I bought one of these yesterday, and took it out for the first long ride today. THIS IS NOT A BEGINNER BIKE. I've been driving a motorcycle for 15 years... my first assessment is thats it's big, it's weird, it's pretty, and it's dangerous. Like riding on top of a locomotive. A Road King or Road Glide supersized level bike. Not a beginner bike. I'm keeping it, but only because I'm an experienced rider. Get a classic Honda Rebel 250 as your first bike. Not the new one. The old one, that is very flickable and light weight.
The Honda Shadows and the VTX lineup were probably the best cruisers Honda ever made. My favorite Shadows were the 1100 ‘s. A larger size bike, more power, and shaft drive. They last for ever, and usually not that many used ones for sale because nobody wants to get rid of them.
Just casually looking around here the 1100's go for the same as the 1300's, and there are not too many like you said. Still wish I had looked at those before I got my 750.
My VTX1300 is bullet proof and is the best balance for my 140lbs frame; an upgrade from the VTX1800 that I owned briefly, the VTX 1800 is top heavy and gets worse gas mileage than my Toyota Camry. My first bike was a Honda VLX600.
@@matthewbeaver5026 I saw one on marketplace yesterday in Kountze Texas. A red Shadow Sabre 1100 for about 3k. Low mileage and looks great in the photos and sounds great in the video.
I bought my 07 Shadow Spirit 750 as my first bike a few months back and I'm absolutely in love with it. Although there are other bikes out there I would absolutely love to own, I just can't bring myself to trade it in anytime soon. It's been so good to me.
Just bought mine as my first bike tonight! 2005 and 8k miles, she’s sweet. Definetly the scariest part of getting it was unloading it from the truck myself 😂
I got one of these 5-6 months back. A 2011 Aero in black. I watched a lot of videos about them (especially riding ones) and instantly fell in love with it when I sat on it. I'll admit it was a bit of departure from sportier bikes I had ridden, but its real comfortable and the purr of the v-twin is excellent. I really like that it doesn't struggle with hills due to that low down torque. It does weigh more than a lot of bikes, but the weight is low and very easy to manage. When you keep your mindset in "cruise" mode - it's an incredibly satisfying bike. I love my Shadow 750 - I get a lot of people come up and talk to me about it too.
Every day, I discover another reason to h8t3 this bike. It looks pretty, but it just is not designed well... at all. A lot of poor design decisions... every where. I don't know how it got a good reputation, because it definitely doesn't deserve it. Instead of the old excellent 80's Honda design philosophy, they copied Harley to make Harley looking bike, and everything bad about Harley came right along with it.
I completely understand. The Hondas of the 80's would run circles around the newer bikes. Seems like those compromises were made to appeal to those who want that Harley look without the Harley price tag. The tariffs Regan put in place didn't help either. A 6th gear would go a long way with these bikes.
I had a this one in black!!! Full windshield, aux front lights, engine bars... had it for over 10 years!!! best bike I owed. Ended up selling it due to a divorce... I was so sad when I sold it. Even today when I see one I remember mine... Great bike for sure!!!!
My dad recommended a Honda shadow 750 to me for my first bike. He had one as his first that was configured to be a chopper but has since got a Harley. I'm also a shorter rider so I think this'll be good for boosting my confidence when I do eventually get my hands on the bike
Awesome! I think your dad is on to something. I found the Shadow 750 to be very manageable with enough power to keep you happy until you are ready for something bigger. They are very manageable and I think you will enjoy it! Ride safe friend!
The Honda 750 Shadow is a fairly hood all around bike reasonably comfortable, not fast but fast enough with decent handling. It’s a good bike for a guy who doesn’t want to spend alot on a motorcycle. I recently bought a 2023 HD Heritage Classic as a retirement gift to myself. Believe it or not sometimes I prefer to ride the easy going and simple 750 Shadow. As someone famous once said keep it simple stupid!!!
a 2001 Shadow 750 ACE was my first bike. She was my daily rider for 4 years without 1 second of trouble. Oil changes, chain lube, and brake pads took minutes. The previous owner put on 13000 km in the 6 years he had it and i put on another 9 in my 4 years.
Yes I have a 2008 Honda Shadow Aero I have learned to write on that motorcycle I thoroughly enjoy it I've only been riding a couple years I am 66 years old out having fun on it😅
I started on a 750 Spirit. After a couple years I went to a Sabre1100. Basically the same bike with just a bit more room and a bit more power. Trouble is now my local Honda dealers will no longer work on any bike over 10 years old. At 70 years old I can't see buying a new bike $$$ so I'll just keep changing the oil and ride it till one of us gives out.
I'm curious if it is more of a liability thing but I've been sticking with small independent shops for any work I can't do myself. Glad to hear you are still out there friend! Ride safe!
Caught the riding bug again after a 10 year break. Found a 02 750 ACE last year. It wasn't my top choice but couldn't refuse the low miles, near mint condition, a bunch of accessories and dirt cheap! The critics are right. She's definately not a speed demon. And you'll have to downsize the rear sprocket if you want to hang with highway traffic. For me though, at my age, the bike is plenty good enough. She's perfectly fine for sightseeing on the secondary roads in comfort and style. Cruising @ 60 is just right. Power and braking is adequate. Not sure about 2 up riding though. If that's what your plan is, especially long distance, I would go with a bigger engine.
