FT500 restoration and performance mods.

Рет қаралды 30,249

Күн бұрын

Rescued this bike from a basement where it sat for 18 years or so, got it running and did some upgrades to it as well. Everything done can be put back to stock, don't like to ruin a time capsule such as this. Feel free to ask questions. Thanks for watching!

Пікірлер: 81

@sandalguy 2 жыл бұрын

I bought a 1982 model back in 1995, and drove it round trip from LA to Houston. Good memories :-) Would love to own one again.

@novascotiaguy 2 жыл бұрын

I totally lucked into this wonderful machine, unless someone offers me a ridiculous price it will stay with me until I can no longer ride!

@SuperLaplander 3 жыл бұрын

Lovely bike, thanks for sharing. Makes me remember when i had a Yamaha SRX-6

@bluevalkyrie2517 2 жыл бұрын

Bought my FT500 in '94 and always have a great time driving it. It is in excellent condition and I currently have it on display at the local HONDA dealership in their classic bike section. Performance mods -- White Brothers port job, cam, and springs -- Mikuni carburetor with K&N -- WISCO piston -- Super Trap exhaust -- Pirelli sport demon tires -- and of course, NEW BRAKE LINES

@novascotiaguy 2 жыл бұрын

Wow, lots of performance mods! I bet it hauls ass pretty well. Mine has such low mileage I didn’t want to mess with too much, I’m able to get it totally back to stock trim if needed but that muffler sounds so dang good!

@mikethomas176 3 жыл бұрын

Beautiful bike! I had one back in the day... loved it! If you ever decide to part with it reach out to me!!!! Thanks for showing it, sure brought back some great memories.

@novascotiaguy 3 жыл бұрын

No plans to sell it right now, I would be asking big money for it due to it’s condition,mileage and rarity though. If I do decide to I’ll keep you in mind

@mikethomas176 3 жыл бұрын

@@novascotiaguy I very much appreciate it. Enjoy the ride!

@bschlotzy 3 жыл бұрын

I've got one of these sitting in my garage that I bought brand new in 1982. My project this summer is to get her out and take it for a ride, however it still has original tires on it so my first job will be to replace tires. Always liked this bike so simple and fun to ride. I enjoyed your video.....Brian

@novascotiaguy 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, if you have any questions about getting your rig running hit me up! I don’t know everything but I’m pretty handy.

@bschlotzy 3 жыл бұрын

@@novascotiaguy Thanks Paul...I will definitely get back to you if I have any issues, and Thanks again for your video, your bike looks amazing. Mine has been under lots of blankets and tucked away waiting for me to bring her back to life now that I'm retired!!

@novascotiaguy 3 жыл бұрын

@@bschlotzy where are you? I’m in Nova Scotia, Canada. I had to overhaul the carburetor (before I decided to switch it out), rebuild brake calipers, clean the mouse shit from the air box, rebuild the rear brake master cylinder, change the rear brake line and tires. I probably forgot something also. lol

@bschlotzy 3 жыл бұрын

@@novascotiaguy When I bought it in 1982 I was living in the country, and rode it a fair amount but moved to London Ontario a lot of years ago and the bike has been stored in my garage now and hasn't been started for at least 15 years or so...I just got busy and decided to just keep it and one day I would bring her back. I think its only got 2600km on gauge if I remember. I'm sure I will have to clean carb and most of the things you did. Where can I get a carb for it if I need one? also did you have a time finding new tires for it?

@novascotiaguy 3 жыл бұрын

@@bschlotzy the carb should be fine to rebuild, they’re a bit complicated so if you’re not really comfortable working on carbs it might be best to have it done at a shop. I got the tires from Fortnine. They are Kenda tires, K761’s front is 100/90/19 and rear is 120/80/18. I’m pretty happy with the ride but if I had it over again I’d go a little bit wider on the rear. Aesthetically only, a 130 would probably look a little better.

@LightningMotorsportsAZ Жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing. Hope the bike has treated you well.

@novascotiaguy Жыл бұрын

I honestly don’t ride it an awful lot but it’s fun when I do. My main ride is a 2020 Yamaha Tenere 700, that’s fun too! Perhaps I should do a video on that one too?!

@russellholm742 Жыл бұрын

I bought 1 when they first came out. I put a set of Metzler sticky rubber on it and out handled everyone on a tight course. Around town I ran -1 tooth sprocket . On the highway +1 tooth sprocket. Gutless as hell but managed to get ticketed for 92mph at 3500 ft in the rockies. One of my fav bikes of all time.

@novascotiaguy Жыл бұрын

Yeah they’re a nice flicky machine, handles twitties really well!

@backyardwindow 2 жыл бұрын

Hey! Bike looks great! Thanks for the video. Mine runs well, but needs some love. Thanks for the motivation.

