Honda Shadow Aero
HONDA SHADOW AERO
Cut-down, not cut-rate
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
Ain’t no replacement for displacement, right? Guess again, bub. Tire-smoking burnouts may get the girls, but there’s nothing worse than a traffic-light tip-over brought about by an inability to get a boot down in time. Which is why the Shadow Aero sits lower than any other Honda cruiser, save for the entry-level VLX.
New this year, the Aero replaces not just one, but two models: the retro-look A.C.E. 750 Deluxe and custom-style Shadow Spirit 750. Combined, the pair accounted for a whopping 26,000 units sold in 2002. Part of their appeal, of course, was price—$5999. At $6199, the Aero retails for only
a couple hundred bucks more.
To make possible the Aero’s claimed 25.9-inch seat height, engineers were forced to jig up a new steel-tube backbone-type frame. To this were fitted a conventional
41mm fork, dual preload-adjustable shocks and wire-spoked wheels running disc front, drum rear brakes and wearing fat, bias-ply rubber. Full fenders mimic those found on the VTX1800/1300S. The 3.7-gallon gas tank is from the Spirit.
Modifications made to the liquid-cooled, three-valve, twin-spark, 745ce V-Twin were restricted to a single 34mm Keihin carburetor in place of the dual mixers found on the Deluxe and Spirit, a half-point more compression for better low-end oomph and a new exhaust system that features two independent mufflers running through a single, large-diameter cover. Shaft final drive replaces the chain used on the Deluxe and Spirit.
As a package, it all works well. With the benefit of little choke, the engine fires immediately and runs smoothly. Not a lot of speed on top, but bottom-rpm running is hiccup-free. Controls are light, and intuitively located. At around-town speeds, the Aero is in its element, nosing in and out of traffic, around bends and away from stoplights with textbook ease. Pleasant exhaust rumble, too. It’s only at higher velocities—above, say, 70 mph-where discomfort threatens to set in. The laid-back ergonomics play a role here, but the lightly damped suspension is the real culprit. Better control would be appreciated, particularly out back.
A good motorcycle, then, and only a little suspension rework away from greatness, whatever your inseam.
Matthew Miles
