1986 Honda Cruiser reviews

I bought this bike from the orignal owner who said he never had to any thing to it but replace the battery and tires and regular maintenance. A lot of its life has been spent in Florida and Ohio. It still looks nearly new, shiny chrome and perfect candy red paint. It still runs and rides great. It's a very nice and well built bike, loads of fun. My only complaint is, I am 69 years old and the seat is a little uncomfortable for me. If you can find a nice one buy it. You won't be sorry. PS. I also have a 2004 Yamaha 1100 Silverado with Mustang seats, hard bags and trunk and a lot of extras for long rides. Show less

I bought this VT1100 in Nov. 09. I had read up on it a little but was really surprised when I rode it. It will flat scat, handles great too. It has gobs of torque and pulls all the way up to red line like a mad bull. Being tall it lacks in comfort for me only in leg room, but the seat is very comfy. This bike is great. You get a speedo, tach, temp guage, gas guage and dual disk brakes up front. The new shadows give you a speedo and petcock and that's it. Power is another thing too. This bike has a full 12 horses and 7 footpounds of torque more than the 1995 and later shadows. That power difference makes for a lot more fun. Honda had the perfect V-twin motor and they went and made it worse. Thanks Honda! Now fire the idiot manager that thought up that idea and bring this engine back! Show less

I purchased mine used with 31K miles on it. It is short framed for my body size for more than about 50 miles at a time. The Stator went out at 35k miles, I replaced it with a Electrosport High output for less than a third the cost of honda parts. It now puts out enought amperage to reliably run a heated riding suit. In the 7 months I have owned it I have logged almost 10k miles on it and it has been the most reliable road bike I have had thus far being I used to ride mid 70's Harleys and always worked on them. I have repainted it black with silver ghost flames. In an all out drag race with my buddies screaming eagle equipped Harley XL1200C he gets me for the first 75 yards or so then the higher HP and revving of the Shadow blows by him litteraly shutting him down. Good mileage, easy maintenance. Running strong at 45k miles the bike is more of a crossover between a cruiser and a sport bike, handles very well with the proper tires and rider placement. I have scraped the pegs many times on turns, hooks up well. Show less

I must say my 1986 Honda Shadow is very nice. I bought it in 2008 with only 1,400 miles. I am so proud to have this bike, it looks brand new and rides very well with no worries. I take it on long rides with my fishing tackle and rod straped to the back. With my chrome sparkling and the throttle wide open, I am off to see the sun set. Show less

I bought the bike in 1987 when it had 4,000 miles and in the last nearly 20 years have added about 21,000 miles. I occasionally have considered replacing it, but after even a short ride always have changed my mind. The bike has been trouble free up to now (left front fork shows a very slight oil seepage), which is remarkable since it sits idle a large portion of the year (Seattle rain and all). I love this bike enough to recently turn down an offer of $3600 - I don't think I will ever sell it. Show less

Thanks to everyone's review, I just purchased my 1986 Honda Shadow VT700C yesterday from a dealer who specializes in classic Honda's. This one was in "like new" condition. Only a little under 6K miles, no rust, and cherried-out! The shop replaced the fuel pump prior to my purchase in which the motor stalled after 10 miles and put on new tires (Dunlop Qualifiers). I was in the shop for less than an hour and immediately went on a 250 mile ride home. What a ride! Cruising speed of 85MPH with more HP for passing. The overdrive makes for less vibration, the low seat was perfect for my 5'5" frame. You don't see them built like this anymore...cruiser looks with musclebike power! If you find one in good shape, don't pass it up. Show less

I bought the bike for $3000, with 19000 kms on it. Just barely broke in I'm told. I haven't got off it since I got it. It's so much fun. My first big trip is going to be through the rocky mountains this year. Lots of chrome which turns heads. Hard to find aftermarket parts for it but I'll keep trying. I might upgrade to an 1100 next year and hand it off to my girlfriend. Like to get a bigger tank and a backrest. I'll keep it for sure. Just as good to me as a $30,000 Harley. Show less

I find the value for this bike to be exceptional. I traded for one and am very happy with the trade. It rides great, has plenty of power, and will only profit if I decide not to keep it. I am also enjoying giving it a custom paint job and new chrome such as mirrors and exhaust, but I find that online merchants only want to supply parts for new bikes....the irony is that new bikes don't require parts, but the rusted chrome pipes on my ride are in need. Keep your knees in the wind! Show less

Most awesome bike. Bought it last year from original owner; only 12,000 miles on it. This is my first bike; friends keep telling me I need a bigger bike and I surely DO NOT. Rode it to the Honda Hoot from MI to TN and back this year and it was a great ride. Of course I am a new rider, and this is my first bike . . . but I can't imagine anything being better. I've put about 8,000 miles on it since I bought it. I am hooked!!!! Love the shaft drive, low seat, looks, fact that it's water cooled -- EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. Great for cruising; great on the curves. I would like to find a luggage rack and engine guards to fit it if anyone has any ideas. Would love to hear from you!! Show less

I have been riding bikes since 1969. This is my fifth motorcycle. My last bike was a 1973 Suzuki (water buffalo) which I put on 63k miles before wrecking it. (My one and only accident). I purchased this bike in 1993 and other than replacing fluids, brakes, tires and spark plugs nothing else has been done. I now have 27k miles on the bike and it runs like the first day I bought it. I also pull a pop up two man camper/luggage trailer with no problem. My only complaint is the lack of polished chrome and would like to either do something about that or I may purchase another bike that is not so labor intensive in keeping looking good. Show less