Honda Shadow 750? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Honda Shadow 750?

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Portuguese_Pzyco

Member
So I've been doing some research and talking to some good friends of mine who are fellow motorcycle enthusiasts. They have suggested a CBR 600F4i but the honest truth is I love cruisers. I've rode a cruiser and a sportbike but the cruiser is just better for what I'm looking for. I've had my eye on the 750 and have talked with a dealership but I was wondering if you do have a 750 how does it handle for 2up riding (feel underpowered, becomes lethargic, or runs well?)Also if there are any common problems that I should be aware of?
 
Honda Shadow 750,s are excellent bikes, for solo or 2 up you will have no problem.
It,s comfortable, powerful and if you get an older one with chain drive you can change the rear sprocket to a 37-38 tooth and it will cruise effortlessly at 110-120 kph.
Very reliable and with proper maintenance you can get 100-150,000 kms out of these bikes.
Parts are easy to get.
You can,t go wrong with a Shadow.
 
Have a look at the Suzuki Marauder 800cc which later on became the M50. It's a sweet bike in the same class as the Shadow, but imho a better looking ride. :p
 
I've never ridden one, but lookswise I've always thought the Shadow Spirit was pretty sweet.
 
Rotten_Ronnie said:
Have a look at the Suzuki Marauder 800cc which later on became the M50. It's a sweet bike in the same class as the Shadow, but imho a better looking ride. :p
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Marauder packs an extra 10 or so horsepower and torque over the 750 Shadow. Makes a big difference on the 2-up. Only 50cc more but much more power. Inverted forks and nice beefy tires too.
 
I put 70,000kms riding my 2000 Shadow 750 across Canada. The bike was bullet proof and with some low cost upgrades it tours really well. It isn't fast but pulls fine even 2 up. I highly recommend one.
 
When I started shopping for new, if the DL's hadn't been so appealing I would have bought a Honda 750 with shaft drive. (I hate chain maintenance!).

I have a buddy who is really tall and owns an older Honda 750. The 750 looks small when he's on it, but from a power perspective he's fine on it.
 
Ride mine two up all the time. I'm a pretty big guy and don't find I have any problems with it. I've got an '02 ACE and pulls away fine. As stated above it will do 110-120 2 up with no problems. (And faster, but I won't say that here)

I'm also in the market to sell mine in the spring (it's away for the winter) if you're interested.

And don't let people fool you with chain drive maintenance, it's REALLY not that bad.
 
Different strokes for different folks. You can 2 up on a Shadow and some will sing it's praises. My neighbour has a Spirit and it looks and sounds great. The passenger pad looks like it would do the job around town but, I suspect if you want to keep your riding partner happy, a seat upgrade would be in order. Lots to choose from.

I'd see about at least trying to have both you and your partner sit on the bike first.

As for power, again that is subjective. Some will say plenty, others will say weezy. I'm sure it will put a smile on your face and if it doesn't, look to sell and upgrade to larger machine. Nothing wrong with testing the waters for a season or two and moving up if the time comes.
 
nakkers said:
Different strokes for different folks. You can 2 up on a Shadow and some will sing it's praises. My neighbour has a Spirit and it looks and sounds great. The passenger pad looks like it would do the job around town but, I suspect if you want to keep your riding partner happy, a seat upgrade would be in order. Lots to choose from.

I'd see about at least trying to have both you and your partner sit on the bike first.
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Reading on a Honda Shadow forum, it's the first upgrade anyone does. Passenger seat is "ok".
 
Shadows are good bikes but the suzuki c50/volusa is the best bang for the buck as far a mid size touring crusers go hands down.Faster then than a v-star 1100 with the same wheelbase and style and more room than Marauder.Ill post 1/4 times for comparison later if i can find it.The c50 is also the cheapest FI on the market.What ever you get try for mag rims instead of spokes.Over the years i've found they are far better in the long run for a multitude of reasons.M50 and c50's are the same bike just different styles

http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/2006-lightmiddleweight-cruiser-comparison-3972.html
 
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After all the praise for the M50 / Marauder 800 I updated my sig - mine's for sale. Msg'd Portuguese_Pzyco about it, we'll see... the rest of you, feel free to pm me if interested.
 
I would suggest you avoid the 750 - like you'd avoid a volkswagen bug in the 60s unless you jus'wanna to ride to the corner store.

Get an 1100. You can get a HONDA if you want - I'd suggest a Yamaha - but that's just me. (Ok, the Yamaha classic is a cruiser that rides like a cruiser unless you want to stick it to it!! It is so agile you won't believe it - flying through the twisties with the sporty guys - the only thang that holds yo back is your torque - certainly not the bike's suspension and frame. She is so nimble - you'd love it - scraping floor boards on curves poses no "jump threat." The bike leaves the shadow (even the 1300) well behind trying to climb back up on top.

