of the Honda Shadow Home Page
Please eMail me anything you think should be here! C'mon!
This is YOUR news page!
Press RELOAD on your browsers to get the latest news, in case your
cache has the old page.
I guess the "Cruiser" market has really taken off! Left, right and center, motorcycle companies are putting big bad bikes on the market. You won't hear me complain (about anything except Iceland Customs Duties on new bikes (99.5%!)), and I thought it might be nice to inform you what is available out there.
Honda: Shadow Aero
Quite a "long" bike, or so I am informed. After the Shadow ACE 750 stole the show, Honda are frantically trying to cook up something to better the 750. After the tremendous success of the 750 thats going to be hard. The sweeping fenders, the chrome and look of the bike is so stunning, that anything else looks inferior. I don't really envy the motorcycle companies sometimes... Coming out with great bikes like the 750, and then having to top it, for those that want more power... It sort of, can't be done... Still, we'll have to wait until the Aero hits the streets before we know for sure. You must realise Honda is up against some pretty stiff competition from the other companies... Talking of "other companies"...
Kawasaki has always been in there, with the Vulcan "Classic". Now they have cut down versions of the Classic, as well as a tourer (the "Nomad"). Here is a short list of cruiser type bikes they offer: Vulcan 1500 Nomad (full tourer), Vulcan 1500 Classic (heavy street cruiser), Vulcan 800 Classic, Vulcan 500 LTD.
The Intruder was always really "stripped" and small, in my opinion. (A friend of mine let me try his, and it felt so "small", compared to the 1400 its supposed to be) Also, looking at it from the side, the tank looks small, and high... BUT all that is about to change... With the new: Intruder 1500 LC (very Yamaha Royal Star-like, looking at it from the side, a heavy street cruiser). The 1500 LC is the only really "Classic" looking bike from Suzuki.
This is one of the first of the new cruiser wave to appear... and Yamaha have put a great effort into supplying stuff to customise their 'Star... There was also talk of great reliability, and a 2 or 4 year guarantee (conditional: You have to bring the bike in for servicing by them about 1/year). The 'Star really looks great, its got those "Classic" lines and is set to be the next big bad bike on the market. Its also got all these "factory" aftermarket items that you can transform your bike with, into something that is almost unique... Hence, they have lots of "project" type customs that they offer, so you can ride a dream. There is (of course): Royal Star Tour Deluxe Deuce ("Deuce" because its for 2 people), Royal Star Deluxe Solitaire (for the egoist), Royal Star Tour Classic II, Royal Star Tour Classic, Royal Star Boulevard, Royal Star Silverado, and Royal Star Chyenne. They also make the Virago (Prince's "Purple Rain" bike) I've never been a great fan of the Virago, but now I've mentioned it.
Oh yeah... Then there are Harleys. Some of them look pretty "Classic".
A lot of credit is due to Harley Davidson Motorcycles as they have kept the "Classic" look alive. They knew what people wanted to see in their ride, and exploited it. What amazes me is that none of the other companies seem to have realised it until now?!? Still, its good to know people now have some choice on the market. One of the problems with Harley Davidson (HD) is that they seem to have a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude... which is fine in some cases, but in the case of the motorcycle industry, so many advances have taken place in motor technology, that HD seem to have ignored. Still, creating a shortage on the market (driving up prices) and having been adopted by fanatics have also played a part in its isolation. Models from HD that fit the "cruiser" market are: Heritage line, Road King line, Dyna line, Springer line, and the Fat Boy (really cool looking bike).
I just called USA to subscribe to Cycle Magazine's BLVD Magazine... Well, apparently they are not taking any more subscriptions, as they are discontinuing the magazine... Why? Anyone know why this is? Are we not excited enough about independent magazines? Are we heading for a depression? Whats going on?
I hate losing something good... Especially when I finally persuaded my local book store to import the magazine. Lets hope Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine will be the stronger from this! It must be good to have the whole market... Lovely.
Source: TheStone. Ps. I don't know any other "independent" custom bike mag. Do you? Share! Share!
... and while you are at it, give a listen to Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees (Acoustic version)" its off the "Clueless" soundtrack CD.... and lie on an unmade bed... with the window open... What do you mean by "I don't do requests"!
Some of you may have visited the Honda Home Pages (http://www.honda.com/ or the Japanese equivalent http://www.honda.co.jp/)... These do not really cater so much for motorcycles... So they put up this one:
The motorcycle page is at: http://www.hondamotorcycle.com/
Shadow Riders Club-USA: http://web2.airmail.net/jrussell/shadowri.htm
Sent in by Danny Monreal, who, it sounds like, had one hell of a good time!