I've thought picking up a 600 to bob out since there are a TON of parts for it but since I already have the 750 it seemed unnecessary so I'm gonna bob that instead lol. Parts should start showing up this week@@kennethlindahl9206
My son had one years ago, and I got to ride around on it. I found it to be very enjoyable and competent for everything I put it through. The crotch rocket jockies think everything with less than 150 hp is underpowered. Simply not true. For normal, rational riding, and touring, the Shadow is a perfectly good bike for ANY rider. It's a cruiser...not a sports bike. I've owned a Honda CB 750, and a couple of Goldwings. Currently ride an 1800 Wing. I don't know why we seek to belittle a bike by calling it a "beginner" bike. What is that anyway? I know riders with 30, 40 years of experience who have ridden well over a hundred thousand miles. As we get older, we learn to appreciate these " beginner bikes" for their ease of handling, low maintainance, and just plain fun riding. If you judge a bike's worth by its top end speed, you probably also measure a woman's worth by her bra size. Either way, you'd be wrong.
What the … I am saving for a Honda shadow I don’t no they were that cheap. I have 2000 saved. Now. And in 5 more weeks I’ll have 4000. I hope I can buy one
I have a 2007 shadow spirit 750 DC. I bought it for $2500 with only 3000 miles on it. I sunk in $120 in the first two weeks on simple maintenance plugs and new gas. And the bike is giving me zero problems I know have almost 6000 on it. I keep looking a bigger bikes, and test drove bigger bikes yet can’t seem to find a reason to get rid of my shadow
Only 3000 miles? That's a brand new bike! Glad to hear you are enjoying it! I feel the same way. I'd love something in the 1200-1300cc range but the lil 750 does everything I need. There no reason to part with it!
I've never had the chance to ride any Suzuki other than my Katana. One of the guys I use to work with had an Intruder (800 I think?) and he put thousands upon thousands of miles on it with no real issues.
I own and ride a 2004 Honda Shadow, Aero. It's new to me and I have a few complaints. While traveling a US Hiway at the speed of 55 MPH. I find it mundane to follow a car at this speed. Passing speed is no problem. Accelerating to a velocity of over 75 MPH is no problem. Although I would not want to maintain such speed. It does well anyway. I have had it at a velocity of over 100 Mph. I did not feel comfortable doing so. But, it did it well. No speed wobble at all. A hot rod, it is not. A cruiser it definitely is. I am happy with my Shadow. My Shadow and me. 😊 My only complaint. No center stand and no fuel gauge. And even after 20 years of manufacturing, it is still the same. WTF Honda?
Really? What is preventing them from being imported? Europe is a huge motorcycle market I am surprised any manufacturer would not build their bikes to meet the regulations.
Sooo. I’ve got a question. One thing I’ve never seen through is putting the Apes on. I’ve done other things. But, like you said in the on video “it seemed like such a monumental task”. Finding the right size cables and lines. Plus it’s not like a Harley, everything aftermarket is made for Harleys. Honda and other Metrics, not so much. So.. back to the question. What size clutch line did you have to go with?
The clutch cable measures out to 6" longer than the stock one. I can not remember what the total measurement is off the top of my head. Mine came from Mean Cycles out of Florida as part of a kit. I wish I knew I only needed the clutch cable at the time, that would have saved me a lot of money but whatever. Check out Motion Pro. It looks like they should have what you need (for like $25 bucks too).
Honda vt750 shadow ace rider Bike is 27 years old 25000km but still looks and handles as a brand new bike. Had only problem with the fuelpump last week but otherwise a very reliable bike. And thinking about buying a second one to customise😅
I just watched this, and then I re watched your other video about if it's any good. I have to agree on both parts about fulfilling about 95% of the needs. I inherited a 2012 Aero 750 1.5 years ago and it got me back interested in motorcycling after I stopped riding about 30 years ago after a gnarly accident on a dirt bike in the SoCal desert when I was active duty USAF. It's a great bike for beginners and intermediates and is a ton of fun and fills most squares for getting around...except on the interstates much above 70mph. I've had mine to 80 before on an interstate just to get to the next exit and it was fine, but I'm not sure I'd want to cruise for hours. The Aero 750 happy place to me is right around 60-65, and I love just tooling around the countryside around 50-55. That said, while it is a great bike to rebuild my confidence and skill, last fall I bought a 2014 Triumph Tbird Commander 1700 (not a beginner bike) and OMG. I'm at 60mph in just under 4 seconds in 2nd gear without trying and I have to keep backing off because 80 just happens...lol. Still low CG, super comfortable seat, and super stable at low speeds too. Selling my Shadow because that was the deal I made with the wife...lol.
That is an awesome upgrade for a bike. - always had a soft spot for those excellent Triumphs! I can tell the Aero doesn't like big stretches at higher speed, but luckily (unluckily) for me - NZ roads are getting slow and not faster. However, Happy riding!
I've ran mine up to about 90 after putting on the new exhaust and intake. You are correct, I would not want to do that for a long stretch of highway. I admit I am not familiar with Triumphs so I'll have to look up the Tbird but 1700 seems like a completely different experience than the Shadow!
My dad's first bike was a Shadow 650. We're both Harley guys and he has one that we use for the commute every now and then, but I will admit that I'd like to try taking one out for a ride to see what it's like. THey don't offer it where I live, sadly.
Had a shadow 750 aero a few years ago, it was an '08 carbureted version loved it but i sold it when I bought a vtx 1300, I do wish I had that shadow sometimes if I ever do buy another shadow it would be a fuel injected version for sure, either aero or phantom would be cool to
How do you like the VTX1300 compared to the Shadow? In the back of my mind I have always thought about going with something bigger even though I have something sportier for higher speeds/longer distances.
@LuckyAcesRiding absolutely love it definitely more comfortable on longer distance riding, took me a little bit to get adjusted to the extra weight compared to the shadow 750 but it definitely has more pop to it no doubt it, the vtx 1300 is also carbureted. Been a great bike to me 👍
I had a Shadow 750 Ace and although it was beautiful (gold and black) and a joy to ride, if you wanted to pass another car you had to check the calendar to make sure you had nothing else planned for that day, and breaking?😅😅😅
I would never have a bike with spokes again. Spokes means tubes. Mag wheels mean tubeless. The difference between having your bike towed home with a flat tire or plugging it and keep going.
