THE UK'S LEADING MOTORCYCLE REVIEW SITE

You are here: Home > Reviews > Browse reviews > Honda > VT Shadow

Motorcycle Events

December 2008

Add an Event

View Latest Events

Today
Listed events
Date selected

Bikes for Sale

Bike Accessories

Guide to Buying & Selling a Bike

Motorcycle Reviews

Motorcycles, motorbikes and scooters for sale. Find your next used bike Search for motorcycle reviews, read news and blog plus monthly columns, visit our forum, enter competitions, watch video clips, place a free advertisement

Back to models

All Honda VT Shadow Reviews

Honda VT Shadow 600cc 95/96 (N)

Overall Rating:

Review

Honda VT600 Shadow

I’ve owned my VT600C Shadow for 11 years now, on and off. It is, without reservation, a marvelous machine. Not that it is a powerhouse, which it isn’t, nor is it particularly good in the bends or in any other aspect which makes a bike ‘good.’ It is, instead, a brilliant all-rounder.

I first bought the Shadow back in 1997 when it was just less than 2 years old with a very low mileage. 4 years of those 11 years was spent in the company of a friend while I was overseas. He sold it back to me on my return to the UK and I was happy to have it back.

This type of bike never seems to do a high mileage and mine is no different. The total mileage is only 18,000 miles of which I have ridden around 14,000. I might point out at this stage that I have other bikes so I don’t use the Shadow on a day-to-day basis, it is used for long trips mainly.

It isn’t fast but will wind it’s way up to an indicated 100mph if you can hang on long enough. Acceleration-wise it is fairly quick up to 80mph, I’ve never had a car it couldn’t beat from the lights but then again I’m not in the habit of trying to beat Porsches.
It can be held at 90mph if the mood takes you but it takes considerable force to hold on to the bars in the windstream. The chunky grips that go with the 1” handlebars make it a bit worse as one’s fingers don’t get as much purchase as with a thinner bar.
Early-on I changed the bars for straights and that helps to keep one out of the wind a bit. The Shadow has only 4 gears to play with so it does seem a little high revving, not that one notices near the top end as the wind has blown away any engine noise and the vibration from the road cancels out the feeling of vibration from the engine.

At about 60mph it feels as if there is another gear to go and I have often found myself trying to change up to a higher gear. As it is only a 600 I suppose I shouldn’t complain.

Cornering is not a high point but the Shadow can be ridden like a bike. The footpegs have hero blobs which have been ground down a fair bit as they are quite easy to get down particularly at slow speed. They make a nice fireworks show for people following if banked-down on a roundabout at night! On the way down through Spain once in the mountains just north of Huelva I grounded the pipe at quite a high speed which shocked me and slowed me down for a few miles. I was at the time chasing a Yamaha Fazer which was two-up, he was leaving me well behind in the short straights but I was able to catch him on the corners. I can only presume he had even less bottle than me!
That particular fabulous stretch of road went on for miles and at the end of it the outside edge of the front tyre had begun to melt. The first time I’ve managed that on any bike.

The Shadow is a very cheap machine to own. The insurance is cheap too. Nothing seems to wear-out. The chain is the original and I seldom need to adjust it. Seriously, I have probably only adjusted it about 10 times since ’97.
I replaced the original tyres not that long after I bought the bike. I probably managed about 5000-6000 miles on the originals, It was a long time ago but I remember it was within a short space of each other, rear first. The tyres I put on were Avon Roadrunners and they seem as if they have hardly worn, I’m more worried with them perishing than wearing out.
I’ve serviced the bike myself and I bought a Honda workshop manual early on to help me to do so. I’ve always used the best quality synthetic oil and it has never used any between services which I do every 4000 miles. The fuel consumption is brilliant. I religiously check the consumption every time I fill-up. The worst I have managed is 56 mpg, the best 87 mpg! The 56 was on a high speed trip holding 90mph. The 87 mpg figure was in Spain returning from the rally in Faro riding on the motorway behind my mate whose collarbone was broken. He wouldn’t travel at more than 55mph, very dangerous with traffic approaching from the rear at 30mph faster. He was having problems with the wind pressure.
I generally get around 70-75 mpg. As I stated earlier that is mainly during use on long runs. These last few years I find myself travelling extremely slowly in/on all my vehicles on the motorway so you will find me in the slow lane at 62mph. I seldom have to overtake anybody and generally with all the hold-ups these days, it doesn’t make a huge amount of difference, time-wise. I am mostly accompanied by my wife on these long trips.