Source: Danny Monreal dmonreal@juno.com
MOTORCYCLE ON-LINE REVIEWS ACE 750
They love it. Check out their comparison of light sized cruisers...
Reports are coming in left right and center about how happy new Shadow ACE 750 Owners are. USA and Japan are the main areas, but soon Europe will be among them. I forsee this to be a great move by Honda, to market an upper mid range bike, which is in every way (except cc) as big as as the 1100... and even shows a number of cosmetic improvements. Just look at these pictures.
Here are the details of the Shadow ACE 750 and Shadow ACE 400 from Japan. More information will follow as it is received. It looks like the 400 will only be available in Japan.
Sources:
750 ACE Owner in Japan: Dan "Bullet" Thorpe Now he is an Owner! He is! He is! He is!
750 ACE Owner in USA: Robert W. "Bubba" Schneider
750 ACE Owner in USA: Marty Patterson
750 ACE Owner in USA: Robert W. Schneider (These are all pictures of his bike)
If you want more info on the rally or registration forms, they're up on my page now. The link to them is right next to the logo. If you have any problems, give me a shout. http://web2.airmail.net/jrussell/shadowri.htm
Greetings to all you proud cruiser owners. Shadow Club U:S:A is proud
to announce its first National "Gathering of Eagle's" rally. It
will be held in:
Fort Wayne, Indiana, Saturday, September 13, 1997.
This one day event will be filled with excitement for a lot of us. It has
been three years since we went National and all of our chapters have been
waiting for this event to finally happen.
Beginning at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning, September 13, will be registration
for those who have prepaid (instructions to follow). 9:30 a.m. will be the
Poker Run with a $5.00 entry fee per bike. The ride will take you on a very
nice scenic country tour.
Then at 12:30 p.m. there will be a Bike Show (prepaid registration ticket
included in the packet). For those who did not preregister, there is a $5.00
entry fee. There will be awards given for five classes. To honor the bikes
that started all of this, there will be two classes dedicated to the Shadows.
The first being my favorite "Radical Street Custom" and "Stock
Custom." We will then open up the class to all cruisers with "Open
Cruiser Class", "Open Touring Class" and "People's Choice".
Judging begins at 2:00 p.m. SHARP and ends at 3:00 p.m. All awards
and plaques will be awarded at the Banquet at 7:30 p.m.
Information about the preregistration and banquet is as follows:
To preregister for this event, please send you name, address, number attending,
and $25.00 per person fee. This packet includes your entry fee for the bike
show, national rally pin and T-shirt, dinner ticket and miscellaneous information.
Dinner will be buffet style served at 5:30 p.m. and consists of :
House Baked Chicken
Swiss Steak
BBQ Ribs
Garden Salad
Red Potatos
Baby Carrots
No Alcohol beverages allowed
YOU MUST HAVE A TICKET TO BE ADMITTED.
If you wish to participate in the events but not the dinner, you may register
the day of the event.
Yes, this event is a Shadow Club U:S:A event but will be open to
nonmembers and if you want to be apart of this event, you need to purchase
our rally packet. This is so you may share a meal with our shadow members
and a chance to see what Shadow Club U:S:A is all about and to chat and
meet its members sharing ideas and thoughts about the bikes we ride.
We do have a time limit set to purchase your packets and seating is limited
for the banquet. So get your reservations in soon to reserve a spot for
you for this special event.
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION AND ENTRY FOR DRAWING: JUNE 15, 1997 DEADLINE: JULY
31, 1997 NO EXCEPTIONS
News from Steve Jordan
SEPT 12 th - 14 th, 1997 PLANO, TX
Shadow Riders Club-USA
More information: http://web2.airmail.net/jrussell/shadowri.htm
News from Jim Russell
Shadow Riders of St. Louis, MO
http://www.inlink.com/~tom56/index.htm
News from: SCUSA
The Shadow Riders Club of Lafayette, designated LA-02 has been formed
with an initial roster of 27 members as of last month. They already have
over 40 members signed up as of this week. For information on this new chapter,
contact
Lana Romero at Honda of Lafayette, 318.234.6632.
This gives the SRC- USA over 100 members in South Louisiana alone.