It would be nice but I never see it happening. Honda would rather you buy the Rebel 1100. Knowing what I know now I would have looked at the older 1100 ACE and Sabre models.
The drum brake , spoked wheels, and chain drive are a deal breaker for me. I was going to buy a Honda Sabre 1100 but bought a 2002 VTX 1800R instead. 3 grand.😊
With the Aero/Phantom and some Spirits we ate least get shaft drive but are still stuck with the drum brake. It is crazy how inexpensive the VTX1800s are compared to the 1300s and other smaller machines.
a grossly underpowered motorcycle can be as, if not more, dangerous for a new rider then an over powered bike and the 2nd gen shadow 750 definitely qualifies as underpowered with one of the worst power to weight ratios of any modern midrange street motorcycle. the shadow 750 has less horsepower than a 70's era honda CB450 in fact, not only is the HP of the shadow 750 about half that of the smaller suzuki SV650 but also half the HP of the old 80's yamaha xj650. an experienced rider will know within 2 blocks what the shadow can do and what you shouldn't even try to do, a newer rider has no idea what the bike can't do until they can't do it which can be too late especially when that one thing is not being able to keep up with the flow of traffic on a highway incline when the traffic is doing 80+. the shadow is an ok around town stoplight to stoplight bike or highway cruiser when the hwys are long and flat but areas where there are lots of hills and high speed traffic the 2nd gen shadow is one of the worst bikes you can own .......
I want to buy a bike and i have 3 options:yamaha virago 535,yamaha dragster 650 and honda shadow 750.This will be my first bike,what do u say guys,which should be my first,which is better for a beginner?
Same here, want to buy my first bike and I don't know what to choose between the Yamaha dragstar 650 and the Honda shadow 750. were you able to make your choice in the end?
Underpowered but handles pretty decent. Not sure what the thrill is with v twins because the in-line 4 750cc Honda will run circles around the v twin 750. And it’s still not a Harley just a wanna be that’s more dependable. Give me the cb750 - cb1000 any day.
I think a lot of the draw with the V-Twin is the sound. Folks like that low end rumble. For a commuter the 750 Shadows do pretty good and used ones are affordable. While it can do 90% of what the bigger bikes can it isn't really ideal. Around town I find myself riding my Shadow for the comfort, for everything else I ride a GSX600F.
I get what you're saying. The closest thing to an inline 4 crusier was my 82 Yamaha maxim 550 . That thing was super quick with 6 gears . I've also ridden a kz 750 ( can't remember the year ) as well as a seca 650 . All of them were superior in performance next to my shadow ace and aero . I must admit I am fond of the liquid cooling . And fact is I no longer race on the weekends . I am definitely more fond of an inline 4 for power and sound . They were also so smooth . Times change , bikes change , styles change . Just look at the suv market I prayed in the late 80s those ugly vehicles would soon be a thing of the past and they're now ubiquitous with no sign of slowing in sales . Here's some food for thought . The shadow was borne of the Honda v45 v65 magna . Those v4s and v6s put out more power than an inline 4 . And they're not even on the market anymore . I do miss my inlines , yet I will also miss my aero if I sold it tomorrow. I feel lucky to have been able to enjoy all forms and styles of riding to include freestyle flatland bmx . I still have 4 bicycles at home and they all offer something different . Motorcycles are the same tragically I can only afford one at a time . My life behind bars has been a dream come true no matter the displacement it offers me pronoia and placement . I do feel and share in the pain of your disdain . No kid today will know what it was like to jump on an rd 450 and hold on for dear life and it only had 2 cylinders . Whew imagine what an inline 4 2stroke would be like today . Earth shaking like the old Suzuki water buffalo's and the kawasaki 2 stroke 750s . I get chills just thinking about them .
I just like mine, I don't love it. The only single thing the Shadow really seems going for it is that... it's pretty. I've only owned mine a month and already I got a laundry list of hurt: Things I loathe about my Shadow (compared to my 80's Honda bikes): 1) The ignition key is danging off the side. I have to take it off my key ring and put it back on every time I get on or off the bike. The ignition key belongs at the top of the front forks where you can't forget it, and where it's supported and can rest on the top of the forks. You know this if you have a big wad of keys on your key chain. 2) The vacuum actuated fuel petcock had a recall on it, which failed right off the bat. When it fails, even when switched on, your bike gets zero fuel and won't crank. 3) The footpegs are too far forward; where I am use to putting my feet, there is nothing but dead air 4) The rear footpegs are sky high... you can't move your feet back and forth from front to back say if you get a leg cramp while driving 5) There's a lot of safety switch garbage on the bike that will keep the bike from cranking or just kill it and you don't know why. For example, try to put the bike in gear when the footpeg is down, and the bike just suddenly and inexplicably... dies 6) It's like driving around a piece of silvware that you have to clean and polish... all the friggin time 7) A lot of parts like the fenders are made of... not metal... but plastic. metal if it gets bent up or scratched, you and straighten out, derust, repaint. not so with plastic 8) The battery is terribly undersized for it; a new battery gives you about 60 seconds of crank time before it's flat dead 9) Why does my carb motorcycle... have an ECM computer... that could fail??? It makes no sense. 10) No fuel gauge, even though the fuel cap is right there next to the speedo on the tank. You could put a spiral rod float operated fuel gauge there instead of a gas cap. 11) No 12v out on the handlebars or cigarette lighter, to plug any accessory in, like a radar detector. I'll have to yet again tap into the headlight low beam circuit. 