@novascotiaguy 2 жыл бұрын

Winter is a good time for tinkering, have fun with it!

@peterjeffery1854 Жыл бұрын

bikes from that era look the best only a few from this era give me a wow factor

@novascotiaguy Жыл бұрын

They’ve become so popular as we get older and long for our youth. Evening manufacturers are producing retro bikes for those that don’t want to deal with vintage.

@tonytaylor8096 Жыл бұрын

I had one of these years ago. I found the cockpit to be too short for me. I always felt cramped. I really like the handlebars you have on the bike. I think they would have solved my problem. These bikes were known to have starter failures, and with no kickstart as backup, I was always a little nervous.

@novascotiaguy Жыл бұрын

The bike does feel small to me but not really cramped, it’s so light and “flicky” that it makes for a fun ride! The kick starter issue only really comes into play if you have a weak battery, thankfully with a trickle charge mine has been great most of the time.

@richardfarabaugh7604 Жыл бұрын

I am so ridiculously jealous!!!

@Evo836 Жыл бұрын

When these came out the starter motor gears would fail so Honda recalled them for new gears.

@walterdemo2895 3 жыл бұрын

Cool bike great video!

@novascotiaguy 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it, it’s a rare machine!

@haroldfarmer4605 2 жыл бұрын

I worked in parts at a Honda dealership in the 80s and rode both the FT & the VT many times plus many others. These bikes were a blast to ride. I would like o find one. We used tp . pick our bikes up at GN Gonzales in Baton Rouge. He was a distributor. He had bunches of bikes in crates. Thanks for the video I always wondered if the bikes would run after all those years.

@novascotiaguy 2 жыл бұрын

A crate bike would be an awesome find, a buddy of mine found a 59 Triumph motorcycle for sale years ago and had it running well after a little tinkering.

@MarkSmith-nw4os Жыл бұрын

There is one for sale today on the Detroit Craigs list. It looks nice but I don't want to fool with a 40 year old bike.

@novascotiaguy Жыл бұрын

Provided the gas tank isn’t rusted out and the starter is working fine it wouldn’t be a bad bike to pick up. Pretty much everything else is repairable or replaceable. Old bikes aren’t for everyone.

@jeffwright9431 2 жыл бұрын

These bikes were such slow sellers when they were new that in 1984 I was able to buy a left over 1983 model for $995. I parked it in 1998 with a little over 7K on the odo. I own six other thumpers and I'm not sure why I quit riding the FT. Probably something to do with trying to insure more than a few bikes at one time. But they are excellent motorcycles and a lot of fun to ride. I rode mine to Tahoe and back several times from Fresno. I think it is time to uncover it and enjoy it again.

@novascotiaguy 2 жыл бұрын

Great story, love hearing about the journey some bikes have made to survive all these years. It’s worth getting back into ride rotation! Thanks for watching and comment.

@jayjackson597 2 жыл бұрын

I bought the first one that hit the dealer back in the day, I loved it, best all around street bike I've ever had. the only problem was the starter, they had to come up with an electric starter and adapt it to this engine and they missed the mark a little. and trying to bump start this bike is just not something you want to do. if you can get it rolling fast enough it can be done, on a really big hill or being towed.I was a machinist and mechanic and I managed to fix it myself, there's a weird linkage in there that lets the solenoid kick the pinion into mesh that's not beefy enough. other wise it was very reliable, I rode that thing a lot to work and on back roads and nothing else caused any problems. I sold to a co worker and he road it for years and sold it on to the next guy and never had any problems at all. I wish I had another one

@novascotiaguy 2 жыл бұрын

I’ve heard of that issue before, as I understand the problem was if the battery was low it caused the starters to go bad. Not sure how it was supposed to do that.

@robertmatthews8302 3 ай бұрын

Belle moto !!😊❤

@grahamcraven5194 4 жыл бұрын

very nice, looks better than new !!!

@novascotiaguy 4 жыл бұрын

Graham Craven thanks, I’m looking forward to putting some miles on it! Still have some fine tuning to do on the carburetor. I might change the gear ratio a bit for more bottom end, it’s not going to be a highway bike, back road carver for sure!

@lalantharanasinghe9222 3 жыл бұрын

From where u bought hadale bare

@paulcrombach7262 3 жыл бұрын

Damn that's clean

@LUKKA2020 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome !!!

@alejo33831 Жыл бұрын

I have cranked due to starting problems, I can't find the part, could someone help me, thanks

@SlurpyMurph Жыл бұрын

Clean!

@novascotiaguy Жыл бұрын

Yeah, it’s never been in the rain as long as I’ve owned it and likely won’t.

