Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Hm, what did my dad do wrong?

He put drag pipes on his Shadow (actually, they're basically just slip on straight pipes that replace the lers and still have the crossover). It sounds alright at idle, but when he's going down the road it sounds exactly like his Ford 2 cylinder diesel tractor (i.e. nothing like a harley)

Is it the crossover pipe that makes it sound py like that?

With the jugs (cylinders you perv), id paint them black, and then polish the tops of the fins, it gives a very nice contrast, while still keeping it rather blacked out.

Black with a good amount of chrome and polish is great.

What model shadow is it?  I know that the single pin crank design has a LOT to do with the sound.  Any of the bigger and newer models have the offset design, which makes for a smoother running engine, but takes away from the rumble.  Maybe this is the case?

Definitely a good idea.  I'm not quite sure how to go about it though..  Maybe get it all blacked out and then grind back down to bare metal on the fins?  It's aluminum so it shouldn't rust.

After looking at some pictures on Google, I'm pretty sure he has a Honda Shadow Spirit. 2003, I think...

All this talk about motorcycles makes me want one...if nothing else, for the fuel economy. amooset, yours looks pretty cool, I like it. What year is that, BTW?

Mine is an '04 Shadow VLX Deluxe.  Ironically, the deluxe packages came with extra chrome, which I promptly removed or plan to, lol. 

Fuel economy?  I get about 60mpg on a good day around town.  My highway mileage is lower because I usually drive close to full throttle the whole time (which is about 90 mph).  Driving like that will warrant me a hair over 50 mpg. 

Cost?  Like I said, I got it out the door for 5K brand new.  The payments on it are basically free when I do the math on how much gas my car would have guzzled for the same amount of mileage.  It may sound impractical, but in the long run it's worth it if you're willing to bundle up when the roads are clear of snow or throw on a rain suit when the stormshiznit.

For a first time rider, I would highly recommend the model I have.  It's my second bike and still is beefy enough for zipping around town and short (100-200 mile) road trips.  The long wheel base, forward controls, and v-twin engine make it very harleyesque which was probably their intention.  The only reason I would consider an upgrade is for the longer road trips I would like to take.

If you are looking for a good starter bike, you can't go wrong with this one.  Easy to handle, light weight, and CHEAP!  Upkeep is simple, reliability is great.  In 12,000 miles, I've only done basic maintenance (tires, plugs, oil) and it runs like a champ even after I beat the tar out of it.  If you have any questions about picking up a bike, drop me a line.  Though I'm kind of partial to honda, I know a fair amount about bikes in general.

Heh, actually after doing some reading, I'd say the Rebel is a no go for me....since I'm 6'4" and about 260 lbs....way too small I think.

I found that they have motorcycle training courses locally but they're $100. Bleh, well maybe I'll see if I can do that someday but I can't afford it at the moment.

Something that I thought was rather odd was that I went on Geico to see how much insurance would be...even with more coverage than I have on my auto insurance, and a $500 deductible on the bike (assuming I had a vlx), it was HALF the price of my auto insurance ($283 a year vs. $284/6 months for liability only on my car). I even put the usage down as commuting. Why is that?