12) Tires are expensive for it 13) It doesn't look like you could take the head off the bike, without taking the entire engine out of the bike and disassembling everything completely. Eventually, you are going to have to do this to replace the rings and cylinder head. It doesn't look like the carb is easy to take out either, and this you have to do all the time to clean it. 14) The battery, which you have to get to all the time (like to connect jumping cables to), is under the seat, under another plastic cover, instead of off the side of the bike. Why? 15) No luggage carrying capacity whatsoever. You have to add aftermarket stuff, and there really are not any good options for a big rack on the back or sissy bar. They all are pretty small and useless. There are a few super tall sissy bars out there, but they look kind of out of place on the Shadow. I'm just going to have to build my own rack. 16) The tool and manual compartment is a disaster of design, with a separator between the two sides... one for their tools, one for the user manual. When I bought mine both were missing. Okay, so I'll stick my own bag of tools in there. No can do, the completely needless half height separator wall prevents that. Worse, there's way more space around this compartment that it could have been made substantially bigger. Ditto for making the battery box bigger, they could of done that so you could of swapped in a bigger traditional sized motorcycle battery. 17) The ECM sits on top of the battery, and you have to move it around every time you get at the battery, flexing the wires into it. I tried to find a dedicated place shuffling around in there where I wouldn't have to that, but no luck. 18) The rear fender does not go all the way down past the rear swing arm, which means you get sand and dirt every time you drive accumulating on that flat swing arm surface right in front of the rear tire. Why? I'm seriously thinking extending the rear fender with some riveted on rubber car tire material flat... or something. 19) Not a deal breaker, but the choke is located right between two hot cyldiners. Usually you only need to turn it on when they are cold... but if you forget to push it back in, and they are hot? 20) The fuel petcock directions for ON, OFF, and Reserve are shifted 90 degrees out of sync compared to all my other bikes. ON is backwards, OFF is down, and RES is forward... instead of my other bikes, where it makes a whole lot more sense... ON is up, OFF is backwards, and RES is down Honda has definitely went down hill with the Shadow or thrown common sense out the window. They were doing everything right, but I can only guess they tried to copy a Harley look, and thusly did everything... now... wrong? Just to be pretty? Or look like a Harley? I don't know. I love my other Hondas, but the Shadow.. I'm like... kind of disappointed. What went wrong here, Honda? Did you boot out all the retired engineers, and hire a bunch of millenial engineers fresh out of college who were enamored with their CAD program and never rode a motorcycle? Your really don't realize how annoying these things are about the Shadow if it's like your first bike or the only bike you've ever owned or you came from a Harley. But if like me you're a hardcore in the Honda's Camp 1980's Honda 20 year rider and still driving motorcycles from the 1970's and 1980's golden age of motorcycling... you're like, WTF Honda! Why did you screw up everything everywhere on the Shadow... you were doing most everything before... right. The Shadow 750 is not a beginners bike... I will tell you that... it's too heavy and like driving around a freight train. Start with a 125cc, 250cc.. something infinitely flicable... and then move up to a 450cc. You really don't need more than 450cc in my opinion. 750cc turned out to be overkill. It's a tradeoff, more horsepower means lower mpg. A 450 is about the right balance between the two. A 750cc you're just throwing away gas. Going from my 750cc back to my 250cc is like night and day for thrill to drive. The 250cc is so much more fun to drive.
@LuckyAcesRiding i happened to get one when i had originally thought of getting a 750. I'm not really big but i feel petty confident riding the highway on the 1100.
@@TheoreticallyAnEngineer When I was starting to learn to ride it just seemed like an 1100 was too big. The 750 does fine for what I use it for which is mainly in town stuff.
Shadow Spirit C2 rider here. This is my first bike and I can tell you I made the best choice possible for me. It's so great!
I bought one of these yesterday, and took it out for the first long ride today. THIS IS NOT A BEGINNER BIKE.
I've been driving a motorcycle for 15 years... my first assessment is thats it's big, it's weird, it's pretty, and it's dangerous. Like riding on top of a locomotive. A Road King or Road Glide supersized level bike. Not a beginner bike. I'm keeping it, but only because I'm an experienced rider. Get a classic Honda Rebel 250 as your first bike. Not the new one. The old one, that is very flickable and light weight.
The Honda Shadows and the VTX lineup were probably the best cruisers Honda ever made. My favorite Shadows were the 1100 ‘s. A larger size bike, more power, and shaft drive. They last for ever, and usually not that many used ones for sale because nobody wants to get rid of them.
Just casually looking around here the 1100's go for the same as the 1300's, and there are not too many like you said. Still wish I had looked at those before I got my 750.
Don't forget the Honda Valkyrie
My VTX1300 is bullet proof and is the best balance for my 140lbs frame; an upgrade from the VTX1800 that I owned briefly, the VTX 1800 is top heavy and gets worse gas mileage than my Toyota Camry. My first bike was a Honda VLX600.
I kinda want to upgrade to a 1100 sabre. Still love my shadow tho.
@@matthewbeaver5026 I saw one on marketplace yesterday in Kountze Texas. A red Shadow Sabre 1100 for about 3k. Low mileage and looks great in the photos and sounds great in the video.
I bought my 07 Shadow Spirit 750 as my first bike a few months back and I'm absolutely in love with it. Although there are other bikes out there I would absolutely love to own, I just can't bring myself to trade it in anytime soon. It's been so good to me.
They just seem to do everything most of us ask a motorcycle to do! Thank you for the comment!
@@LuckyAcesRiding of course. I'm proud to own one!!
Just bought mine as my first bike tonight! 2005 and 8k miles, she’s sweet. Definetly the scariest part of getting it was unloading it from the truck myself 😂
I got one of these 5-6 months back. A 2011 Aero in black. I watched a lot of videos about them (especially riding ones) and instantly fell in love with it when I sat on it. I'll admit it was a bit of departure from sportier bikes I had ridden, but its real comfortable and the purr of the v-twin is excellent. I really like that it doesn't struggle with hills due to that low down torque. It does weigh more than a lot of bikes, but the weight is low and very easy to manage. When you keep your mindset in "cruise" mode - it's an incredibly satisfying bike. I love my Shadow 750 - I get a lot of people come up and talk to me about it too.