@solterradesert5401 Жыл бұрын

Hey, good job on the bike. Wondering what kind of mods needed to be done to adapt the carb?

@novascotiaguy Жыл бұрын

I was able to use one of the original throttle cables with some modification and mad an adapter to match the carb output to the intake boot and new fuel line to re-route and add a filter. Aside from that just jetting to make it work for the engine.

@bluemen8807 3 жыл бұрын

Would you have the link for the exhaust by chance? Is it just a simple swap or did you have to adapt the pipe size for the new muffler? Thanks!

@novascotiaguy 3 жыл бұрын

I think it’s this one: Universal 1.5" Inlet Exhaust Muffler With Removable DB Killer Slip On Dirt Street Bike Motorcycle Scooter - Carbon Fiber Color www.amazon.ca/dp/B07B24HCJ2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UuVcGbDHYQFXG

@ravenwear 3 ай бұрын

Two vacuum lines coming from the petcock? Which one goes where please and thank you

@novascotiaguy 3 ай бұрын

They go to the carburetor but there is a mod that eliminates the vacuum lines and makes it work like a regular petcock. I replaced mine with a non- vacuum one from e-bay.

@goletajim Жыл бұрын

Can you put up the link for the Exhaust looks to fit real well.

@novascotiaguy Жыл бұрын

I think it’s this one: JFG RACING Slip On Exhaust Motorcycle Muffler Pit Dirt Bike Exhaust ATV Muffler With Removable DB Killer,1.5-2" Inlet Universal for Street Bike Pit Bike Scooter ATV a.co/d/9AeRjXZ

@MrNoNothingAtAll 4 жыл бұрын

I'm thinking of buying one of these as a first bike. Is part availability hard on these and how difficult would it be to restore one that beat up some?

@novascotiaguy 4 жыл бұрын

Oni legend tanks are nearly impossible to find in good condition but the rest of the parts might be fine AFAIK.

@zacklothamer9533 2 жыл бұрын

I am looking at purchasing one of these near me that needs some TLC for $500 how did you change the muffler on the stock exhaust is it a slip on job?

@novascotiaguy 2 жыл бұрын

It’s the stock head pipe with a cheapy muffler. I still have the stock one also but it’s too quiet and heavy. Good buy for $500 if it’s near running condition!

@zacklothamer9533 2 жыл бұрын

@@novascotiaguy definitely but of course the only issue is the one that's the hardest to get parts for.... The starter...... If I get it I'll figure out what's broken then decide if I try to fix the starter or do a Kickstarter conversion

@oogabooga7252 2 ай бұрын

May I ask what brake lines you installed in them?

@novascotiaguy 2 ай бұрын

I had a friend put it together, he has a crimper.

@fernandeladamepatino9914 3 жыл бұрын

Hello friend I have a ft 500 equal to your motorcycle is in bad condition I need the starter blessing, do you know where I can get it? It is 1982 model

@novascotiaguy 3 жыл бұрын

No idea, they might be hard to find. Starters are a weak point in these bikes if you let the battery get weak.

@petermonaco8132 2 жыл бұрын

Can you tell me how much it cost to change the tires? I'm looking to buy one of these for $2,000 does that sound like a reasonable price? The guy didn't let me test ride it when I went to see it yesterday because it wasn't registered but I mean it would've just been down an empty street and back which seemed a little sketchy to me. He's had it sitting in his garage for over 30 years and he was the original owner, said he bought it for $2k as well

@novascotiaguy 2 жыл бұрын

Tires can run as cheap as $100 each depending on what you want. 2k is reasonable depending on condition. Make sure the tank isn’t rusty inside and the electric starter is working well, that’s a common issue. Tanks are almost impossible to find. Otherwise if the brakes are in good condition its likely a decent deal. They can go as high as 5k in mint condition.

@petermonaco8132 2 жыл бұрын

@@novascotiaguy That was helpful thanks for the info. Unfortunately, the guy hasn't been responding to my texts and took the bike listing off the website so he probably sold it, I should've snagged it when I had the chance!

@novascotiaguy 2 жыл бұрын

@@petermonaco8132 sorry to hear that but it usually best not to rush into buying something you’re not sure of. You’ll find the right bike for you, maybe not an Ascot though.

@robertclarke3789 3 жыл бұрын

Any more Ft500 videos?

@novascotiaguy 3 жыл бұрын

Not yet, I might do something a little better in the spring with my buddy that’s a video producer. Some POV while riding and some drive bys might be cool.

@robertclarke3789 3 жыл бұрын

@@novascotiaguy Great stuff! Look forward to it.

@novascotiaguy 2 жыл бұрын

@@robertclarke3789 first start up video up of the season posted, check it out. Subscribe to keep up to date. I’m planning to do something special this summer!