Which Shadow for a beginner that needs to travel long distances

[Dom.Five]

I am not a big guy, but at 5'10" I found the 750 a bit cramped. You should not limit your choices by engine size. You need to ride as many of the prospects as you can. Then make your decision.

What is cramped to me, or others, may be just fine for you. What others find as lacking in power, you may find acceptable.

Bikes are like shoes. Get the one that fits you, and is comfortable. All bikes will need some fine tuning in the fit department. Adjusting the controls to your liking, comes to mind. If your a new rider, find someone that can help you with that. The angle that the levers, are at can make all the difference in the world. Your Seat height to your shoulders Will change your hand angle at the handle bars. Many people never consider making the adjustments needed for personal comfort.

[David Edwards]

Just purchased my first bike a couple of months ago. It is a 96 Honda Shadow vt1100c with 16,xxx miles, looks brand new!! At first it seemed a little big, but now after a couple of months i love it. I totaly agree with DRVMN, try to find one that has a windshield and mustang seat if possible. All the add on's are not cheap, and the windshield will let you get there without being so worn out. Also in my experience if i was going to do alot of interstate riding i would not get a shadow but something like the Honda VFR1200 or even a Goldwing. What ever you choose i would encourage you to take a saftey riding course and practice in a parking lot untill you can handle what ever you choose. Just my two cents........ride carefully and good luck!!!!

[David Edwards]

Also check out the Honda NT700v, that is supposed to be an awsome touring bike i would check out and if you are a new rider it might be just what you need. Plus it has the saddle bags, windshield, and nice seat. Like i said before, I love my shadow its an awsome bike that will be in my garage for a very long time.

[joe in calif]

O.K., if your going to do a lot of freeway riding go at least 1100 cc. Now I know this is a shadow board if you really want a bike that is great for both around town and long distance riding look at a Honda ST 1300. The draw back on the shadow is the small fuel tank and lack of wind protection, the ST 1300 has a 7.7 tank and lots of wind protection.
Kawasaki Concours is also a great bike for that type of riding.I love my shadow and it's very comfortable but if I was still doing the type of long distance I used to I would not have bought it.

[DarkAero]

I agree with previous posts, check out different models and see which one you are most comfortable on. Personally I just got an 07 Shadow Aero and couldn't be happier with it. Plenty of power for me and handles great.

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[dieseljuice]

I love the 1100. I test rode a 750, it was ok.

[Corigan]

The 750 delivers plenty of power on the highway. I commute 60 miles each day on a 750 doing 75-80mph the whole way. I have also done a few trips from Georgia to Michigan this year on a 750 all highway with no issues. I can't tell you how many 800+ mile days I have done on a 750 and had no issues.

I agree though with people, get whatever you feel most comfortable on. I have a nomad 1700 that is much more comfy than my 750. However, I find for solo riding and commutes I like the mpg that the 750 gets. The small tank is a hindrance, but then again I like to get off the bike every 140 miles or so and stretch anyways. It cost me around $30 to go all the way from North Atlanta to South Michigan on the 750.

[vyper1278]

I am on a phantom and ride 50 or so on my commute. And have run three hours plus on and and only complaint was the seat which i noe have a mustang

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[hiteck]

I'm 5'10" about 170 lbs and am on a '07 750 Shadow Spirit, it's my first street bike. Plenty of bike for me at the moment. If I was planning on a lot of 2up freeway riding I'd probably want a bigger bike, but for solo I'll be on this one awhile.

As others have mentioned you need to sit on them, ride them if you can. Definitely take a MSF class if haven't already. You'll be glad you did. Not sure about other states, but Tx requires the MSF class now for your class 'M'.

[Bennie01]

I agree with Joe on this one, and after having ridden a shadow 750 all summer commuting to work and back, as well as a long road trip to S.D. (about 4 hrs each way), I was ready for a bigger, more comfortable bike. Not to say that the 750 wasn't a great bike, it was a lot of fun to ride, but I felt it wasn't built for distance riding. If you plan on taking extended length trips, I think you're going to wish you had more cc's, a windshield, bags, and a very comfortable seat.

I personally found the shadow to be pretty "buzzy" at freeway speeds. It's not that it can't handle it RPM-wise, it's just that the 750 is turning pretty fast at 80 mph, when compared to a larger motor, and I could feel it. I switched to ISO grips & footpegs, which helped my hands and feet from going numb, but the seat was just downright uncomfortable on long rides. Not to mention that the 750 is fairly lightweight and has such a short wheelbase, I felt that it transmitted bumps in the road pretty significantly. It would literally beat me up until I was sore. (but I'm an old guy though)

I'm 5'-11" / 180, and I currently ride a kawi nomad 1600. There is a world of difference when it comes to comfort and long distance rideablity in comparison to the shadow; in my mind, it is just no contest. However, the same could be said of any bigger bike, whether Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, BMW, etc.

Plus on extended trips, I would think it's almost a necessity to have bags for rain gear, water, tools, etc. I couldn't be happier with the upgrade, I don't want to stop riding, even though I won't have a choice soon.....yeah, the "s" word is on it's way sooner or later.....

As others have said, you definitely will want to ride a few to find which bike fits you best. I should think that a sabre 1100, vtx 1300 or even a 900 vulcan should be manageable weight-wise for a beginner, and should afford more comfort on those long trips.