I agree with your assessment. As long as you understand what the bike is and what it is made for I don't think anyone would be disappointed.
Every day, I discover another reason to h8t3 this bike.
It looks pretty, but it just is not designed well... at all. A lot of poor design decisions... every where.
I don't know how it got a good reputation, because it definitely doesn't deserve it. Instead of the old excellent 80's Honda design philosophy, they copied Harley to make Harley looking bike, and everything bad about Harley came right along with it.
I completely understand. The Hondas of the 80's would run circles around the newer bikes. Seems like those compromises were made to appeal to those who want that Harley look without the Harley price tag. The tariffs Regan put in place didn't help either. A 6th gear would go a long way with these bikes.
I had a this one in black!!! Full windshield, aux front lights, engine bars... had it for over 10 years!!! best bike I owed. Ended up selling it due to a divorce... I was so sad when I sold it. Even today when I see one I remember mine... Great bike for sure!!!!
I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully one day you can pick up another!
Sorry for your loss. No not the B^*^H.
Buy another!
Moral of the story, don't get married 😂
My dad recommended a Honda shadow 750 to me for my first bike. He had one as his first that was configured to be a chopper but has since got a Harley. I'm also a shorter rider so I think this'll be good for boosting my confidence when I do eventually get my hands on the bike
Awesome! I think your dad is on to something. I found the Shadow 750 to be very manageable with enough power to keep you happy until you are ready for something bigger. They are very manageable and I think you will enjoy it! Ride safe friend!
The Honda 750 Shadow is a fairly hood all around bike reasonably comfortable, not fast but fast enough with decent handling. It’s a good bike for a guy who doesn’t want to spend alot on a motorcycle. I recently bought a 2023 HD Heritage Classic as a retirement gift to myself. Believe it or not sometimes I prefer to ride the easy going and simple 750 Shadow. As someone famous once said keep it simple stupid!!!
I’ve rode a lot of Honda motorcycles growing up and some different Honda cruisers. I really like the Shadow bikes I’ve rode.
For the power vs weight they are pretty decent in my opinion!
Mine is 21 years old and still looks like it came out the create last year
a 2001 Shadow 750 ACE was my first bike. She was my daily rider for 4 years without 1 second of trouble. Oil changes, chain lube, and brake pads took minutes. The previous owner put on 13000 km in the 6 years he had it and i put on another 9 in my 4 years.
These bikes just seem to work! Thank you for your comment.
I’m sold Dude going to get a Honda Shadow 750. Thank you Peace
Yes I have a 2008 Honda Shadow Aero I have learned to write on that motorcycle I thoroughly enjoy it I've only been riding a couple years I am 66 years old out having fun on it😅
97 750 Shadow ACE was my First and still is my Bike. Sometimes i miss some Power😅 but it never let me down so i keep loving and riding it. 👍
I started on a 750 Spirit. After a couple years I went to a Sabre1100. Basically the same bike with just a bit more room and a bit more power. Trouble is now my local Honda dealers will no longer work on any bike over 10 years old. At 70 years old I can't see buying a new bike $$$ so I'll just keep changing the oil and ride it till one of us gives out.
I'm curious if it is more of a liability thing but I've been sticking with small independent shops for any work I can't do myself. Glad to hear you are still out there friend! Ride safe!
I like the way you think Pat.
Caught the riding bug again after a 10 year break. Found a 02 750 ACE last year. It wasn't my top choice but couldn't refuse the low miles, near mint condition, a bunch of accessories and dirt cheap!
The critics are right. She's definately not a speed demon. And you'll have to downsize the rear sprocket if you want to hang with highway traffic. For me though, at my age, the bike is plenty good enough. She's perfectly fine for sightseeing on the secondary roads in comfort and style. Cruising @ 60 is just right. Power and braking is adequate. Not sure about 2 up riding though. If that's what your plan is, especially long distance, I would go with a bigger engine.
I have a 04 750
now because of this vid I have to get another shadow
thanks alot you enabler
I never said I was a good person lol
@@LuckyAcesRiding I dont know ...another shadow seems like a good thing
I'll be honest, they all do seem kind of similar. Like once you had one you had them all. @@kennethlindahl9206
I really want a 600 to rat out@@LuckyAcesRiding
I've thought picking up a 600 to bob out since there are a TON of parts for it but since I already have the 750 it seemed unnecessary so I'm gonna bob that instead lol. Parts should start showing up this week@@kennethlindahl9206
My son had one years ago, and I got to ride around on it. I found it to be very enjoyable and competent for everything I put it through. The crotch rocket jockies think everything with less than 150 hp is underpowered. Simply not true. For normal, rational riding, and touring, the Shadow is a perfectly good bike for ANY rider. It's a cruiser...not a sports bike. I've owned a Honda CB 750, and a couple of Goldwings. Currently ride an 1800 Wing. I don't know why we seek to belittle a bike by calling it a "beginner" bike. What is that anyway? I know riders with 30, 40 years of experience who have ridden well over a hundred thousand miles. As we get older, we learn to appreciate these " beginner bikes" for their ease of handling, low maintainance, and just plain fun riding. If you judge a bike's worth by its top end speed, you probably also measure a woman's worth by her bra size. Either way, you'd be wrong.
Very well said! I couldn't agree more! Thank you for your comment!
What the … I am saving for a Honda shadow I don’t no they were that cheap. I have 2000 saved. Now. And in 5 more weeks I’ll have 4000. I hope I can buy one
If you are patient you can find a good deal but it may take time. There are good inexpensive bikes out there.