The Shadow cleans-up fairly well, people generally comment on how clean it is. I don’t spend a lot of time cleaning it, just a once over with a sponge now and then and a really good clean before the MOT.
The chrome has held-up well, just a few spots on the wheels that are below par. The lacquer on the hubs/rear brake is starting to go and the galvanizing on the spokes is not as bright as it was. The exhausts are standard and they seem fine. I once ran my drained oil through them, that may have helped stop them rusting out, also the long runs. I’ve not used it in the winter either.

The only things that have gone wrong are the offside rear indicator mounting screw vibrating out, twice. Not even any bulbs have blown!

To conclude then, it’s a bike for the long term. I’ve had quite a few other bikes along the way which have been faster, more comfortable, more modern but this is the one I will be sticking with. I just need to get it set-up to carry a bit of luggage properly. A larger petrol tank would be nice too as 11 litres is not a lot. I start looking for petrol at around 135 miles but I can live with it. I can recommend one of these to anyone.

Submitted by

ixion in Brentford on 25/08/2008

This review has been shown 114333 times

Write a Review for Honda VT Shadow

See ads for Honda VT Shadow for sale

Comfort

Handling

Braking

MPG

Running Costs

Reliability

Performance

Dream Appeal

Honda VT Shadow 125cc Apr '03 (03)

Overall Rating:

Review

After completing my CBT, I decided to not rush straight in to a full test and instead buy something to commute and tour on.

I went with the VT125 because its a Honda so reliable as hell, and because its laid back riding style was more suited to my build (6'3"), which was something that very few 125s could do.
The other reason was the look. There are few 125s that look and sound like a real bike. Most 125 engines have that "hair dryer" sound, and most 125 cruisers look a little on the malnurished side. The Shadow has neither of these problems, and although the exhaust note won't remind people of a Harley, it will at least sound like a proper motorcycle.
Performance wise, its all you can expect from a 125. The engine, the most powerful 125 engine there is, provides enough power to deal with any inner city riding. It does lack when it comes to national limits, maxing out at about 60, I would not recommend it to anyone wanting to take it out on motorways.
Reliability... well, its a Honda. It will just keep going. I had to call the breakdown service once, which turned out to be the battery terminals had got slightly blackened. A quick scrub and wipe with Vaseline and I was away.

I summary, an excellent 125. Perfect for city riding, and A-road touring. For those of us who want to sit back and enjoy the ride in style, not pretend we're on the racetrack.

Submitted by

trotmaster in Southampton, Hampshire on 20/02/2008

This review has been shown 156819 times

Write a Review for Honda VT Shadow

See ads for Honda VT Shadow for sale

Comfort

Handling

Braking

MPG

Running Costs

Reliability

Performance

Dream Appeal

Honda VT Shadow 750cc Apr '00 (W)

Overall Rating:

Review

Honda Shadow VT750. American Classic Edition. 2000.

I first decided to buy one of these bikes when I found out that because of a medical situation I would not be able to ride my fireblade any more. (Totally gutted) Anyway I sold the blade and watched out for a suitable bike to come up. Soon one came up but I could not get hold of the seller (on e-bay). Shortly after I received a phone call from said seller. (He had been on holiday) the bike was still not sold so if I was interested I could go look. I live on the east coast he lives on the west coast. Anyway some friends on mine gave me a lift over there. Looking at the bike I could see it had been reasonably well looked after. Never been out in the rain said he. I took it for a quick spin and then the deal was done. Well riding it back home over the Pennines I got caught up in some hazy rain and low cloud, so now it had been in the rain.
Right on with the review.

COMFORT.
With its huge saddle, this is one of the most comfy bikes I have ridden on. (Considering my last bike was a blade, nice seat just not for sitting on.) There is plenty of padding both for the rider and the pillion. So on long lazy journey’s there is no problem with the comfort issue. Got to be a five.

