Stroppychops: Nice clean/well maintained looking bike.

Scooter v. Phantom.
1) Scooters are light and so is the Phantom (compared to a Harley/big Honda), and both are easy through traffic.
2)The Phantom will dust a scooter on any road.
3) Scooters are targets of theft and easy to hide in the crowd, not so much with the Phantom
4) Scooter seats are not made to set on for any length of time, Phantom seats are made for wide butt foreigners.
5) Scooters have short handlebars, Phantoms have real motorcycle handlebars (think leverage when turning)
6) You can use the Phantom in the city and still take it on a long ride, not so with a scooter as you will be stuck mostly in town/village.
7) Being 196cc the road tax is cheap for the Phantom while looking and being a real bike.
8.) Scooters have narrow tires, the Phantom has wider tires. The more rubber on the road the better.
9) A used Phantom is cheaper than a new or newer scooter.
10) Riding a scooter is like getting a Yum-Yum from poof, it feels real good until your friends see you.

Stroppy: Here's a picture of the last bike I restored before leaving the US. Its a 1984 Honda VT500 Ascot that had just over 400 original miles on it when I got it in 2010. (guy bought it in '84, hit a stump breaking the front forks and put it in a shed to rust for 26 years) Except for the engine/trans and a few other parts it was a pile of rust when I got it. (traded an AK47 I built-rebuilt for it) It started life with 49hp, when I got done with it ,it was more than likely around 60hp. With a shaft drive and a 6-speed trans it went like a bat-out-of-hell.

Sailorman wrote:Stroppy: Here's a picture of the last bike I restored before leaving the US. Its a 1984 Honda VT500 Ascot that had just over 400 original miles on it when I got it in 2010. (guy bought it in '84, hit a stump breaking the front forks and put it in a shed to rust for 26 years) Except for the engine/trans and a few other parts it was a pile of rust when I got it. (traded an AK47 I built-rebuilt for it) It started life with 49hp, when I got done with it ,it was more than likely around 60hp. With a shaft drive and a 6-speed trans it went like a bat-out-of-hell.

Sweet looking ride brother. Looks almost identical to my old VT250C, even the pipes are the same. The only thing that v-twin needed was a bigger block (or bore) - 500cc would have been perfect. Lowest legal seat height in Oz, regularly pegged out on corners, like driving and arm chair.

I googled the Honda VT250c and it looks exactly like a TA200 Phantom with the V engine it should have had. BTW/ The VT500F Ascot is the VT500C Shadow cruiser engine/trans, etc in a dirt/oval track like frame. It wasn't very popular as you could get the cruiser for just about the same price. Its started life with a single exhaust and I put the bells on it and they were real hard to find. I also did a lot of work on the carbs as they were set up to get past government emission laws .

I wonder if I could stuff a VT250C engine in my Phantom frame? Fun project, but at the moment I'm rebuilding my Phantom engine. Boring new cylinder to .50 over w/ new .50 over piston and rejecting the carb. New cam, but I couldn't get a performance cam anywhere. I'm thinking about shaving the new head for more compression, but the gas here may not be good enough for that. I am porting and polishing the new head though. BTW/ I know why the Phantoms last so long. The main bearings for the crank are about as big as you see on a 750cc bike, way overkill.

Sailorman wrote:I googled the Honda VT250c and it looks exactly like a TA200 Phantom with the V engine it should have had. BTW/ The VT500F Ascot is the VT500C Shadow cruiser engine/trans, etc in a dirt/oval track like frame. It wasn't very popular as you could get the cruiser for just about the same price. Its started life with a single exhaust and I put the bells on it and they were real hard to find. I also did a lot of work on the carbs as they were set up to get past government emission laws .

I wonder if I could stuff a VT250C engine in my Phantom frame? Fun project, but at the moment I'm rebuilding my Phantom engine. Boring new cylinder to .50 over w/ new .50 over piston and rejecting the carb. New cam, but I couldn't get a performance cam anywhere. I'm thinking about shaving the new head for more compression, but the gas here may not be good enough for that. I am porting and polishing the new head though. BTW/ I know why the Phantoms last so long. The main bearings for the crank are about as big as you see on a 750cc bike, way overkill.

Sounds like a great project - photos?

Will post photos as I progress. Here is a picture of the chromed tank with flames and 10 coats of clear.

Nice

I love doing my freshy boy manuevers through traffic with no helmet, wasted on my bright Yellow Honda Click. Get a Click and Get a life.

Can you do this on a Shadow? That's what I thought.

Can YOU do that on a Click?

StroppyChops wrote:Can YOU do that on a Click?

Don't be daft. Of course I CAN... I've just choosen not to ever attempt it. That is all.