I have a 2007 shadow spirit 750 DC. I bought it for $2500 with only 3000 miles on it. I sunk in $120 in the first two weeks on simple maintenance plugs and new gas. And the bike is giving me zero problems I know have almost 6000 on it. I keep looking a bigger bikes, and test drove bigger bikes yet can’t seem to find a reason to get rid of my shadow
Only 3000 miles? That's a brand new bike! Glad to hear you are enjoying it! I feel the same way. I'd love something in the 1200-1300cc range but the lil 750 does everything I need. There no reason to part with it!
My favorites are the shadow aero, and Suzuki C50
I've never had the chance to ride any Suzuki other than my Katana. One of the guys I use to work with had an Intruder (800 I think?) and he put thousands upon thousands of miles on it with no real issues.
Another great video. Love it!!!! Honda Shadow all the way!!!!
Honda Shadow for life! Haha thank you sir!
I own and ride a 2004 Honda Shadow, Aero. It's new to me and I have a few complaints. While traveling a US Hiway at the speed of 55 MPH. I find it mundane to follow a car at this speed. Passing speed is no problem. Accelerating to a velocity of over 75 MPH is no problem. Although I would not want to maintain such speed. It does well anyway. I have had it at a velocity of over 100 Mph. I did not feel comfortable doing so. But, it did it well. No speed wobble at all. A hot rod, it is not. A cruiser it definitely is. I am happy with my Shadow. My Shadow and me. 😊 My only complaint. No center stand and no fuel gauge. And even after 20 years of manufacturing, it is still the same. WTF Honda?
100% True! I love my2004. In Oregon!
You are praising this magnificient bike... while this gem is not available in Europe due to environmental regulations. Fed up of European politicians.
Really? What is preventing them from being imported? Europe is a huge motorcycle market I am surprised any manufacturer would not build their bikes to meet the regulations.
Sooo. I’ve got a question. One thing I’ve never seen through is putting the Apes on. I’ve done other things. But, like you said in the on video “it seemed like such a monumental task”. Finding the right size cables and lines. Plus it’s not like a Harley, everything aftermarket is made for Harleys. Honda and other Metrics, not so much. So.. back to the question. What size clutch line did you have to go with?
The clutch cable measures out to 6" longer than the stock one. I can not remember what the total measurement is off the top of my head. Mine came from Mean Cycles out of Florida as part of a kit. I wish I knew I only needed the clutch cable at the time, that would have saved me a lot of money but whatever. Check out Motion Pro. It looks like they should have what you need (for like $25 bucks too).
Honda vt750 shadow ace rider
Bike is 27 years old 25000km but still looks and handles as a brand new bike. Had only problem with the fuelpump last week but otherwise a very reliable bike. And thinking about buying a second one to customise😅
Love this content
Thanks for checking it out!
I just watched this, and then I re watched your other video about if it's any good. I have to agree on both parts about fulfilling about 95% of the needs. I inherited a 2012 Aero 750 1.5 years ago and it got me back interested in motorcycling after I stopped riding about 30 years ago after a gnarly accident on a dirt bike in the SoCal desert when I was active duty USAF. It's a great bike for beginners and intermediates and is a ton of fun and fills most squares for getting around...except on the interstates much above 70mph. I've had mine to 80 before on an interstate just to get to the next exit and it was fine, but I'm not sure I'd want to cruise for hours. The Aero 750 happy place to me is right around 60-65, and I love just tooling around the countryside around 50-55. That said, while it is a great bike to rebuild my confidence and skill, last fall I bought a 2014 Triumph Tbird Commander 1700 (not a beginner bike) and OMG. I'm at 60mph in just under 4 seconds in 2nd gear without trying and I have to keep backing off because 80 just happens...lol. Still low CG, super comfortable seat, and super stable at low speeds too. Selling my Shadow because that was the deal I made with the wife...lol.
That is an awesome upgrade for a bike. - always had a soft spot for those excellent Triumphs! I can tell the Aero doesn't like big stretches at higher speed, but luckily (unluckily) for me - NZ roads are getting slow and not faster. However, Happy riding!
I've ran mine up to about 90 after putting on the new exhaust and intake. You are correct, I would not want to do that for a long stretch of highway. I admit I am not familiar with Triumphs so I'll have to look up the Tbird but 1700 seems like a completely different experience than the Shadow!
My dad's first bike was a Shadow 650. We're both Harley guys and he has one that we use for the commute every now and then, but I will admit that I'd like to try taking one out for a ride to see what it's like. THey don't offer it where I live, sadly.
Even if I get anything nicer I got to keep the Shadow. It just works.
Not to mention would be cheaper and easier to maintain XD
Had a shadow 750 aero a few years ago, it was an '08 carbureted version loved it but i sold it when I bought a vtx 1300, I do wish I had that shadow sometimes if I ever do buy another shadow it would be a fuel injected version for sure, either aero or phantom would be cool to
How do you like the VTX1300 compared to the Shadow? In the back of my mind I have always thought about going with something bigger even though I have something sportier for higher speeds/longer distances.
@LuckyAcesRiding absolutely love it definitely more comfortable on longer distance riding, took me a little bit to get adjusted to the extra weight compared to the shadow 750 but it definitely has more pop to it no doubt it, the vtx 1300 is also carbureted. Been a great bike to me 👍
@@johnnycashbenham1192 I think it weighs an extra 100lbs I think? Seems manageable
I had a Shadow 750 Ace and although it was beautiful (gold and black) and a joy to ride, if you wanted to pass another car you had to check the calendar to make sure you had nothing else planned for that day, and breaking?😅😅😅
Oh yeah, any passing needs to be planned way in advance. The rear drum brake on these have had me crossing my fingers a few times!
Nice just picked up an 07 750 aero for 2800 10k miles 😁
Nice find! It should server you well for years to come!
Bought a 1998 on Saturday for $1900. Once I get it titled and registered and have my license, I'm taking it out on FM roads
Awesome! Enjoy!
