For Sale: Sideburn FT500

We've run out of room at Sideburn's HQ, so we're doing what we never thought we would, and putting up one of our crown jewels for sale.

This 1983 Honda FT500 was our first project bike and was on the cover of Sideburn 6 (and also on Bike Exif). The only fly in the ointment when we built it was a worn out top-end, but that has now been totally replaced and is as good as new (thanks to Gavin B for the parts).

Our Death Spray Custom-painted FT500 has been ridden in France and England, but its never been our daily rider. It's also competed in Dirt Quake and has a slight chip, that's been repaired, on the tank as a reminder.

The Honda is a great city bike and would easily cope with longer journeys if you're with a group of bikes with similar power. Cheap insurance too.

SPECIFICATION

ENGINE: Full top-end rebuild by CFM; NOS Honda starter motor; Supertrapp end can; K&N Filter; Renthal sprockets

CHASSIS: Modified FT500 frame with raised seat rails; Gilera Sport 50 fuel tank; Norton Commando racer style seat unit; Yamaha TDR250 forks; one-off EBC Pro-Lite discs; Yamaha R6 four-piston front brake caliper; EBC pads; Honda CRF450 front brake master cylinder; Hagon Nitro rear shocks; fat bars with Renthal bar clamps;  Goodridge brake hose; seat cover by Steve at Lucky7; standard wheels with Dunlop K180 tyres; bear trap-style foot pegs

PAINT: Death Spray Custom

PRICE: £4300

The bike will be sold with tax and 12 months MoT.
We can arrange delivery to some areas of Europe.

Photos: Paul Bryant

DSC 21

Death Spray Custom's Bell for the 21 Helmets show this year.

And the spotty job he gave our project Honda FT500; cover feature SB#6. Photo Paul Bryant. BP

It's not what you ride, it's how you ride it (18)

Michal from Poland got in touch to say he'd bought an Honda FT500 and 'I've been practicing'.
Great photo. Check his blog at fotoduda. G

Giorgetti FT500

Giorgetti Racing got in touch to show us their FT500. It looks fantastic and uses a lot of stock parts. I think he's something to do with the Fine Art framer being made for Alberto Fasciani.
You can pick FT's up for next to nothing, but make sure the top-end isn't too rattly and the starter motor's sound or you're buying a pup that's expensive to fix (like we did). G

More FT500

From Mike in England.

Had a great time at the show, and nice to see you again. The book of Flat Track racing I bought is great too. I think Project FT looks better in the flesh than in pictures, a knackered one has just sold on ebay for 205 quid, maybe you have started something? These guys seem to think so, Move On as I found this pic on their site
Cheers
Mike

Black Is Beautiful

Our FT500 is not black; or pink; or purple, but thanks to DSC it is beautiful. Paul Bryant who does a lot of shit hot action photography for Performance Bikes magazine, has now shot the SB#6 cover and feature story of our project bike.

Thanks to Troy Critchlow for the Chains and Black Exhaust prologue. BP

Project FT Update

Well, don't it look pretty? EBC brake discs on, R6 brake caliper on, KTM footpegs on, CRF450 master cylinder on, new rocker box on, YZ450 rear master cylinder on... Carl at CFM has done the business.
Hagon are supplying new shocks and Death Spray Custom is magicking up a storm in the House of Kolor. It won't be ready for the Amman show, but it will be ready for Sideburn 6. GI

Project FT Update

We bought a cheapie Apico clutch lever that was anodised a hideous off-gold, then had our friends at Racefit re-anodise it black. Carl's stuck the tyres on the original rims too. The front is a Dunlop K180 race tyre (thanks Jason), the rear is a brand new, Van-Van front Dunlop K180 road tyre (thanks Bryn).
Now we need some discs, but we want a bigger 320mm disc for the front (because we've swapped the forks) and can't find one that will fit the hub. It looks like we'll have to get one made up. G

Project FT Update

A long time since any news on the FT500 project, but we have been making progress. Carl at CFM Sleaford - who is sorting most of the bike for us - discovered the rockers were screwed. We tried to find more, but it seems the Mablethorpe sand racers have found all the good second hand ones for their beach racers. So we've sent the rockers off to be stellite tipped and re-ground.
Meanwhile Steve Adams Upholstery made a base and covered a seat for us. And it's bloody lovely. For a base and seat making for your bike it would cost about £100. He's based in Northants and can be contacted at swadams.upholstery @ keme.co.uk (take the spaces out).
Thanks Steve.
More news soon. GI

Dancing With The Devil

Fresh satin black powder coat by CJ Powder Coating, Grimsby for the Sideburn project FT. Can anyone offer a virgin, a goat, and some candles to the cause? Then the ceremony can begin. BP

Jawa on ice

Josh sent this. Don't know abut the FT500 being a nice bike. We're struggling to prettify our Project FT, but on the site I found these great photos. Love the bar muffs. Anyway, Josh said....

Hey I thought you might wanna post on da blog. Pretty nice FT for sale here in the states. Will ship.
Giannis's SR, that I bought, went into winter storage. My girlfriend just bought a kz250 that's gonna be a fun project.
Josh