We have plans for at least 6 Chapters in Louisiana within the
next 24 months. Our next targeted city is the New Orleans, followed by Shreveport,
Monroe, Alexandria and Covington. We will also be working on starting
new chapters in Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
Anyone in these States interested in starting a chapter should contact:
Travis Paul (alias Spokes): pauls@linknet.net
Email address can also be found on the SRC of Baton Rouge Home Page, at
http://shadowriders.simplenet.com/shadow.htm.
News source: Spokes pauls@linknet.net
Shadow MC Holland have just put up a web page at:
http://www.worldaccess.nl/~shadowmc/
Their details are as follows: ShadowMC
Holland Details
News souce: Hans: cefetra@peterson.nl
Brother Bob Hidley just wrote in announcing the unveiling of a
new Shadow Riders Club Page dedicated to the Sacramento area/chapter.
Please drop in and see what you think... and, if you live in the Sacramento
area, and want to ride with some good people, get in touch with him, and
I'm sure something can be arranged...
We're all in this together, and the sooner everyone realises this, the sooner
we can all be happy/united.
Bob Hidley is at: rhidley@ns.net
The Page URL is: http://www.ns.net/~rhidley/
Curious yet? Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what its
like... Lineup- outside - girls.
Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine... had the opportunity to go on a
test ride on the Spirit recently, and their evaluation: "We just tested
the Spirit for the issue that goes to the printer today (5 th Feb 1997).
It works well but has a couple of cosmetic glitches. That smooth engine
and five speed were made for each other. The suspension has been upgraded
and the saddle is very comfortable."
(Art Friedman of Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine)
Steve Jordan (Shadow Club USA... see VT
Owner's Page) has set up a page dedicated to helping owners cusomise
their rides... check it out at: http://www.shadowclubusa.com/faq.htm
If you haven't already been there, on the Honda
Shadow Home Page is the full line of Shadows for 1997. ACE Tourer, ACE,
Spirit 1100, VLX Deluxe and VLX.
Source: Honda of
Milpitas.
With a new year, come new bikes. Some good, some bad, some ugly... but
all these are simply human reactions, and say little about the bikes themselves.
The new Shadow Ace will be called just ACE and will come as a standard ACE,
or an ACE Tourer, and take the form shown in the picture above. One thing
is assured though... You will have access to increasing volumes of aftermarket
products, that allow you to customise your bike... both from Honda itself,
and other sources (Cobra Boulevard/Two Brothers/Corbin/etc.) Isn't it nice
to have all these people working so hard to make you happy? :-)
News and Picture from: Studer Andreas studer@ens.ascom.ch
This is what the new Shadow ACE 750 will look like. The European
model will have tank mounted instruments, and Andrew (our news source, who
rides a VT 1100 ACE) is especially looking forward to this... While the
American version will have all the instruments mounted above the headlights.
They will only be available in black, initially, but the deluxe models will
have optional color choices.
I'm sure a lot of people will be rejoicing over the fact that AT LAST Honda
will be offering a bike that is bigger than the 600 in Europe. 600 was the
biggest Shadow they had on offer there... All 1100s have had to be imported
from USA or where they are available... making a fortune for those who specialise
in importing bikes, with customers having to foot the extra charges on top
of the normal price. Now, at least, there will be a bigger alternative,
and parts will also be readily available... as people have had to import
spare parts for their 1100s specially! Often through the same guys who imported
the bikes.
(-: I know! I know!-)
News and Picture from: Studer Andreas studer@ens.ascom.ch
Honda has decided to introduce a mid range Shadow. Namely the Honda
Shadow 750. Rumours are that it will be in the showrooms summer 97.
So not that long to wait...
There are mixed feelings about this... Some feel that the 600 serves the
mid range well enough, while others want the added power, without having
to fork out for an 1100...
Well, all I have to say is: I welcome having more Shadows out there, the
more the merrier... and the more choice you have, the happier you will be...
and remember to send pictures of you and your new 750 Shadow in!
This news comes from Tony Scatton of T.J.S.
Motorcycle Accessory Center
24.12.96 and I'd like to wish all my Shadow riding brothers and
sisters a Merry Merry Christmas... and thank you for all your lovely
contributions over the last and coming year(s). Together we stand...
and all that... and that speech there... yes... I love you all, and together
we'll ride together in our dreams, along that long and winding road...
that will lead to the heart of freedom in every soul... Here's a
hope for a better future, if not for us, then our children,
who will inherit the mess we leave... So lets not leave a mess, folks...
Lets leave a world that welcomes in everyone as a friend, lets reach out
our hand to those who need it... but know when to draw the line... yet,
let it be drawn with charity and consideration... we may be different, but
thats what makes us interesting. From me and the one I love...
my loved one... have a great holiday, and God bless you. Keep yourself healthy...
if not for you... do it for me! Your friend...