Got one, I like it
They should update the shadow abs crius control traction control would be a top seller
I might be mistaken but I think the newer models did include ABS at least. Seems like Honda would rather sell people the Rebel over a Shadow.
I would never have a bike with spokes again. Spokes means tubes. Mag wheels mean tubeless. The difference between having your bike towed home with a flat tire or plugging it and keep going.
Very true. Picked up something in my rear 6 months in to riding and couldn't do a thing about it.
My mom just gave me hers!
That's awesome! I hope you enjoy it!
They should make one with a bigger motor like they had before.
It would be nice but I never see it happening. Honda would rather you buy the Rebel 1100. Knowing what I know now I would have looked at the older 1100 ACE and Sabre models.
My is a 2013 and I love it 👍👍👍
If you find a phantom buy it's also a great Honda bike
The drum brake , spoked wheels, and chain drive are a deal breaker for me. I was going to buy a Honda Sabre 1100 but bought a 2002 VTX 1800R instead. 3 grand.😊
With the Aero/Phantom and some Spirits we ate least get shaft drive but are still stuck with the drum brake. It is crazy how inexpensive the VTX1800s are compared to the 1300s and other smaller machines.
a grossly underpowered motorcycle can be as, if not more, dangerous for a new rider then an over powered bike and the 2nd gen shadow 750 definitely qualifies as underpowered with one of the worst power to weight ratios of any modern midrange street motorcycle. the shadow 750 has less horsepower than a 70's era honda CB450 in fact, not only is the HP of the shadow 750 about half that of the smaller suzuki SV650 but also half the HP of the old 80's yamaha xj650. an experienced rider will know within 2 blocks what the shadow can do and what you shouldn't even try to do, a newer rider has no idea what the bike can't do until they can't do it which can be too late especially when that one thing is not being able to keep up with the flow of traffic on a highway incline when the traffic is doing 80+. the shadow is an ok around town stoplight to stoplight bike or highway cruiser when the hwys are long and flat but areas where there are lots of hills and high speed traffic the 2nd gen shadow is one of the worst bikes you can own .......
Too buzzy for 80+ mph anyway. Torque drops out way earlier than that. Unless you weigh 100lbs, I don't disagree with anything you said.
My 2004 Honda Shadow Sabre 1100 is better than HD
I want to buy a bike and i have 3 options:yamaha virago 535,yamaha dragster 650 and honda shadow 750.This will be my first bike,what do u say guys,which should be my first,which is better for a beginner?
Same here, want to buy my first bike and I don't know what to choose between the Yamaha dragstar 650 and the Honda shadow 750. were you able to make your choice in the end?
Well, i can recomment you a VN900. Better in everything, belt drive, FI, ... and still produced. Parts are all over.
More power for the weight I am sure. The Shadow is nice but Honda should have tuned these better. Thanks for the comment.
But, I already have one!
Take care, ride safe.
No reason not to own two lol! Ride safe friend!
@@LuckyAcesRiding You are right, having one does not fill up the garage. I need to get more motorcycles... ;)
What size APES are those? Require cable swap?
The apes are 12" (wide version) from J&P Cycles. The only thing I replaced was the clutch cable with one 6" longer than stock.
Are these easy to work on ?
They are not too bad. Some models are dual carburetor and others (like my Aero) are single carb. But for basic maintenance stuff it is pretty simple.
I disagree with the low center of gravity
Underpowered but handles pretty decent. Not sure what the thrill is with v twins because the in-line 4 750cc Honda will run circles around the v twin 750. And it’s still not a Harley just a wanna be that’s more dependable. Give me the cb750 - cb1000 any day.
I think a lot of the draw with the V-Twin is the sound. Folks like that low end rumble. For a commuter the 750 Shadows do pretty good and used ones are affordable. While it can do 90% of what the bigger bikes can it isn't really ideal. Around town I find myself riding my Shadow for the comfort, for everything else I ride a GSX600F.
I never considered any v twins other than harley waabes
I get what you're saying. The closest thing to an inline 4 crusier was my 82 Yamaha maxim 550 . That thing was super quick with 6 gears . I've also ridden a kz 750 ( can't remember the year ) as well as a seca 650 . All of them were superior in performance next to my shadow ace and aero .
I must admit I am fond of the liquid cooling . And fact is I no longer race on the weekends .
I am definitely more fond of an inline 4 for power and sound .
They were also so smooth .
Times change , bikes change , styles change .
Just look at the suv market I prayed in the late 80s those ugly vehicles would soon be a thing of the past and they're now ubiquitous with no sign of slowing in sales .
Here's some food for thought . The shadow was borne of the Honda v45 v65 magna .
Those v4s and v6s put out more power than an inline 4 .
And they're not even on the market anymore .
I do miss my inlines , yet I will also miss my aero if I sold it tomorrow.
I feel lucky to have been able to enjoy all forms and styles of riding to include freestyle flatland bmx .
I still have 4 bicycles at home and they all offer something different .
Motorcycles are the same tragically I can only afford one at a time .
My life behind bars has been a dream come true no matter the displacement it offers me pronoia and placement .
I do feel and share in the pain of your disdain .
No kid today will know what it was like to jump on an rd 450 and hold on for dear life and it only had 2 cylinders .
Whew imagine what an inline 4 2stroke would be like today .
Earth shaking like the old Suzuki water buffalo's and the kawasaki 2 stroke 750s .
I get chills just thinking about them .
YEP!!!!!...lol...THANKS!
Happy to help! Ha!
I got a cb500f.
buy a Honda Shadow? No way. Honda Shadow is for guys that can't afford a good cruiser.
700 close enough?
Probably better. The older 700 Shadows would run circles around newer 750's.
@@LuckyAcesRiding that means I made a good choice then. I bought an 86.
