Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

By Dale Brown Photos by David Edwards and Brown Honda has upped the number of Ascots in western civilization to four. While the two Ascot race facilities are a breed apart (horses, morning coats, tea and crumpets at one; dirt uaek machinery, blue jeans and tum one rowdies at the other), the two mid-size Honda Ascot street machines are both bred (or 24 LCD insuumentation orquarter-, halfor ni~-sixtemths-fairing made the Ascot look like what the staff old timers are used to - real motorcycles. The second feat~ that caught our fun and they both succeed in different eyes was the compact 491cc transverse ways. V-twin, which despite the cooling fins The subject of this impression is the on cylinders, expends excess heat to the VT500, a water-cooled 52-degree V-atmosphere via circulating fluids. The twin. And right up front, we'll 'fess up angle of the cylinders is 52 degrees, but to our condusion that the engine is the Honda has gotten around the usual VT's heart of gold (or platinum or primary vibrations such a layout is diamonds, you choose). It's a doer, a associated with. A dual-pin crankshaft goer, a mover; and it outshines all the has its crank-pin locations set by a bike's flaws to produce a package mathematical formula that makes the that's one of the most fun motorcycles crank throws ISO degrees apart to cancel out primary harmonic imbalance. we've ridden in some time. Firat impressions A new forging process allows Honda When we first set eyes on our test to build the crank and utilize the forunit, thestark simplicity ol the machine mula. was what registered first. Real tubular A pair of !2mm downdraft carbure- ~'.~ lack Of a ~, ton:~p..Y e ~~. ~~~ ~. cylinders under the gas tank. The engine and carb assembly is quite compact, but allowing the carbs air space to breathe reduces the Ascot's onboard petrol potential to only 2.5 gallons. The carbs feed the fuel/air mix to two three-valve, two-plug cylinder heads. The three valves - two intake, one exhaust - are said to provide 20% more valve area than a two-valve design. The two spark plugs create faster flame travel in the combustion chamber, allowing for less ignition advance and more efficiency. Power produced by the two cylinders is fed to the road via a six-speed (OK Honda, five-speed plus overdrive) transmission and shaft drive. As with the Nighthawk model we tested earlier in the year, the lower end of the engine has been made shorter to allow a longer swingarm to reduce shaft-drive torque reaction. Road contact is made with tubeless Bridgestone tires attached to ComCast rims. Up from, an air-assisted telescopic fork with !7mm stanchion tubes comprises the suspension. Out back, a pair of Honda's VHT shocks keep the rider's fanny from pushing the fender into the rear tire. Feat impressions Once one makes hislher acquaintance with the VT500, riding is the order of the day. Starting the Ascot in southern California summer weather proved to be an easy task - use the choke only if you've ignored the bike for a week, or if by some chance the weather has been quite cool over the course of an entire night. Otherwise, the Honda started right up, no choke and good throttle response after only a few seConds ol running. If we presented an award for the easiest-starting bike we've tested this year, the Ascot would probably win. The clutch has the one-finger-light pull we're accustomed to finding only in l25ccmOlocrossers.lt'strulyadelight to use. Shifting the six-speed/five-speed+OD trans was also on the order of good things to do, and we almost never had a problem engaging the gear o£ our choice. Quick downshifting will squeal the rear tire, however. Riding the Ascot proved different than what we had expected. The Vtwins of our experience have proven to be rumbling torquers, and the same can be said for the VT's single-cylinder brother. The new V-twin will rumble happily at lower revs, but once you --"'".. :. -~- -----•

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