Wish Honda would make a top end kit like HD for the 750.

["Captain D"]

I`m happy with mine just the way it is, 750cc...
I`ve had it since late 2007, and I`ve wracked up the miles from 40,000 to 93,+++ myself...
I`ll ride it till it quits...
Then upgrade to a HD...
I got an IronHead Sportster in the barn already I don`t ride as much as I do the 750...
Ride safe,
"D"

[Amos Iron Wolf]

Yeah, I kind of thought the liquid cooling would complicate things. Good to see the other suggestions. It appears there are a few folks around who can step up the 750.

John, I never realized the performance difference between the 1100 and the 700 in favor of the 700.

I was wondering how much HP and torque increase you can get with some of the suggested mods. Need to remember that we're talking motor improvements in a fairly lightweght machine. Small changes in hp can make for big changes in performance.

[Carl722]

I have a friend who specifically bought an 883 to put the 1200 jugs on it because he wanted the gear ratio advantage of the 883. He also did a lot of other work and takes it to the drag strip. I think he told me he has a supercharger on it now. I teased him and told him if he wanted a drag bike he should have bought a Busa.

[Dauntae]

Originally Posted by Amos Iron Wolf

Yeah, I kind of thought the liquid cooling would complicate things. Good to see the other suggestions. It appears there are a few folks around who can step up the 750.

John, I never realized the performance difference between the 1100 and the 700 in favor of the 700.

I was wondering how much HP and torque increase you can get with some of the suggested mods. Need to remember that we're talking motor improvements in a fairly lightweght machine. Small changes in hp can make for big changes in performance.

I forget what year but the imports were forced to change all kind of stuff for emissions and stuff like that, The 80's Honda Vtwins way out perform the current ones, The were higher compression too I beleave.

Dauntae

[Carl722]

I think my old 84 Virago 700 was faster than the 1100 top end and acceleration. But it was lighter and much buzzier but the Shadow rides the highway much better.

[halifax]

Personally, I'd like to see someone make larger bikes with smaller motors.

Anything 250cc and up has more than enough power to out-accelerate most cars, break the speed limit and get you in a world of trouble.

However, there are very few bikes that are truly comfortable for riders over 5'10" or for two-up riding.

For that, we need a longer chassis...I can ride a Sportster, for example, if it has taller bars and forward controls...otherwise it's too small for me. The 883 has lots of oomph.

Big motors are a bit of a boondoggle, just like big V8's in cars....nice to have, but you don't need them.

The VTX1300 for example is said to be a much better bike to ride overall than the VTX1800, though the 1800 was faster.

The Shadow 750 is like the Swiss Army Knife of motorcycles...it does everything reasonably well and is reliable.

I think it's a mistake for people to think of a 750cc bike as a "starter" bike.

You could ride a 750 coast to coast and back anytime!

[Carl722]

I think my 3/4 ton truck has better acceleration than my 1100. I know it has more top end. I tuned the the truck for some work and changed all kinds of settings like top speed and tranny settings. It would be a close drag if my truck and 1100 was side by side. I don't know about you but a V8 is a must for me because the only 6 cylinder that could do the job is a Cummins and I don't want to pay for a diesel yet. Try pulling a 12,000 lbs 5th wheel with anything less than a V8 or a Cummins. As for the car I have a V6 that gets 23 mpg around town and 32 mpg interstate and the Shadow doesn't get much better.

[Amos Iron Wolf]

Hmmm. Looking over some of the information here I can see the Shadow as being something that could be a long and interesting run. Besides the customizing along the way, upgrading to rigid bags eventually, a custom paint scheme running through my head, etc., there are apparently enough performance upgrades to be looked at down the line (post warranty) to stir things back up when the "something new" bug strikes. Instead of changing to a new bike and starting all over, rebuild the old and boost the engine at the same time.

While a nice 1700cc Nomad or similar would be nice for long rides, the Shadow not only makes a darn good commuter with good fuel mileage and plenty of bike for the commute and for hitting the back ways. One of the things I like about my bike is that it is pretty handy in low speed and parking lot maneuverability while being just fine over the open road and getting decent fuel mileage at the same time. A nice balance point and it looks good doing it.

It is comforting to know that as years roll by (no pun intended) there will be ways to keep things fresh.

One other question though. On chain driven bikes you can change sprockets to adjust RPM for a given speed up or down. Is there any way to change drive ratios on a shaft drive or is that isn't totally complicated?

As much as I've recently found myself attracted to a grey and black, matte finished, 1200 HD Nightster a guy has at work that looks pure roadster, I really like my shaft drive and liquid cooled engine, especially in this area in the summer, not to mention I imagine a smoother ride.

[cl65ame]

Originally Posted by halifax

Personally, I'd like to see someone make larger bikes with smaller motors.

Anything 250cc and up has more than enough power to out-accelerate most cars, break the speed limit and get you in a world of trouble.

However, there are very few bikes that are truly comfortable for riders over 5'10" or for two-up riding.

For that, we need a longer chassis...I can ride a Sportster, for example, if it has taller bars and forward controls...otherwise it's too small for me. The 883 has lots of oomph.

Big motors are a bit of a boondoggle, just like big V8's in cars....nice to have, but you don't need them.

The VTX1300 for example is said to be a much better bike to ride overall than the VTX1800, though the 1800 was faster.

The Shadow 750 is like the Swiss Army Knife of motorcycles...it does everything reasonably well and is reliable.

I think it's a mistake for people to think of a 750cc bike as a "starter" bike.

You could ride a 750 coast to coast and back anytime!

Displacement should not be confused with speed. Bigger isnt necessarily faster (though they do usually go together). The reason for the larger displacement is TORQUE. Carrying 2 up on a cruiser with a 250cc motor may seem good in theory but that little 250 would need to work awfully hard to do it. A 1300 will do it much easier.
Look at it this way. That little 250 makes power at higher RPMs so in order to pull the weight the engine needs to be kep in the power band much higher up. This means spinning the thing at better than 4000RPM on the highway maybe higher. Wear and tear would kill the poor beast. Even worse is Drag increases as the square of speed so even more power is need from the poor thing.
The larger displacement bikes can cruise on the highway at 2000 RPM (not my shadow mind you) the wear and tear is less as well as vibration and a host of other factors.
The little crotch rocket bikes that are built for speed are designed like that. High RPM engines carrying a light load at high speed. That wy the shadow redlines around 6K rpm and a 250cc sport bike red lines around 18.5k rpm All the power is in the high end.

[Gauge6900]

I have done the intake, exhaust and rejet. On paper the gains are not mindblowing, but when its all said and done the results feel good, makes her a little more punchy IMO.