Honda Shadow III

[Ice]

The Wife has decided its time to upgrade from her single cylinder 650 to a 750 twin and she really like the Shadow's. Now since she has decided to upgrade, I have been keeping an eye out for the right bike for her, seeing as how her inseam is a bit short the Aero fits her well as long as the stock seat is on. But she does not want to buy a brand new one.....
I found a bike locally in Craigslist called a Shadow III, its a 2002 model, and I have been trying to find information on it, but seem to run up blank with the III description. Anyone know what a Shadow III is?
Thanks for the help

Yuri

[Jess Tolbirt]

if you are going to get her a shadow i suggest the shadow 1100.. that bike will out last her if she likes it and will run down the I state without breathing hard..
I had a shadow 1100 tourer, looks like the valk, light enough and shaft drive...

i dont know about the shadow 750's....

[MacDragon]

I don't think I've heard of a Shadow III in 2002.  I have an 02 750 Shadow Ace along side the Valk Standard.  The Ace is a great bike as well for it's purpose.  I've taken it on trips for a few hundred miles and performed well.  Not a bad thing to say about the Ace.  It's not the Valk for sure... but it's comfortable and isn't tall.  (I think the seat is around 27") I'm only 5'8" on a good day and flat foot with knees bent easily.  Here's a pic.

[SANDMAN5]

I would agree with getting the 1100. Going from a 650 to a 750
isn't really much of an upgrade, sizewise anyway.

[G-Man]

In the 750 range, I've only heard of the ACE (which became the AERO with a shaft drive), there was a 750 Spirit, and a 750 Magna.  

[Disco]

Considering that you said she is 1) short in the inseam and 2) moving up from 650, I strongly recommend she sit on both a Shadow 750 and 1100 and pull them off the side stand before she chooses the 750.  When 5'11" Janet learned how to ride, we got her a 2002 ACE 750 to start on and a 2000 ACE Tourer to transition to.  She did great on the 750, but never got used to the additional weight of the 1100 and eventually grew scared of it.  That may not be the case for your wife, but IMO there is a noticeable difference between the two.     

[mario]

i've not heard of the III's neither.
i started on a 750 aero, i'm 5'6", and after 4 months and trying to keep up with tj's kaw classic 1500 at the time, especially on the interstate, we picked up an 07 shadow sabre 1100.  (01-07)  at first test ride i didn't like it only because it didn't 'fit' me yet.  tj said he'd put on what it needed to fit me and he did and it does!  i love my sabre.  and after rejet, she rocks even better. 
i needed risers and put on a mustang wide which sits a bit higher but was ok.  it took just a bit of getting used to because it's a bit higher but the sabre handles really well like a big dirtbike.  i recently put on a set of gently used progressive 11" which has lowered it a bit and now handles even better in the turns and twisties.

[bigguy]

I've still got my VF750 Magna. I decided to keep it even after buying the Valk. I call it my baby Valk.
A friend of mine, who rides a Valk, passed his Magna on down to his wife. She loves it.

[czuch]

I have a 98 1100 ACE. Its pretty and handles well. I could see it on a long journey. It isnt for me though. I bought it for the daughter and for my wife. Neither want to ride. Let her ride the 750 and 1100. There is a world of difference.
I asked my dealer friend why the Shadow didnt "turn me on so much".
He put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Chuck, you own a Valkyrie".

[Ice]

Thanks for all the advice, I guess I should have said that the wife is only 5'2" and a buck five when wet, she has tried the Shadow 750 and can lift it and likes it, I am just not sure if going new is the best choice, mainly because finances, they want $7200-$8200 for those bikes and a good used one you can get for half the price.
I think a 750 will have plenty of scoot for her coinsidering her size and weight, so I do not think she will go with the 1100.
Also I am still trying to figure out what the hell a Shadow III is, never heard of it..... ???

[bigguy]

That's' why I think the Magna would be a good choice. It's a 750, but with that screaming V4 engine, it'll pretty well hang with the Valk. Roughly 500 lbs, it's not a big bike.
And you can get one a a reasonable price. Mine's not for sale, but there are a couple over on the MOOT board.
http://www.magnaownersoftexas.com/forums/index.php/board,9.0.html

(Just noticed you have to login to reach that link. It's free and worth the time to register if you'd like to check out Magnas.)

[Jack]

That's' why I think the Magna would be a good choice. It's a 750, but with that screaming V4 engine, it'll pretty well hang with the Valk. Roughly 500 lbs, it's not a big bike.
And you can get one a a reasonable price. Mine's not for sale, but there are a couple over on the MOOT board.
http://www.magnaownersoftexas.com/forums/index.php/board,9.0.html

+1

[Willow]

That's' why I think the Magna would be a good choice. It's a 750, but with that screaming V4 engine, it'll pretty well hang with the Valk. Roughly 500 lbs, it's not a big bike.
And you can get one a a reasonable price. Mine's not for sale, but there are a couple over on the MOOT board.
http://www.magnaownersoftexas.com/forums/index.php/board,9.0.html

(Just noticed you have to login to reach that link. It's free and worth the time to register if you'd like to check out Magnas.)