I just like mine, I don't love it. The only single thing the Shadow really seems going for it is that... it's pretty. I've only owned mine a month and already I got a laundry list of hurt:
Things I loathe about my Shadow (compared to my 80's Honda bikes):
1) The ignition key is danging off the side. I have to take it off my key ring and put it back on every time I get on or off the bike. The ignition key belongs at the top of the front forks where you can't forget it, and where it's supported and can rest on the top of the forks. You know this if you have a big wad of keys on your key chain.
2) The vacuum actuated fuel petcock had a recall on it, which failed right off the bat. When it fails, even when switched on, your bike gets zero fuel and won't crank.
3) The footpegs are too far forward; where I am use to putting my feet, there is nothing but dead air
4) The rear footpegs are sky high... you can't move your feet back and forth from front to back say if you get a leg cramp while driving
5) There's a lot of safety switch garbage on the bike that will keep the bike from cranking or just kill it and you don't know why. For example, try to put the bike in gear when the footpeg is down, and the bike just suddenly and inexplicably... dies
6) It's like driving around a piece of silvware that you have to clean and polish... all the friggin time
7) A lot of parts like the fenders are made of... not metal... but plastic. metal if it gets bent up or scratched, you and straighten out, derust, repaint. not so with plastic
8) The battery is terribly undersized for it; a new battery gives you about 60 seconds of crank time before it's flat dead
9) Why does my carb motorcycle... have an ECM computer... that could fail??? It makes no sense.
10) No fuel gauge, even though the fuel cap is right there next to the speedo on the tank. You could put a spiral rod float operated fuel gauge there instead of a gas cap.
11) No 12v out on the handlebars or cigarette lighter, to plug any accessory in, like a radar detector. I'll have to yet again tap into the headlight low beam circuit.
12) Tires are expensive for it
13) It doesn't look like you could take the head off the bike, without taking the entire engine out of the bike and disassembling everything completely. Eventually, you are going to have to do this to replace the rings and cylinder head. It doesn't look like the carb is easy to take out either, and this you have to do all the time to clean it.
14) The battery, which you have to get to all the time (like to connect jumping cables to), is under the seat, under another plastic cover, instead of off the side of the bike. Why?
15) No luggage carrying capacity whatsoever. You have to add aftermarket stuff, and there really are not any good options for a big rack on the back or sissy bar. They all are pretty small and useless. There are a few super tall sissy bars out there, but they look kind of out of place on the Shadow. I'm just going to have to build my own rack.
16) The tool and manual compartment is a disaster of design, with a separator between the two sides... one for their tools, one for the user manual. When I bought mine both were missing. Okay, so I'll stick my own bag of tools in there. No can do, the completely needless half height separator wall prevents that. Worse, there's way more space around this compartment that it could have been made substantially bigger. Ditto for making the battery box bigger, they could of done that so you could of swapped in a bigger traditional sized motorcycle battery.
17) The ECM sits on top of the battery, and you have to move it around every time you get at the battery, flexing the wires into it. I tried to find a dedicated place shuffling around in there where I wouldn't have to that, but no luck.
18) The rear fender does not go all the way down past the rear swing arm, which means you get sand and dirt every time you drive accumulating on that flat swing arm surface right in front of the rear tire. Why? I'm seriously thinking extending the rear fender with some riveted on rubber car tire material flat... or something.
19) Not a deal breaker, but the choke is located right between two hot cyldiners. Usually you only need to turn it on when they are cold... but if you forget to push it back in, and they are hot?
20) The fuel petcock directions for ON, OFF, and Reserve are shifted 90 degrees out of sync compared to all my other bikes. ON is backwards, OFF is down, and RES is forward... instead of my other bikes, where it makes a whole lot more sense... ON is up, OFF is backwards, and RES is down
Honda has definitely went down hill with the Shadow or thrown common sense out the window. They were doing everything right, but I can only guess they tried to copy a Harley look, and thusly did everything... now... wrong? Just to be pretty? Or look like a Harley? I don't know. I love my other Hondas, but the Shadow.. I'm like... kind of disappointed. What went wrong here, Honda? Did you boot out all the retired engineers, and hire a bunch of millenial engineers fresh out of college who were enamored with their CAD program and never rode a motorcycle?
Your really don't realize how annoying these things are about the Shadow if it's like your first bike or the only bike you've ever owned or you came from a Harley. But if like me you're a hardcore in the Honda's Camp 1980's Honda 20 year rider and still driving motorcycles from the 1970's and 1980's golden age of motorcycling... you're like, WTF Honda! Why did you screw up everything everywhere on the Shadow... you were doing most everything before... right.
The Shadow 750 is not a beginners bike... I will tell you that... it's too heavy and like driving around a freight train. Start with a 125cc, 250cc.. something infinitely flicable... and then move up to a 450cc. You really don't need more than 450cc in my opinion. 750cc turned out to be overkill. It's a tradeoff, more horsepower means lower mpg. A 450 is about the right balance between the two. A 750cc you're just throwing away gas. Going from my 750cc back to my 250cc is like night and day for thrill to drive. The 250cc is so much more fun to drive.
1100
Yes. Knowing what I do now I would have looked at 1100's. At this point I recommend them over a 750, especially for larger people.
@LuckyAcesRiding i happened to get one when i had originally thought of getting a 750. I'm not really big but i feel petty confident riding the highway on the 1100.
@@TheoreticallyAnEngineer When I was starting to learn to ride it just seemed like an 1100 was too big. The 750 does fine for what I use it for which is mainly in town stuff.
Lube your chain… *looks at shaft-driven shadow* 🤷♂️
Uhhhh. You mention a chain. Nope. Not on yours
True, the Aero does not have a chain so maintenance is even easier.
My Vulcan s 650 has 61 horsepower and cheaper.
Also a completely different engine set up.
I love my 02 Classic
Meh. No thanks
Different strokes for different folks. Thanks for checking out the video.