HANDLING.
Honda has put big wide bars on this bike. Not just for aesthetic purposes but so you can get to grips with it and point it into the corner. With the rake and trail on this bike being fairly long it has a tendency to want to sit up straight all the time. Putting it into a corner has to be positive and a bit physical. If you try to steer it in with your body it will just not understand what you are telling it. It does make for interesting riding though. With the ground clearances being only 145mm I find the foot pegs get quite a lot of scraping. The suspension works well as long as you take a bit of time adjusting it to suit single or two up riding. Sorry four.

BRAKING.
With a single disc on the front and a drum on the back, Honda has again gone for the aesthetics rather than practical here. It is very rare that I complain about a Honda, but in this case I have to say the braking is fine when ridden solo. But when I go two-up I find the braking leaves a bit to be desired, (usually a few extra feet of road?) this is one department that needs sorting. Got to get a braided hose for the new season, and am looking into converting the back to disc. Not happy, three.

M.P.G.
With a seventeen litre tank (including reserve) this bike will take you far enough between stops. When ridden practically I get somewhere in the region of hundred fifty miles to the tank, average of forty eight mpg. When I give it a bit of boot this can drop to about forty mpg. (Not forgetting I have highway hawk drag pipes on) so I would consider that to be good mileage. Got to be five.

RUNING COSTS.
The running costs for this bike are quite good, I bought a back tyre for just about half the price of the blade back tyre and it will give me twice the mileage at least. Insurance again is quite good, only group ten .The only catch is that it run’s on four spark plugs, but that is not a problem at about £3.50 each. I do a full fluid change before the start of each season and at least one other oil and filter change during the season. But that’s just me. So servicing costs are about £100.00 at the most. Chain and sprocket set changed every three years approx, £90.00. One set of front pads, £18.00.
So costs are very low considering all the fun I get from riding it.
Got to be a five.

Reliability:
What can I say, it’s a Honda. Solid as a rock. Just goes on and on and on and on and on. I have that much confidence in this bike that it’s not worth having brake down cover, just tend to the things you should and it will give you no trouble at all. Got to be a five.

PERFORMANCE:
With a slightly more heavier crank than the six hundred this bike has more bottom end grunt. This is great for pulling away. And good for accelerating. It’s not a sports bike so I don’t expect it to rip my arms off when I give it some throttle. With only a five speed box the gears are well spread, therefore you can leave it in a high gear and slow right down, then accelerate and it will pull without hesitation. This is useful for filtering as you don’t need to be going up and down the box all the time. Also it will pull two of us at around 90mph all day. The only time it can run out of puff is on a long hill that is mainly down to being a twin. So performance, I will give it a five.

DREAM APPEAL.
If you are into cruisers then this is the bike for you. It looks big and sexy; the planning department got just about every thing aesthetically right. (Just the horn in the wrong position) It can be made to look like a Charlie if that’s what you want. (The previous owner had it dressed like one it’s just got reliability, mpg, and stops better, better paint quality. Better engine. Costs a lot less to buy and maintain. So who wants a Charlie anyway? Got to be another five.

OVERALL SCORE.
Got to give it a four plus. Because if you want to live the American dream (or just be able to touch the floor with both feet) this is the bike for you, only without all the hassle. Low maintenance, high on fun. Just get on it and ride it. You will feel like you own the world cruising round totally stress free, and able to walk once you get off it. Well worth the money, and holding their price in the second hand market.

Submitted by

bikemadbaz in Grimsby, Lincolnshire on 01/02/2008

This review has been shown 159538 times

Write a Review for Honda VT Shadow

See ads for Honda VT Shadow for sale

Comfort

Handling

Braking

MPG

Reliability

Running Costs

Performance

Dream Appeal

Honda VT Shadow 125cc Sept '02 (52)

Overall Rating:

Review

If you like the feeling of a Harley, but don't have the cash... and want a 125cc bike - this bike is for you. Amazing milage and still no problems since I bought it.

Submitted by

UKBike Archive in Hassocks, West Sussex on 29/09/2003

This review has been shown 176700 times

Write a Review for Honda VT Shadow

See ads for Honda VT Shadow for sale

UKBike Community

Log-in / Register