Although the Magna provides better power and will certainly hang with a Valk, at 62" she may not like the seat height of the Magna as well as what can be done with some of the Shadows.

[Ice]

Willow your right on the money with the seat, she has tested out the seat of many a bike in the past two weeks and the Shadow is what she likes best, the 750 will have more than enough power for her, she is not a speed demon nor a major canyon carver, we ride two up on the Valk for that  but we do like to ride out on two bikes too she enjoys riding on her own. the Suzuki 650 is just a bit too busy for distance rides though, so the upgrade to a two cylinder is what I think is best for her.

[WamegoRob]

(Just noticed you have to login to reach that link. It's free and worth the time to register if you'd like to check out Magnas.)

Ugh... "Sorry, registration is currently disabled."

Ahh, so it just takes a little more work than most:
http://www.magnaownersoftexas.com/forums/index.php/topic,5200.0.html

[PhredValk]

The ad isn't from Honda or a dealer, it's just some guy.

I've seen a 'Valkyrie' ad with pictures of a Honda Interceptor, and a 2003 'Valkyrie Interstate'. Why not a 'Shadow lll'?
Fred.

[fudgie]

Kit fits well on the Ace but not the Spirit. Seems the ace is more of a cruiser and the spirit more of a 'hot rod'. She has to lean more to the bars on the spirit. She loves the new Shadow thats all blacked out. Dont remember what its called.

[tmfp]

The Shadow VLX 600's are great bikes and a cheaper, bulletproof alternative to the slightly characterless (imo) 750's, particularly for shorter riders.
Unless you're doing a lot of 70 mph+ riding, they'll happily keep up with anybody, especially the pre 2000 twin carb version, are cheap to run and fun to customize with their soft tail type frame.

[pBrain]

I have a 750.  I bought the Valk to alternate between the two, but that hasn't happened yet... can't seem to bring myself to ride the Shadow anymore; not sure why.

My daughter is waiting to get her license so she can put that little beast to work.

The bike is reliable , agile and great on gas.  With regular maintenance, it's last forever.  Mine's a n '08 Shadow Spirit 750C2.

Here's me riding it at Deal's Gap:

[3fan4life]

Hey Yuri

Check out Southern Honda:

http://www.southernhonda.com/showcaseproductdetail.htm?ID=7437865&Brand=16&Type=1786

They have good prices on their bikes.

If you are set on a used bike, check Craigs list and Cycle Trader, if you see anything near me I'll be glad to check it out for you.

[GreenLantern57]

There is a nice Super Magna on Craig's list for sale, Charlotte NC. The supers will be a lower bike with the same V4 power.

[Tropic traveler]

Wife's first bike was a Shadow Spirit 750. Seat height was not a consideration {Kim is 5'9" with a 34" inseam} but the weight was as she was a total motorcycle noob. She loved it and after a couple of years & 18,000 miles she graduated to a Valkyrie. We had it all set up for touring even though it was a cruiser. Couldn't pass up the deal at $4,999 brand new. It was a leftover '05 we bought in 8/2006.


Anyways, other than dropping the rear sprocket from a 41T to a 39T to keep the R's down at highway speeds it cruised the highways nicely. It was a bit "buzzy" until the sprocket swap. Great fuel economy if that matters to you, consistently low 50's to as good as 60+ when putt-putting about. I see a ton of these low mile SS750s for sale around here for very reasonable money. Even at 5'2" I think shorter shocks & a low cut seat it would be a great bike to own for your wife.  

[Jess from VA]

Yuri, find a Yamaha V-Star 1100 Custom (not Classic) for her to sit on.  Lowest, lightest 1100 there is.  My 5'5" 115lb wife could flatfoot, stand up and push it all over.  It is a nice riding machine and will outperform any 750 cruiser (excetp Magna).  The only mod she would need is risers, two inches back and no up.  And the stock seats suck hugely, Mustang is the way to go (only need the solo, with a solo rack behind).  It was much easier for her to ride than the 800a Kawasaki she rode before it.  And it can go all day on the superslab (or any other road) with no problem.



http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/mcy/2801954462.html

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/mcy/2784964181.html

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/mcy/2747643137.html

http://www.cycletrader.com/Yamaha-Motorcycles--In-Alexandria-Virginia/search-results?condition=U&type=Motorcycle|356953&make=YAMAHA|2321194&modelkeyword=1&zip=22309&radius=100&keyword=V%20star%201100%20custom&sort=year:desc

[hubcapsc]

I don't know much about any of these bikes, but I sat on a vtx 1300
once, and I thought it felt like a 125...

They go used for 3-5k... (ebay completed listings...)

-Mike

[fon1961]

lot's of good suggestions imo opinion, i'd vote for an 1100 sabre.  low cg, fun bike to ride.  i had one briefly before i moved to a valk.