But that's just me. I don't think it was my riding skills - I think it was my Yamaha that blew away other cruisers. Oh - the Roadstar? A slug!! Very powerful on 4 laners - but if you want to ride on a 4 laner - get a CAR!

I have an 1100 Shadow ACE tourer (1998) and like it for its touring qualities, but I really have to push hard through the sweepies of Pennsylvania - it works, but not like my 1100 Yamaha Classic did. It doesn't bounce or jump out of the corners, but there's no question - I have to push harder and I'd never want to scrape the boards - they are so high - you scrape 'em... it's prolly too late and you're gone.

The 750 is simply... too too too small for a cruiser... unless you weigh maybe 120 lbs and you will never be older than 25 or so.

I'm 66 and 230 lbs - a 750 would never appreciate my *** on board.
 
I wonder why nobody is talking about Honda VF750 V-4? First - few questions. How big you are? Do you like classic or custom style? Do you like fast cruiser or not? Do you want 750-800-900cc or more? Few years ago I was in the same shoes as you looking for a smaller cruiser. I was reading a lot and decided to go for Suzuki Marauder VZ800. Like said above: much mor torque and power than Shadow 750, nice wheels, inverted forks a lot of factory chrome. Never had problem with this bike (I had 2 of them and together about 30000km). It's pretty fast too. About 170km/h top speed. If you want more touring oriented bike go for Suzuki Volusia (I hate fenders on it). Kawasaki Vulcan 900 is a nice bike as well (belt drive) or just go for 1100cc. But if the size of the Shadow is OK for you and you like the speed check out HONDA VF750 V-4. It leaves all of above bikes in the dust (and these with twice biger motors as well). That was my next bike after Marauder. What a blast. This one is a bit faster. It can go up to 200km/h and has more than 2 times more power than Shadow (75-80HP). Again: all chrome from the factory, alloy wheels and very nice 4 pipes exhaust. It should be, must to check, on your list. Good luck.
 
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rick123 said:
I wonder why nobody is talking about Honda VF750 V-4? First - few questions. How big you are? Do you like classic or custom style? Do you like fast cruiser or not? Do you want 750-800-900cc or more? Few years ago I was in the same shoes as you looking for a smaller cruiser. I was reading a lot and decided to go for Suzuki Marauder VZ800. Like said above: much mor torque and power than Shadow 750, nice wheels, inverted forks a lot of factory chrome. Never had problem with this bike (I had 2 of them and together about 30000km). It's pretty fast too. About 170km/h top speed. If you want more touring oriented bike go for Suzuki Volusia (I hate fenders on it). Kawasaki Vulcan 900 is a nice bike as well (belt drive) or just go for 1100cc. But if the size of the Shadow is OK for you and you like the speed check out HONDA VF750 V-4. It leaves all of above bikes in the dust (and these with twice biger motors as well). That was my next bike after Marauder. What a blast. This one is a bit faster. It can go up to 200km/h and has more than 2 times more power than Shadow (75-80HP). Again: all chrome from the factory, alloy wheels and very nice 4 pipes exhaust. It should be, must to check, on your list. Good luck.
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iirc, the magna is no longer available new--it's been what, seven years since they stopped building them?

would love to see them bring this bike back. . .buddy has one in mint condition, but will never give it up. . .it is a beast.
 
The 90s-00s Magnas are awesome. I would've bought one if the ones I saw for sale used weren't so ridiculously over priced. Bought an Harley XL-883 for the same $$$$ with half the km. Sure it's got less horsepower than the Magna, but it's easy to kit it to 1200cc when I get power hungry. I went for the standard model (29" seat height) so I could be nice and high.
 
To be honest, I look at Honda because it was the bike that got me addicted to riding. I have looked at other bikes and the Vulcan Classic and the M50 are two bikes that I've been looking at as well. I'm open, and I appreciate opinions because I'm still very green to the sport, but when it comes down to it I need to be comfortable. So here's the basic criteria that I'm looking for when I look at a bike -- remember a n00b so be gentle --

1) cruiser -- to be honest I'll get into trouble with a sport bike. I"m less likely to speed just because i'm not sitting on the handlebars squated basically.

2) comfort -- i'm going to be riding for a while. Everything is about an hour from my place so i'm definitely looking for reliability and comfort

3) tank size -- with hauls the sportsters with the small tanks are just out of the equation for me. I don't want to plan a ride around the gas stations.

4) power -- i will make mistakes that's a given but i need enough to haul my 210 frame around comfortably at speed. When i need to pass and i pin the throttle i don't want to be eating someones bumper. i figured less than 750 and id be in some trouble on the 404/401/407/400/DVP all the highways i frequent regularly -- i will 2up so the added weight needs to be factored in. torque is definitely needed

5) customization -- here i'm not looking for too much in way of making a chopper or a crazy ride. I'm not stupid, crazy but I want to add floor boards, audio (if possible -- headphones work but id rather speakers) rear pad for the passenger.....etc.
 
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