Honda Shadow 1100

HONDA SHADOW 1100

CRUISER COMPARISON

Made in the USA, Japanstyle

IT COMES AS A SHOCK TO CASUAL observers. Yet there it is, splashed right out in plain sight on the back of the Honda Shadow's pillion seat: "Made in USA," it says. Indeed, though its suspension and drivetrain are built in Japan and shipped here ready-to-go, the Shadow is assembled at Honda's plant in Marysville, Ohio, with everything else sourced and built here. So the bike represents not only America's style, it also represents American labor.

The Shadow 1100 offers an extremely comfortable and refined ride, particularly if you’re built upon a large frame. The Shad’s frame and wheelbase aren’t notoriously large, but its riding position is very stretched out. There’s lots of space between the seat and handlebar, and a looong reach up to the footpegs and shift lever. In fact, our shortest test rider complained that he could barely reach the shift lever. But thanks to a low seat height, there’s no problem for even the most vertically challenged riders to get both feet flat on the pavement at stops.

Because its fork has a whopping 33 degrees of rake and 6.1 inches of trail, at slow speeds the Shadow feels long and clumsy. That’s because it is. Even at a brisker pace, testers noted that the Honda’s front and rear tires seemed out of synch, the rear wanting to go straight, no matter how much the front is turned. Clearly, with its symmetry and long, flowing lines, this is a motorcycle meant more for good looks and style than for nimble handling.

Thanks to Honda’s custom-paint program, buyers have a wide range of paint and tank logo options, so personalizing the Shadow’s basic clean look iS as easy as putting your money down and waiting for yours to be built. That is, indeed, the American way.

$7599