[rjo3491]

Forgive me if this has been asked before, I did search for an existing thread. Would all those with high mileage Shadows chime in. There must be some into six digits I would hope.

What would be a logical mileage limit for purchasing a Shadow?

 

[gat803]

Because there are so many low mileage bikes around, I see no reason to buy a high miles one unless you can steal it. Also, it depends on what you want to do with it. A learner scoot that is going to be replaced in a year could have any number of miles and still serve its purpose.

A long term sled will give more service with fewer miles. Every machine is good for a finite number of miles. The further you are away from that mark when you buy, the longer you can enjoy ownership. So contrary to what many think, fewer miles on the odo is a good thing.

 

[SyracusePhantom]

Makes me interested - how many years/miles can I expect to get out of my Phantom? I can see easily putting between 5-10k per year on it.

 

[DaveCarlson]

To borrow from a previous post:
How long will a Shadow last?........... Until the sun goes down!

Seriously, it really depends on how it was maintained. I'd be more inclined to by a used bike with enough miles on it to indicate that it was driven. Our bikes, and any bike for that matter, like to be ridden. A low mileage 'barn find' can be a real hassle to bring back to life because it has been sitting. Lots of fuel tank and carb problems crop up because the bike sat for too long. Electrical connection corrosion problems too. Ask questions and bring a flash light to look in the tank. Pull the dip stick and look at the oil. Look under the bike and look for leaks, don't just look on the ground. If the bike has a leak the and the guy has 1/2 a brain he wont be showing you the bike in the same place he parks it. These are meant just as a place to start and are definitely IMHO. Good Luck and welcome!

 

[Old Dad]

52588 miles on my 2006 vlx,,runs like it's just gotten broken in.:-D,,oh and I put on all of those miles too.

mark

 

[bedhead]

...ah nothing lasts forever...and Shadows do not have the Dracula gene...

...that said, what would be your tolerance / expectations...if someone chimes in that they have over 50K miles on their bike you can best bet they have replaced tires 6-7 sets, replaced the fuel pump, regulator/rectifier, water pump, brakes, shocks and a few other ditties...

...I have a '96 with 46K miles and I've pretty much done all...now I expect another 46K...

 

[Kathy M]

31,000 on my '83 VT750C when I bought it... barely broken in, despite the work I had to put into it Don't be afraid of high mileage... be more afraid of the bike's maintenance history... if the maintenance was done appropriately, the bike will last a good lot of miles. I wouldn't be afraid of buying something with 60K on it, if I knew that it had been maintained properly and serviced as it should be... I'd expect at least that many more miles if not more.

 

[Dunesgirl]

Sanoke has something like 90k on his Spirit 1100. A few others I've heard have upwards of 100-150k. It's easy to get into six digit odometer readings with regular maintenance and wear-and-tear items.

 

[sanoke]

Sanoke has something like 90k on his Spirit 1100. A few others I've heard have upwards of 100-150k. It's easy to get into six digit odometer readings with regular maintenance and wear-and-tear items.

I'm at about 92k right now and expect to roll over 100k sometime next year. Mine is a 2004. Other than the normal brakes, tires, etc, I've had to change the stator, cross-over tube seals, fuel pump and fork seals. I contend that the stator problem is related to the bad connector design and since I soldered the wires directly and cleaned all the ground connections, I've not had a bit of trouble in over 50,000 miles. The bike does not leak any fluids and uses very little oil between changes. I've ridden it all over the western US and plan to continue riding it for as long as it or I last.

sanoke

 

[Old Dad]

...ah nothing lasts forever...and Shadows do not have the Dracula gene...

...that said, what would be your tolerance / expectations...if someone chimes in that they have over 50K miles on their bike you can best bet they have replaced tires 6-7 sets, replaced the fuel pump, regulator/rectifier, water pump, brakes, shocks and a few other ditties...

...I have a '96 with 46K miles and I've pretty much done all...now I expect another 46K...

I haven't replaced anything but tires and battery,,just oil and air filter and plugs. routine. No major parts at all.

mark

 

[binder56jd]

looking at the question from a vehicle mfg'ed by HONDA POV--there is no reason to think that 100k is not reasonable--with proper care

:mrgreen:

 

[bedhead]

I haven't replaced anything but tires and battery,,just oil and air filter and plugs. routine. No major parts at all.

mark

...well you just F'd yourself with that statement...:shock::shock:

...let us know how it goes...:mrgreen:

 

[Old Dad]

...well you just F'd yourself with that statement...:shock::shock:

...let us know how it goes...:mrgreen:

I knocked on wood,,:lol:

mark

 

[bedhead]

I knocked on wood,,:lol:

mark

..well I see the Viagra worked this time...:mrgreen::mrgreen:

 

[Honda Davidson]

I'm guessing I'm at 75,000+ now. My speedometer cable broke for the 3rd time now and I haven't replaced yet. I'm also in the process of getting a new regulator/rectifier. All in all though, not bad for a daily driven 12 year old bike.

 

[highcountry]

No knowledge of Shadows but thousands of Valkyries have over 100K and many have way more than that. One fellow on the VRCC forum has over 400K. Same should be true of GL1500 Goldwings as well.

 

[markspike]

I have over 92,000 miles on mine with only one oil change and one set of tires...

 

[Vetlady]

I have 84,000 k on my 2004 Shadow but I have a friend on another forum that has just hit 150,000 MILES on his 2004 Shadow, neither of us have had any problems, just normal maintenance.

Di

 

[CJH]

...ah nothing lasts forever...and Shadows do not have the Dracula gene...

...that said, what would be your tolerance / expectations...if someone chimes in that they have over 50K miles on their bike you can best bet they have replaced tires 6-7 sets, replaced the fuel pump, regulator/rectifier, water pump, brakes, shocks and a few other ditties...

...I have a '96 with 46K miles and I've pretty much done all...now I expect another 46K...

I find this hard to believe! I am only at 38,000 miles on my VT750DC, and, counting the originals, I am on my 3rd front tire, 4th back tire and 3rd chain. I have not replaced any of those other things like fuel pump, regulator, brakes, shocks or anything else. I did replace the headlight and tail light, but that was for appearance reasons, not because they wore out. If what you are saying is true, I am going to have a lot of parts wearing out in the next 12,000 miles. Like I said, hard to believe.

 

[Kingshead]

To borrow from a previous post:
How long will a Shadow last?........... Until the sun goes down!

Seriously, it really depends on how it was maintained. I'd be more inclined to by a used bike with enough miles on it to indicate that it was driven. Our bikes, and any bike for that matter, like to be ridden. A low mileage 'barn find' can be a real hassle to bring back to life because it has been sitting. Lots of fuel tank and carb problems crop up because the bike sat for too long. Electrical connection corrosion problems too. Ask questions and bring a flash light to look in the tank. Pull the dip stick and look at the oil. Look under the bike and look for leaks, don't just look on the ground. If the bike has a leak the and the guy has 1/2 a brain he wont be showing you the bike in the same place he parks it. These are meant just as a place to start and are definitely IMHO. Good Luck and welcome!

Ahem!!!!!!!!!