Ascot Honda

ASCOT HONDA

ROUNDUP

Good ideas never disappear forever, and neither do good names. Honda knew that a road going 500cc Single was a good idea, one whose time keeps coming back, and they knew the Ascot name was useful, because the XR500-based Honda TT machine has had a successful racing record at Ascot.

Back in 1969 a pair of Southern Californians, Jack Wilkinson and Dave Peterson liked the idea of racing Honda’s CB450 and they built the Ascot Honda. The first one. Wilkinson was the rider and Peterson the tuner and their efforts were generally successful on the half-mile oval at Gar-

dena’s Ascot Park. With the high com pression pistons and performance cams the Honda Twin was fast enough for Wilkinson to be near the top of his Amateur class.

The Ascot Honda weighed 240 lbs., to 40 lb. less than the BSA Gold Stars that were cleaning up at Ascot. Horsepower was 52.8 at 9750 rpm. Honda forks and a rigid rear end provided all the suspension.

Considering the publicity the original Ascot Honda received after its initial announcement in Cycle World it may be that the name was better than the bike.