Custom cruisers.

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Ferret
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Re: Custom cruisers.

Post by Ferret »

2004 onwards the sportster range got a lot better in all areas . I had an 05 which was great except for the rear shocks which would give a passenger spinal damage if you had some rough road , however like I said before fit some progressives and it's a real pleasure . I fitted a quick release zero gravity screen for touring duties with great results . A big bonus is they are easy to service at home and it's cheap to do .

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2wheelover51
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Current Ride: 2012 Burgman 400 Limited
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Re: Custom cruisers.

Post by 2wheelover51 »

I was amazed at the build quality and sheer road presence of Harleys smallest bike. My friend calls it "Little Mo" referring to Moses parting the Red Sea. He said the traffic just seems to part as he filters down the middle, even though it's not "particularly" loud with it's Screamin Eagle pipes.. :)
Compared to the other (Japanese) cruisers I've ridden it felt very nice, though my friend said you need to be aware not to bank too far as the ground clearance isn't great.

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2wheelover51
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Re: Custom cruisers.

Post by 2wheelover51 »

Well the deed is done. I took the Honda Shadow 1100 for a test ride this morning and was suitably impressed. Compared to the other cruisers I've test ridden it handles well and pulls from tickover with lots of torque. The engine is similar to the Deauville in that it has 3 valves per cylinder and twin plug heads, but differs in having hydraulic tappets. It also has a beefy looking shaft drive so less time spent on maintenance, which will give me more time to polish... :D
Now, where can I get those tassles.... :lol:

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2wheelover51
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Re: Custom cruisers.

Post by 2wheelover51 »

Have tried adding pics but no joy wither as attachments or by dragging and dropping.

Scootypuff snr

Re: Custom cruisers.

Post by Scootypuff snr »

2wheelover51 wrote:Well the deed is done. I took the Honda Shadow 1100 for a test ride this morning and was suitably impressed.
Met two guys on Honda Shadows at Euro tunnel on my trip back from St Mont Michelle.
Long term owners who'd covered most of Europe over the years.

Again believe there's a dedicated forum

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2wheelover51
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Re: Custom cruisers.

Post by 2wheelover51 »

Aye, there's a dedicated forum but from the looks of things it's dying a slow death. Not many hits and very little in the way of technical postings which is what I like to read. :(
I'm enjoying the Shadow though, and slowly getting used to it's little foibles. It's just so totally different from anything I've ever owned before and needs a new approach to riding. One thing which surprises me is that I can take bends with quite a bit of lean and nothing touches down, and despite being almost twice the engine size of the XJ6 it's using a lot less fuel..

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2wheelover51
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Re: Custom cruisers.

Post by 2wheelover51 »

Well I went for a good long ride on the Shadow through about 90 miles of Dorsets' leafy lanes and villages with a few A & B roads thrown in for good measure. The sun shone, the rain poured and I enjoyed every mile. The Shadow is a comfy, practical and fairly economical cruiser, returning 57.2 MPG, which is similar to my TMax. The main thing though is it's packed with character. That lovely big V-Twin motor chugging away just sounds great. One less appealing feature though is the fact that it only has four gears, and combined with the shaft drive you have to get the revs just right on up and especially down gear changes, to avoid strange noises from the driveshaft and stay smooth, but that just adds to the character.. All in all a lovely bike. I think I'll be keeping this one for a while :)

Ferret
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Re: Custom cruisers.

Post by Ferret »

4 gears if that's the case something is wrong or missing .

Ferret
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Re: Custom cruisers.

Post by Ferret »

Nice bike though

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2wheelover51
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Re: Custom cruisers.

Post by 2wheelover51 »

Ferret wrote:"4 gears if that's the case something is wrong or missing" .
Quote Ferret.

No, according to a number of sources the 1100 Shadow only had four gears right up until 1996. Hard to believe, but true. It all works fine. According to the same sources the clutch is assisted by engine oil pressure (it's certainly quite light ) and the tappets are hydraulic, although the system isn't exactly "hydraulic tappets" as we know them on American (and some other) cars, but a system of eliminating backlash by using an eccentric rocker shaft which uses oil pressure to rotate the rocker shaft on startup to eliminate the play, leaving I think 0.2 mm clearance on the valves. Quite an advanced engine in some ways.

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