Merry Christmas... and a success in the coming year!
Thor "TheStone" Ingason
A time of great gladness,... great gladness!
(... ok, beam me up... I've finished!... hello?)
Shadow Spirit 1100 is the name chosen to represent the new line of 1997
Shadows. They will have 5 gears, providing, at last, an extra gear for those
who felt one was missing, be it, between 2nd and 3rd, or 3rd and 4th...
Sometimes in the lower gear one could hear the engine straining, but found,
after shifting, that one was not travelling fast enough to warrant the shift
to a higher gear (with possible stalling). The obvious problem is, a lot
of us already have the 4 gear version, and are not about to change it...
for nothing!
Some other changes have been made, that take the bike closer to the ACE...
Like the shape of the exhaust pipes. New cases, heads and head covers...
more chrome... but they moved the foot pegs back about 1.6 inches, and altered
the handlebars! The good things is, there are plenty of after market products
to change this, if one is not happy with it.
The ACE now has a "Tourer" optional version, although this may
not appear until spring next year. Sources claim that the engine will not
be based on the current ACE's single crankpin engine, but rather the offset-dual-crankpin
design that we know from the old VT1100. The windshield and hard bags are
similar to those found on the Valkyrie.
(We will get some pictures soon, but for those who are impatient you can
find them at Motorcycle Online's Honda News Page: http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mchonda/97_honda.html
This news comes c/o: David L. Campbell
- dcampbel@dazel.com
Every so often comes news of people who are doing good things
in the motorcycling world. We have all heard the bad news of accidents,
Hells Angels giving bikers a bad name, some clubs being racist, others being
Harleyist, bikers making fools of themselves, bikers suffering penalties,
bad attitude towards us, certain motorcycle models being discontinued, etc.
In fact, I cannot recall anything really GOOD coming out of biking,
with the exception of the personal thrill we all get from the rolling down
that long and winding road... which is just about the only good news we
ever get... until now!
I recently read in MOTORCYCLE CRUISER MAGAZINE of a motorcycle club
that is setting an example for the rest of us to follow. Mid-Cities Cruisers
(MCC) of Arlington. Its a year old club with about 120 members from the
Texas area.
Anyone is welcome to join, whatever they ride, and on top of that,
their members are from diverse racial and ethnic groups. The
way the internet is bringing the world together, MCC is doing for bikers.
As if this was not enough: the National Confederation of Motorcyclists has
asked MCC to help them bring different (sometimes rival) clubs together,
in the hope that they can all participate in large friendly motorcycle
events. At such events, the club members would be representatives of their
club, and everyone could enjoy their common denominator: Motorcycling.
The article further states, that MCC has also been involved in fund raising
for various charities, and that their president and founder: Robert
O'Steen remodels and builds homes for disabled people! How good
can it get? Many of the events also support local businesses and establishments,
with the benefits going to charity as well as prizes
for riders taking part.
Children are welcome at events, and special events are planned so
that they can take part too. The bargaining power of large clubs can be
seen in discounts to members from local businesses, who enjoy, in
return, more frequent visits.
(Similar to the main biker club in Iceland (The Snails)) MCC will have smaller
clubs within it, while the main organisation is to be national
(if not international?).
All in all, I would say MCC is an inspiration to the biking community,
and I hope that we are not too proud to learn from them. This
is definately a step in the right direction, and shows the rest of us, there
is still hope, despite all the negative publicity we bikers get.
Interested? Write to: Mid-Cities Cruisers, c/o Robert P. O'Steen,
President, 916 Billie Ruth Ln., Hurst, Tx 76053-4821, USA.
Check out their Home Page: Mid-Cities
Cruisers Home Page
Interested in more GOOD NEWS ...
Then check this link out!
(In case you are interested: The above Shadow ACE is furnished with the
"Hard Krome" Exhaust System (fax: 714-630-7396))... and shows
some of what is currently available for the Shadow ACE... and more is on
the way, I am told.
FENDERS BY DG PERFORMANCE SPECIALTIES
The above ACE was fitted with metal fenders. They cost about USD $600
each and are not yet in production. However, the spotlight system and pipes
are. DG can be reached at phone number: 714-630-5474. ... (Hey! Has anyone
contacted them, and what did they say?). Share the info, please!
Question: Why can't Honda (and other bike producers, for that matter)
make bikes that can use all the custom parts available for Harleys?
