do ride it regularly along with my other bikes. I sort of try to rotate them to run them all. All different and all fun in their own way. Maybe 1000 miles on the Ascot so far.

It does handle pretty good. Front suspension is stock, just moved up in the triple clamps to mount the clip-ons. Rear are Hagon shocks, slightly shorter than stock to partially compensate for the change in the front forks. It is set up fairly firm for my 175 lbs., but pretty comfortable for 100-200 miles at a clip. Not an all day bike!

My GB500 is lighter and more nimble, but the Ascot goes where you point it and turns in pretty quickly--no complaints in the handling department. Better tires will probably improve it more, but the tires that were on it when I bought it were almost new so I haven't changed them out.

I'm heading out of town for a couple weeks later today, so if any more questions, don't think I'm not responding, but I won't have computer access.

Regards,

Chris

[barnone]

Drool. That is the best looking Ascot that I have seen,bar none.

[Chris]

Vince,

Thanks for the compliment! It was a fun project and continues to be a fun ride getting a lot of attention where ever I ride. Saw your comment on the Yahoo board too--thanks.

Chris

[bluenoser8]

Awesome, absolutely awesome. You left out the power chamber. What jets did you use?

[trinorman]

Thanks. I used a Dynojet kit made for the Ascot. My slow jets are both #40 (not part of the kit). The kit comes with new adjustable needles and two sets of different size main jets. It seems to me the Dynojet jet sizes are NOT the same as Hondas sized by the same number. The kit has two DJ118 and two DJ122. It calls for the 118 with stock exhaust and the 122 for aftermarket exhaust. I have the 122's in mine. You also have to alter the slide with a drilled hole and adjust the mixture screws. Needles are in the second groove from the top as recommended by Dynojet.

Here's a link to the directions: www.dynojet.com/pdf/1114.pdf

Since those photos were taken I have fitted a power chamber from a Shadow to quiet it down and retain the dual exhaust you see in the photos. The system was super loud with the straight through pipes--sounded like they were inside my helmet!. Some day if I can find quieter mufflers I may put the straight through pipes back on.

Chris

[nsrrider]

wow.....thanks for posting your pics....that bike is an ispiration.....

[nsrrider]

a question for chris.....

before deciding to have that incredible tank custom made, did you consider another OEM tank of some kind to achieve a similar look?

i need another restoration/custom project like a hole in the head but have been looking at acquiring either a honda 400F or a VT500 to customize .....was leaning toward the 400F until seeing your piece of art......thx!

[Chris Moore]

Thanks for the kind comments.

Yes, I did try to find an existing tank. I looked mostly at alloy cafe tanks made for Brit bikes. Most old Brit bikes have a single frame tube from the steering head back. As a result those tanks have a narrow tunnel where they fit over the frame. The Ascot, as you know, has twin tubes with a large airbox between them. No way would those tanks fit. You would have to cut out the bottom (and probably other sections) and custom make it from there.

Fred Muhlenhort hand fabricated the entire tank. The top section is 5 panels total: Each side is 2 panels welded together and the top surface is 1 panel. The underside where it fits over the frame is 6 or 8 (can't recall) panels to clear all the bits and pieces. All gas welded. He made a cardboard mock-up first so I could see where it was going. I really like the side panels. He made up brackets and welded them to the frame to accept aircraft Dzus fasteners. He is an artist!

[chicagobob]

Great job on this one. Were the rearsets designed for the VT500, or did you have to adapt some from another model? If so, what did you have to do?

[trinorman]

Thanks. The rearsets are for a VT500E, the European model. I got hem from Omars:

www.rearsets.info/raask_rearsets.html
www.rearsets.info/photo.html
www.rearsets.info/FH13.JPG

I eliminated the black brackets you see in the 3rd link. Using them put the pegs up an inch or 2 and further back. Way too high for comfort. So then I had to shorten the linkage rods for the new position. I also had to use the original rear brake pedal (cut down and reshaped) to attach the new brake pedal to.

[camit34]

Really dig your Ascot. Found a picture of it on ADV when doing some searching.