Fun on the FT!
Oh my days! The recent article in Classic Motorcycle Mechanics on the Honda FT500 certainly brought back some memories. I was working in Hatton Garden back in the day and doing a 17mile commute. A guy I worked with had an FT, but it was unused and rusting away in his shed as the starter had packed up. So, after the offer of £50 was accepted to ‘take it away’, I borrowed a van to collect it from Bracknell and transport it to Hertfordshire.
It was £50 well spent, but plenty of fettling would be required: seized brakes; rusted-through exhaust; split seat cover; and along with plenty of corrosion there was the starter issue – which was only a reducer gearing issue and easily sorted with a few new parts; and the brakes were easily freed up. A Brillo pad sorted most of the corrosion and a new genuine exhaust was sourced from a breakers, found through the weekly bike paper (pre-eBay days.) One problem I was unable to sort was hot starting. Before work we would meet in a café opposite Farringdon Road underground and have a full English. Not wanting to push it, I used to leave it idling outside the café while I watched it through the window, while tucking in! It used to be left in a cloud of blue smoke. I’m surprised it never caught fire…
It really was a good-looking, unique bike with character and docile usable power. I really enjoyed my time with FT with the affair going on for about a year. In 1989 I bought a Kawasaki KLR600. This was indeed the perfect commuter, being torquey, comfortable and tall for filtering. I still own and use the KLR (amongst others) with some 50k under its belt. It is such a good bike and off the radar to most. It is still in remarkably good, original condition (even an original exhaust!), so you’re more than welcome to feature it in your pages, should you see fit. Steve Sarson
Glad you’re still riding, Steve! We may come calling for the KLR… Bertie