I was waiting for something to
ground out or some other quaint manisfestation of typical chop
behaviour. Honda's Shadow looks quite cute in its way but hardly
up to Harley standards and I suspected that its handling would
go the way of the American monsters. But the VT appeared to track
well through the country bends and refused to shake its head even
when the softly, softly front forks whacked a large bump on the
exit from the bend. It did bounce off line slightly but no more
than many a conventional motorcycle.
It was my mate's bike, he had
taken me out of town on the pillion so I could have a test ride
without worrying about crazed cagers or the attentions of the
plod. I didn't fall it love with the bike at first sight but I
knew that it was a genuine 3000 miler, less than a year old and
in excellent condition. At £2500 it seemed like a bargain
compared to some of the near wrecks I'd seen for similar money.
If I didn't get on with the machine I could always sell it on
without taking a loss.
I was as impressed by the handling
as I was by the motor. Based on the evergreen VT vee twin mill,
with its watercooling and three valve heads, in Shadow form it
was radically detuned to slightly less than 40 horses and fitted
with a mere four speed box. The gearing is tall, the torque plentiful
and the ride thus so relaxing I could almost fall alseep at the
controls, were it not for the gently intrusive beat out of the
two short mufflers.
The finish was still excellent,
I could find no bargaining points so was forced to hand over the
full 2500 notes. My mate needed the money to get married, the
last I heard he was pottering to work on a C90. I changed the
VT's oil, put on a set of proper tyres and gave the O-ring chain
a wipe over with an oil saturated rag. Ready to rock and roll.
I had already noted that the pillion
perch was rather cramped and my large lady friend was not too
amused to find herself spread-eagled upon it, but by the time
she started to complain we were 50 miles down the road on a 1000
mile weekend blast to get acclimatized with the Shadow. My own
perch was most comfy, the high, wide bars being the most obvious
limitation on cruising speed. 70mph was the most I could take
for any length of time, although the motor was smooth up to 80mph
and under favourable conditions could put 95mph on the clock.
The barn door aerodynamics were
evident in the fuel consumption, which loitered around 50mpg,
and the need to rapidly change down from fourth when battling
against a headwind if some fast overtaking became necessary. Techniques
developed on an ancient CD185 were often useful in extracting
a decent turn of speed out of the reluctant Shadow.
Not a fast bike, then, but an
enjoyable one despite that. A lot of the pleasure came from the
feeling of security from the chassis. Most of that from the extremely
long wheelbase and low centre of gravity. With a mere 27"
seat height I initially felt like I was growling along dangerously
close to the tarmac......a more chronic problem was that I usually
could not see over the tops of cars to observe what was going
down up ahead. Combined with the lack of go above 70mph that often
left me playing chicken with oncoming traffic.
On that first long trip another
problem reared its ugly head. Because of the nature of the bike
I ignored the charms of the main carriageways and took to the
minor roads where the character of the Honda could shine through.
Which was fine until the fuel ran out. The tank holds less than
two gallons, which means you have to start looking for a fill-up
every 70 miles. A bit ridiculous on a machine that I felt would
go three times that distance in comfort. The girlfriend was less
than amused at having to help push the Honda three miles. That
wasn't the last time that I ran out of fuel, either.
Town work could be tricky, too.
The VT was narrow enough to sneak between rows of cars but its
length didn't encourage rapid ninety degree turns through stalled
traffic. A couple of times the engine also stalled dead for no
apparent reason but a quick caress of the starter button saved
my skin. For most of the time the engine could be dumped in second
gear, the throttle used to both accelerate and slow down the bike
as there was a useful amount of engine braking.
Not that the clutch nor gearbox
were nasty, they were amazingly good for a Honda, although by
its very nature the ratios were quite widely spaced. Only when
the O-ring chain went out of adjustment was the change less than
smooth and precise. The chain, despite the excessively long swinging
arm, only needed a tweak on the adjusters every 500 miles or so.
With over 9000 miles on the clock it's about two thirds through
its life.
The front brake pads, though,
are almost down to the metal. I was not too impressed with the
single disc in the early days, there seemed a lot of mush and
not much braking power. I soon learnt that taking a forceful pull
on the lever and using the rear drum as backup produced fast retardation.
The disc is looking thinner than it should and I'm not that happy
using the brake in the wet. It's not so much wet weather lag as
a lack of feedback. Squealing the skinny front tyre on greasy
roads is not the way to a long and happy life. The rear drum shoes
are about half worn out.
Apart from 2000 mile oil changes
and one valve check at 5000 miles (they were all okay, but difficult
to get at) I haven't done anything to the engine. I couldn't believe
that Honda had fitted twin carbs in the minimal space between
the 52 degree vee, but they have stayed in balance. The VT has
proved itself reliable and long lived in other models, in this
detuned form there's little reason why it won't go around the
clock at least once.
I almost went around the bend
the first time I rode in the dark, or rather right off it. The
marginal front headlamp (main beam is adequate for 50mph cruising,
dip isn't) blew just as I was lining the Shadow up. The VT's long
wheelbase meant that although the bike is stable it does like
to be set up on its line in advance and will only suddenly change
direction if shoulder dislocating muscle is applied to the bars.
When the light blew I had to guess
where the road was going until I hit the dip switch. When the
road was illuminated again, I was heading straight for a hedge
on the wrong side of the road. Much to my amazement I managed
to jerk the bike over and miss the hedge by a few inches. The
Honda is usually neutral in bends, so I knew that all I had to
do was scrape out a bit of tarmac with the sidestand prong. There
are a lot of more conventional bikes that would've throw me off
under that kind of treatment, so all the more credit to the custom
Honda.
The bulb has blown three times
since I've had the bike. The battery can also boil off half its
acid on a long trip. The first I knew of this malignant trait
was when the Shadow refused to start one morning. It proved impossible
to bump. Even after I poured in some distilled water, the battery
was very reluctant to hold a charge. A new battery worked fine,
but I have to keep an eye on its acid level. Seems a bit too early
in its life for such problems.
That aside, I've had an easy time
with the Honda. It starts quickly, chugs along nicely and still
looks beautiful. Of course, if you want something fearsomely fast
this kind of bike is a complete waste of time and it doesn't have
the instant credibility of a Harley. But, I don't care, I think
my Shadow's great and want to keep it for a decade or so. Why
not?
M.F.