Single-cylinder machines make for solid flat track builds. The power on these examples are surprisingly well suited for dirt ovals, especially for a road bike engine. Despite this being a 35-year-old machine, it was just recently rebuilt and has been kept pretty immaculate in the roughly 275 miles put on it since the build was completed. With so many ultra hip “tracker builds” being made today like the debut build from Gold Ghost that I featured a little while back, it’s refreshing to see a decent tracker build that’s as simple as it is clean without trying to draw outside the tracker lines or reinvent the proverbial wheel.
The paint job and HRC logos look great and immediately jump out at you. The redone matching tank sports an old-school Honda moto logo, furthering the vintage character of this finished project. The stripped down fenderless front end topped with tracker bars keep the bike’s visual aesthetic clean while staying true to the tracker theme. The super clean engine, footrest and pedals have almost certainly never seen a dirt oval in their less than 300 miles since being fitted to the completed bike. The use of side covers in addition to the build’s number plate do a lot to keep this build clean and pro-quality looking while hiding the battery.
The ’82 FT500’s single-cylinder four-valve 498cc SOHC on this example is paired with a five speed tranny and is said to be good for a cool 85mph, the speed at which the speedometer went up to on the ’82 FT500. The Ascot’s rectangular gauges have been replaced by a single round speedo with idiot lights tucked behind the number plate while the equally rectangular stock headlights have been swapped out for an LED lightbar. The 1982 model came from the factory with single disk brakes front and back, which appear to have gone unchanged on this build, though the rear suspenders have been tossed aside for a pair of Öhlins units.
Like the XR600, this mid-weight Honda single has a two-into-one exhaust, in this example’s case, the header feeds into an aftermarket sportbike exhaust. The builder’s choice of utilizing the stock FT500’s five-armed rims instead of springing for traditional spoked tracker wheels is one of the few areas where this custom veers from authenticity. In all fairness it’s a street legal bike inspired by a purpose-built race machine so obviously sacrifices needed to be made, and in the build’s defense, it’s LED lightbar headlight nestled beneath the front end’s number plate makes me feel pretty comfortable calling this a legit (streetable) tracker build. The micro LED signals help in the same regard.
It would have been cool to see more mechanical and performance oriented upgrades made to this example, but its visual transformation is nonetheless impressive, (the price also stays lower). Considering what all you get when buying this bike, it’s a pretty reasonable deal. This is newly-built great looking custom, and buying something trendy made at the profession level seldom comes cheap. The ad does mention the seller being open to potential trades, in addition to cold hard cash. Getting creative has its benefits but as this bike demonstrates, sometimes keeping it classic is the way to go.
You can find this custom 1982 Honda FT500 Ascot Flat Tracker custom for sale here on Craigslist in Daly City, California (immediately south of San Francisco) with a price of $5,000.