Part 13
Ace
Cafe London
The
Ace Cafe London has a picture gallery in their website with some very nice
bikes in it. I submitted a couple of pictures of the Ascot and had one
accepted.
Ace Cafe London
A-Tue 17-07-2001 21:21
I'm
Alec Gore, based in Hong Kong. After several months of waiting, I've finally
got a Triumph Ascot TT.
A
very special motorcycle. Ascot TT is the name given to a stylish kit made by a
French company, X-Company
Mecatwin, for the Triumph Legend TT 885 cc motorcycle.
Mortis Fergusson at The
Ace replied:
AC-Mon 23-07-2001 19:41
Yer nise bike is on! Cheers
mate
Go to Picture Library
and then Page Twenty-One once in the frameset below:
www.ace-cafe-london.com/f2.htm
First
Impressions
S-Sat
21-07-2001 20:54
Trust
the Ascot is now behaving itself and happy in its new country.
A-Mon
23/07/2001 18:29
You should believe it! Seems to loosen up with
every mile and I've only done 200 because we've had four days of on and off
torrential rain. Not that the tyres worry, they shift water like I've never
experienced on a bike. Just don't like having to clean it so much.
Carbs seem fine at
the moment up to about 4,500. The acceleration is very progressive and
responsive. Quiet even for "racing" carbs. Once above 4,500 (I've only been up
to 5,500 because of running in) especially uphill, if you try to add more,
there is a distinct flat spot. I don't know if this is because the engine is
still stiff, because it's getting too much fuel under load and can't burn
anymore, or because it's too lean. I suspect that last, but can't tell for
sure.
I'd posted to the Legend
list and the Triumph Motorcycles list and later the Triumph Classics list in
Yahoo! after receiving a gentle reminder that I'd promised to do so.
Tue 24/07/2001 01:32
You promised us a write up on that new Ascot of
yours. Yes you did. Going out and riding the thing 24 hours a day is no
excuse!
A-Sat 28-07-2001 20:54
This
is based on the first 200 miles. Engine rpm has only been up to 5,500. Of
course it's subjective, the build up to getting this rather special bike has
been considerable: E-mails back and forth between Steve Lilley and me;
building a website about it; deciding on the best options for use in Hong Kong
etc. I do, however, have a point of reference. I've been riding a T-bird daily
since 1995 and I ride Honda CBX750 police bikes daily as well.
For
those of you who skim, I'll put the conclusion at the beginning: Overall, it's
a superb bike, even beyond my expectations. Here's why:
Looks:
The pictures almost show it all, but in reality it's even more of a stunner.
The low profile, those Pirelli MT60 Corsa tyres, the Mecatwin designed rear
cowl and side panels, the wide bars, bulbous grips and Rizan mirrors, the
small indicators. The rear seat cover does come off with a 4 mm Allen key, but
it won't be coming off very often! Lovely 3:3 exhaust pipes with the two up
the right bringing back images of the X75 Hurricane. Oil cooler hangs off the
right side as with the earlier Tigers, but is no wider than the overall width
of the bike. Fly screen from National Cycle fits although it may not be
everyone's taste. When they send me the right bracket it won't be slightly too
long over the headlamp.
One
thing missing in the Mecatwin rear light cluster is a built in reflector. I
didn't notice and it cost me an extra pre-registration vehicle exam. You can
stick one on the bottom of the licence plate – just for the test.
Build
quality: Very pleased with the black Triumph powder-coated engine and
black frame. Rear wheel removal looks easier than with the 95 type concentrics.
Less chrome and aluminium to polish than the T-bird. Wheels are chrome, which
apparently keeps better than the earlier model polished aluminium. The
Mecatwin paint is a touch soft and I'll have to be careful, especially where
the covers, rear seat and panels touch.
Fuel
tank paint – initial woes: As I posted in the Legend list, bike conked
out on me 300 yards down the road first ride. Fuel tank was full of crap that
clogged up the slow jets in the carbs. Included flaking paint from the neck
(Triumph really ought to fix that after 6 years!). We fixed it by cutting out
all the flaking paint and coating with an epoxy layer. However, Triumph can't
take all the blame as it looks like Mecatwin left all the rubbing down paint
dust in there as well when they did the paint job on the tank and Jack Lilley
didn't notice it either. Just to be on the safe side, I've added an external
fuel filter (Honda) in the fuel line. Carbs had to be stripped and cleaned.
Thank goodness hourly rates are comparatively cheap in HK! No more problems.
I am
very pleased with the way we were able to retain the Mecatwin air box covers
despite dispensing with the air box and installing K&N pod filters on each
of the carbs. Great work by my HK mechanic finding and installing some very
neat and unobtrusive stainless brackets. Forget trying to use the stock air
box
with a K&N filter element with the bell ends from the flat slides. Good
try, but leaky and the air box'll probably crumble sooner than later.
