Ascot TT Story - The Making Of A Very Special Motorcycle

The story so far is that my Ascot build at Jack Lilley's is practically complete. I struggle to decide which tank badge best suits the Ascot, change the levers to black adjustable ones and get a dust cover. I'm warned on the dangers of running a bike without an air filter, so have the air filter element put back in (the K&N one seems difficult to get at present.) In Hong Kong I find a Dynojet set up that will be useful later for tuning.

Having seen all three Ascots together, I'm wondering about the T-bird gate tank badge. Is it too heavy for the bike? The Ascot with the chrome standard mirrors has a Triumph badge that is plain, but goes well with the lines of the bike. What do you think? Should I change or is it too late because of the glue on the tank?

Thought I'd let you have a look at one we have just built so that you could see the tank badges.

Yes, the plain badge suits the bike better. Please change back if you can do so without damaging the paintwork of the tank. If it's a problem, I guess I could live with it.

The badges are screw on, I've give Joe the badges and he will have a look and see if it is OK.

Err, Joe hates putting pads on and was going to get you to place them where you wanted them.

Still wondering which is the right tank badge. Perhaps I'll have both sets and the special removal tool, then I can swap around to decide. Difficult to make up my mind from the photos.

Before I forget, can you include the tank badge special screw removal tool in the "box". Thanks.

What about black levers for clutch and brake from Triumph, adjustable if possible?

Can you show me a photo of the standard Triumph dust cover hung over the bike. I'd like to get one, but only if it is a good fit. Somebody in a list was complaining that it is too short for a classic when it's on the centre-stand.

We ran out of them this week and are on order with the factory. I will try to remember next week.

Spark plugs. With the uprated engine, have you changed the plugs? What do you recommend?

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Should be no need. I have our Ascot booked for a Dyno run on the 24th April so it will be interesting to see what we learn from that. If there is a need to swap plugs we will do so. The only thing I have found with these type of harder plugs is that they are more inclined to foul in traffic, since that is where you will be most of the time, it would probably not be a good idea.

The attachments are of the flat slides fitted into the standard airbox. We have removed the filter from the box and altered it to be able to get the bell mouths in, also used the still air box which keeps the intake noise down a bit. I'm quite happy with the end result and gives the bike a standard look, as standard as an Ascot is. I want to try to get down to our dyno chaps soon and see what sort of figures we are looking at. Bearing in mind that our one is standard internally.

Hmm. Never seen or noticed that kind of carbs before. Took a bit of getting used to visually.

I DON'T LIKE THE HIDEOUS BLUE COLOUR OF THE BELL MOUTHS. Red - matching the Ascot logo red - would have been better, or even black. Is there any choice? If you painted them, would the paint last with the engine heat?

We did our one in a rush, they will probably be OK sprayed with satin black and then will blend in nicely.

Looking closely at your pictures of the carbs again, I noticed a hose going from something (breather?) on top of the cam cover on the left side back to the carbs. Is that something extra that goes with the flat slides?

Yes, when the airbox is taken off there has to be a filter put on, which is what you were looking at.

Now I'm confused. Do you mean that with the flat slides, you don't event need the K&Ns? The stock airbox just becomes an ornament on which to hand the side panels?

When we fitted the airbox and the flatslides we took the box apart and took the filter out. Used the auxiliary box to give a still air capacity and the ram tubes just fit into the empty box. Sounds strange but it all works rather well. So the side panels fit onto the airbox which just has air in it. The small filter fitted to the cam cover is the engine breather which does not want to be in the airbox unfiltered and looks rather good where it is situated.

Had one of those experiences today that is quite rare, at least in HK. Having looked at www.dynojet.com I saw they have a HK rep. - Neon Action, in Chai Wan. I knew of the place as a race bike tune shop, but had never used it. Went in this morning and the place was very clean and spacious. The mechanics were thorough and orderly and using high quality tools. They were cleaning everything they touched. Not dissimilar to the photos you sent me of your workshop. Nonetheless, rare in HK.

The guy who runs the shop is called Lawrence Ho and has superb English. I got chatting to him and turns out he was once a medical instruments technician (operating theatre equipment etc.) but followed his instincts and became a bike tuner with a full Dynojet set up. That was 8 years ago.

Since Lawrence Ho is on HK island and more convenient for me than out at Sai Kung, I'm thinking of using him to receive and prepare the Ascot. I feel this will be much safer if I have to get the carbs and exhausts fitted here.

I spoke to Joe this morning and he will fit the carbs on using the airbox. He will paint the tubes for you in a heat proof satin black, and leave the silencers off for Sea Island to fit

Very pleased with the look of the trumpets in black, and with the way the carbs fit relatively inconspicuously into the airbox.

You did say you would be shipping out the K&N filters AND the original carbs, just in case we need to put them back or have any problems with the FCRs.

One of your mechanics / technicians had doubts about doing the jetting of the FCRs before sending out to HK because of our different humidity. Personally, I think setting it up best you can for UK, based on your one with the 3:3 pipes, will be OK. It would be better than starting from scratch here, yes or no?

We have the 150 main jets on order and will fit them along with dropping the needles and drilling the extra holes in the airbox. This will then give your "man" a decent starting point.

Wow, that's some size main jet, compared to standard, but of course it's not a "standard" bike, is it!! No wonder you are going to drill some holes in the airbox, to get sufficient air in, otherwise it would be too rich or only good at the top end? Are you going to do anything with the idle speed or with the main needle. I've heard of people opening the idle speed further and raising the main needle for increased power in the lower band. I'm no expert on carbs but guess Joe and your guy with the jazzed up T-bird know their stuff.

I suspect fortuitously, the Legend Club in Yahoo has been having a discussion about air filters and whether or not to use them.

Suggestion time! To get the bike past your system I propose that we leave the set up as is, I'll include the K&N's in the box of bits for you to have fitted, probably get a tad more power with them.

I don't have a problem with that, but I was just looking for confirmation from you that they will, in fact, fit inside the box. And, if they do, then it would be preferable if you were to put them in as for me to pay Mr Wong to do it.

Getting it tuned perfectly, with the 3 into 3 Mecatwin exhaust fitted and the right set-up for the flat slides, including which air filter arrangement to use are going to be challenges to look forward to!

A quick update. We have put the extra holes in the airbox and put a grill inside the box to cover the holes. Joe has made a nice job of that. We also put the original air filter back in. There are no K&N filters in the UK for it. The carbs have 150 main jets fitted and the needles raised, I think we may be a tad rich with the filter, but I cannot tell it will have to have the open pipes on first and then run around for a bit to let it all settle down.

The large K&N filters will come with the bike so you may want to try them at some point. It will mean losing the airbox covers. but there is no reason why a bracket could not be made to just hold them in position.