There are so many, often inexpensive, "aftermarket" products (items
used to customise bikes) available for the Harley, and most of these companies
have NO CONNECTION with the Harley Davidson company directly, so there is
no reason for the makers of Japanese branded bikes to stick to some weird
sizes and freaky parts.
If DVD (Digital Video Disk) producers can come up with a standard that everyone
is happy with, and dictates what format the disks should be in, so everyone
can cash in on the novel idea, why can't motorcycle producers?
This would help a lot of people... It would sell more bikes, sell more accessories,
people would be happier with their finished bikes, projects would be more
easily assembled... rather than having to adjust everything to and fro...
also repair shop's lives would be simplified, and there would be less risk
in carrying a whole range, and HAVING IT IN STOCK... NOW! For a change!
Someone somewhere MUST be willing to take the first steps to UNITY... if
nothing else, then, to make a buck doing it!
-
Response: One responded by saying such a bike already exists: The
Honda Shadow ACE!
A "Hitch"? Wassat? It is a trailer hitch - connect it to your
ACE - hook up a pop up trailer/camper and you're ready to travel in style!
The trailer can have, for example, a queen size bed that you can set up
in under 1 minute plus it has 18 cubic feet of storage space, which is a
great way to travel, on your bike, camping out doors in a tent wherever
you want to stop.
You can order one of these "hitches" from the Hitch Doc ...who
else... 507-945-8382 talk to Brad.
This news comes care of Dale Wentworth. Also: See the Bikes
For Sale / Commercials Page
By Brad, Washington, D.C. (1995 Shadow ACE Teal/Black)
ACE2RIDE@aol.com
eMail you adventures to me, and I'll post them on the Shadow
Owner Pages for other Shadow Owners to enjoy... LETS RIDE! Let others
in on all the sfun you are having with your bike... spread it around...
Write to: TheStone@vortex.is (please?)
I just got eMail from Lester (See the Shadow Owners Page for Shadow 1100 Owners) detailing changes that have been made on his blue Shadow 1100... and he tells me that he has been customising his prized possession: Fatty handle bars, chromed drive shaft, and last but by no means least: NITROUS OXIDE! ... Thats a 40 HP NOS Fogger system that I'm sure would thrill any owner to no end... I just hope the bike never leaves him behind!
I am a proud owner of a 1995 Shadow ACE, Menthol green with black which
I lowered one and a quarter inch this year, after riding more then 18500
kms last year. By lowering it, I got myself the best riding bike I could
ever expect to ride. It seems that by lowering it, I lowered the center
of gravity, and this bike is now so smooth and easy to ride that it is extraordinary!
For those that are interested I purchased a set of rear shocks they call
the 2000 series with progressif coil springs, put them at the back and lower
the front forks by one inch and a quarter in loosening the four screws on
the two forks brackets. If you would like more information my email is:
rven@srv.imlaurier.qc.ca
Response: Lowering your ACE, technical
data from Chuck Cottrell (Shadow Club Prez)
Response: Not everyone agrees the above
methods (george.tutka@mci.com)
Yessir! A biker chat page has been set up by Motorcycle Shopper...
Chat to Bikers LIVE! ... It was just a question of time!
http://www.lpage.com/cgi-shl/wchatroom.pl/motorcycle
Instructions "How To Chat"... (I had problems at first...)
Fill in the Nickname field with the nickname you'd like to use.
When YOU want to say something, fill in what you wanto to say in the TALK
field, then click on "Talk". If you don't want to say anything,
but want to see what others reply or are saying, press "Listen"
again and again and have fun! Its primitive, but it works!
(This News care of Jim "KickStand" Russell, Communications Director,
Shadow Riders Club (SRC))
Hey! SOUNDS like I'm out riding!
Riding
To get you in the mood
Message to all bikers
(please note these are SOUND file links... they don't go anywhere...
you must have a sound extensions or plug-in to Netscape for it to be able
to hear these sounds! try Maczilla or similar.)
Its unreal! Motorcycle clubs that openly discriminate against other bikers, and are proud of it! But all of that may be about to change! There is nothing like prejudice to get a person motivated! Enter the Street Samurai, and Enter the Dragon!
(Some of you may never forgive me for this one, and I'm just about to
drop the IQ level of this page... but here goes...)
I just saw a 600 Shadow on, of all places, the Australian soap opera:
Neighbours.
I don't follow the soap myself, but just tuned in, and there is was, in
the opening sequence to the program, a white Shadow 600.