Handling:
What a revelation! This bike, even at this early stage, shows all the signs of
being an absolute hoot for scratching, which why I bought it. The phrase,
"Gentleman Hooligan" came into my mind while I was riding it the
other day. Don't know why! Lower seat, lower centre of gravity, MT60s that
warm up quickly feel like you are running on an Evostik coating (impact
adhesive) in the dry and shift water like a typhoon drain in the wet. Not even
the slightest hint of the rear wheel wanting to do anything unintended on its
own. I should say that over the standard Legend I have progressive front
fork springs and an Ohlins rear shock. Haven't played with the shock settings
yet. Ride is a little hard, but not as hard as my T-bird was for the first
10,000 kms. You feel the bumps, but there's absolutely no deviation in line
from them. The right side pipes are a bit low, but shifting weight round
corners instead of leaning the bike so far should prevent unnecessary
scraping.
The
bars feel wide to me and after riding I initially had stiff shoulders and
aching wrists. However, I think that's got more to do with me adapting my
riding position to the bike. I'm used to the high T-bird bars and sit-up &
beg bars on the police bikes. I've got a lot of flexibility with these bars,
they are shaped so that you can have them cow-horn or almost flat depending on
the rake you adjust. Other ergonomics for the hands are the relative positions
of the levers (mine are adjustable) and the switches. There do not seem to
be any lugs in the switch units so I can rotate them to where they feel best.
The bars do give fantastic leverage in corners and the bike easily flips one
side to the other in "S" bends. Had a horrible snaking develop first
few corners. I thought the tyres were just wearing in, and then I thought it
was the suspension set-up that was wrong. Back to basics: Tyre pressures were
way to low. Hadn't checked since the bike came out the crate. I'd presumed my
mechanic had. He'd thought they were OK because the profile of the tyre
doesn't look soft. Once up properly, it's bliss. So easy to corner. None of
the over steering that some Legend riders have mentioned, presumably because
of the good suspension. I'll mention the mirrors here. Of course the viewing
area is smaller, but nonetheless it is unobstructed by elbows. They vibrate a
little with the vibration coming up through the bars. I'd put bar end weights,
but the Ascot bulbous grips (lovely feel) have over the end rubber, which I'd
be loath to cut into. While I'm into ergonomics, anyone ever thought of
shortening the gear change pedal on a classic? I'm only a UK size 8 foot and
3/4 inch shorter would mean never getting caught out with toes under the gear
shift. Don't know if any Jap bike shifters would fit on the Triumph shaft splines
The
seat is café-racer style and does not have a lot of padding, but feels good
if you push back against the rear. Surprisingly, the ride is comfortable, with
some springiness in the seat provided by the seat pan, which does not lay
totally flat on the tank mounting.
Performance:
Over standard, this bike is fitted with Super Three pistons and ECU and a
Speed Triple cam. It has Keihin FCR 39mm Flat Slide carbs. There's the K&N
pod air filters and the Mecatwin 3:3 exhausts. Gearing, I've upped the rear
sprocket to 44 to give more flexibility in HK roads. A tremendous improvement
over the T-bird with it's 18 / 43 combo (Legend front is 17). I've never owned
a sports bike. This is probably the most powerful bike I've had, although I
remember a 1982 CX 500 turbo (rare one) being a bit quick off the mark, or so
it felt to a young rider back then. This engine is sweet. Yes, it's a Triumph
triple, but it doesn't have the bag-of-nails rattle that my T-bird always
had right from new. Perhaps, I'm lucky or Joe at Jack Lilley's has "the
touch" when setting the bike up. I can't exaggerate how powerful this
bike feels as it is. My most recent benchmark would be the Sprint ST that
Steve Lilley lent me in April when over in England. The Ascot
"feels" even more powerful than that, and that's just in the first
200 miles. Can't wait until I can start using it in the 5000+ rpm range.
I was
a bit apprehensive about the Flat Slides. They don't have any enricher
/ choke. You twist the throttle twice before a cold start and the bike fires
up first time. Steve fitted 150 main jets and raised the needles. Franck at
Mecatwin has suggested that even this maybe lean and is experimenting with
158s (but that's without air filters). I won't know until I regularly get up into that range.
Tick over at cold
is about 700 rpm. There do seem to be a slightly affected by high
humidity. They don't like it up above 95%, especially when the engine is just
warming up. However, since our temperatures run in the 90F / 30C range, not
really a problem. When warm it's 900-950. It's always even. I agree that these
carbs are a connoisseur's piece of work. You need a feel for the bike and an
ear for what's going on. That said, they are smooth and acceleration is
progressive. Up to 4,800 rpm there are no flat spots. You CAN feather the
throttle and keep a fixed throttle position in slow traffic. There is NO NEED
to rev the engine to keep it running. With this carb / K&N combination,
there is a beautiful gasp from the carbs when you do twist the wrist, rapidly
pumping fuel to where it' s needed; almost like the sound of a turbo cutting
in. Under load, e.g. uphill, I experimented by accelerating in 3rd gear. From
4,800 – 5,200 rpm it does feel slightly sluggish. Nothing pronounced. Maybe
it's too lean, that's what it feels like. I could be wrong, it could be
getting more fuel than it can cope with. Once over 300 miles I will
experiment, checking fuel consumption and plug colour etc.
Exhausts:
There's no going back once you fit the Mecatwin 3:3s. They require cutting a
section out of the stock down pipes to fit them. They are stainless steel,
which appears a little yellow against the chromed down pipes. Must try the
Autosol on them! What a sound! One glorious rumbling roar. Not too loud. Well,
a little under acceleration, but not enough to piss off the neighbours because
at tick over they are beautiful; demurely waiting to be let rip, like an Asian
girl who pretends to be a virgin but that was a long time ago. What a
metaphor!
Braking:
Beringer up-sized master cylinder, front floating disc and six-piston calliper
are a revelation. Touch of the right lever and a smooth prompt stop. No need to
squeeze hard. I'm not into harsh braking, but the brake / progressive fork spring
combination seems equipped to cope with any eventuality – rapid speed
reduction prior to twisties later? At last, a Triumph with brakes that do what
they should. Have Goodridge braided hoes front and rear. Rear is still
the standard spongy feel. I'll try out some different pads (EBC sintered?) later.
Oil
cooler: Didn't know whether this would be necessary, but had it fitted
just in case. It is. HK's at peak summer heat and humidity, in the 90s on both
scales! A high compression engine running-in needs more than the standard
cooling. In mountain tunnels where the air is hot and the traffic slow, I've
had the temperature warning light come on. At traffic lights I can hear the
electric fan come on. I think both are operating correctly. I'm going to look
at changing the standard UK spec cooling mixture. I've looked at racing
mixtures. Any advice?
Other
people seem more worried than me about the damage that would be caused to the
oil cooler if I dropped the bike on the right side. I haven't dropped a bike in
21 years, so I don't see why I should start now. Anyway, not to tempt fate and
to avoid car park mishaps, I've been talking with Miles Hunter at Thunderbike
and he's working on adapting the Tiger engine bars to fit the Legend. I'll
keep you posted on these.
OK,
enough for now. Sun is shining but a typhoon is lurking in the South China
Sea. Must ride again. Just to confirm my first impressions that, limited by
run-in considerations, this is still one hell of a bike. Buy a standard Ascot
if you like the looks. Add a Mecatwin exhaust if you want the sound that goes
with the attitude. Get the
full engine / suspension tune if you want the ride that go with the looks.
After all, what's the point of posing if you can't punish the crotch rockets
for thinking you're on a "granddad pootler" as one unimpressed
immature individual said about the Ascot. He'll learn. Later …..
Responses:
(1) "I just wanted to
thank you for posting your impressions, and your incredible website about your
very special bike. It's truly an amazing looking machine, and I'm happy to say
I no longer drop hints to my wife about adding a Daytona to the stable. After
showing her pictures last night, I suspect she might not want a Norton
Commando as her first bike any more. I don't know who's going to own the
Ascot, but that's ok as long as I can ride it from time to time!"
(2) "The website and
story of your bike is very informative and interesting. I should have done the
same thing while I was rebuilding my Adventurer. I hope to see more additions
.... "
Ohlins
Manual
A-Tue 17-07-2001 7:57
Didn't
get anything to read about the Ohlins. Have you got anything that came with
the kit? Can you copy and scan and send to me and / or send by snail mail.
S-Tue 17-07-2001 22:31
Brian
has copied a set of instructions and is posting to you, as they have not
scanned well enough to read, let alone send. I
don't know why but my scanner does not like
black and white pictures very much and unless it is a huge file.
Meanwhile, searching in
the obvious place, I found and downloaded a copy of the Ohlins manual
Click here
to download a copy.
Ohlins Advanced Suspension Technology
A-Mon 23/07/2001 18:29
Thanks for the Ohlins notes. As it
was, found them on the Net and downloaded a copy as well. Thought the
suspension was off, but it wasn't, the tyres were way too soft. Mr Wong for
all his effort elsewhere hadn't bothered to check. They didn't look soft, just
rolled over alarmingly round corners. Pressure was down around 20 psi!! Now
I've pumped them up the bike corners nicely. I can see I will have some fun
later.
Continue ....
