Honda Shadow VLX Deluxe reviews

It's a great bike. I've done lots of city riding and trips 200 to 300 miles. This was great for a beginner, I'm not - 40 years of riding. I really enjoy riding this bike. Show less

Choosing this bike was one of the best decisions I ever made. 60-62 mpg. is wonderful, especially with the gas prices continually rising. I have had no problems whatsoever with the bike. Just keep up with the maintenance and this gem should last 20 years! Show less

I love my Honda. It is not only very good looking but quite reliable & comfortable as well. I know I could not have made a better choice. Show less

I started with the bigger bikes 800+ CCs for my first bike. In fact I have traded up quite quickly on my bikes, 800 to 1200 in a matter of months and have not gotten a bike below 1200 since. Had to ride a 250 cc for my motorcycle safety class and was so uncomfortable and had a hard time even controlling something that small with no power that I was convinced that anything below 500 CC was dangerous to even be on the road. So when my girlfriend wanted to buy a bike I tried very hard to talk her out of buying a 250 cc bike. Convinced her, but could not find a 500/800 CC bike that was small enough for her since she wanted her first one to be low enough to touch flat footed and she is 5 foot 2 inches tall. She even talked about buying a trike instead. Then I saw this bike and was convinced she would love its size, power, and look. I was right! Took her to see it and she fell in love and said that this is was her bike, this is the one for her. Since she did not have her MC license yet I had to ride it home from the dealership for her. Half-way home I was convinced that this was the best starter bike you could ever hope for. It has enough power for the highway, is comfortable to ride on, reasonably priced, and best of all is easy to control. Now, I even take it out for a spin every once in a while (I use the reason that I have to make sure everything is running right but really it is just a fun little bike to ride around town on). And, best of all my girlfriend is no longer intimidated by the thought of riding a motorcycle, in fact she is hooked and we get to spend quality time riding our bikes together. This bike is so comfortable to her that she is already talking about giving this one to her 16 year old son in a year and trading up. I have to say it will probably be a bigger Honda Shadow since both of us have been so impressed with their performance for my girlfriend and my other female friends that ride the 800 CC Shadow line of bikes. They just seem to be new rider friendly and that is a good thing when getting started riding motorcycles is intimidating enough as it is. Show less

I just bought a 1999 Shadow VLX Deluxe a month ago. It is the best bike I have ever had. I am a pretty big guy and it takes me down the road really well. There is nothing I can put down about the bike for I have ridden many different bikes and this by far is a A++ Bike!!! Show less

This bike is a great combination of style as well as performance. I bought it used a little over a year ago with 7K miles on it. I started to learn how to ride street after having a few years of riding dirt bikes under my belt. Once I learned what the bike was capable of I went ahead and bobbed it out. Now it is about 20 lbs. lighter and really gets up! This bike gives a comfortable ride with good gas mileage (~65 mpg) while still giving me all the power I need to get out of the way or just get out onto the open road. I cannot say enough good things about this bike. The 4-gear tranny is just fine by me. I don't see why this bike would even need a 5th gear. I am enjoying putting miles on my bike with just regular maintenance, chain lube, oil changes, keeping the tires up to pressure spec, etc. It is a GREAT BIKE for exploring your wild side; at least for the average beginner. Show less

After having a Rebel, this VLX is great for longer distances. The ride is good; 2-up riding is surprisingly good too. It looks great in the sun. Show less

I just got this bike about 2 weeks ago. This is my first motorcycle but I have grown up on Honda dirt bikes, 3-wheelers, etc. (even rented scooters on vacation to ride in traffic). This bike is more than it seems. Sure, next to a 1300 and even a 750 it is smaller, but it has a lot of power. The 600cc engine is very powerful and MORE than enough to start out on. The whole layout of the bike is in one word: comfort. The swept back handlebars are perfect to learn on and are just comfortable. If you need to start out on a bike or want a nice cruiser to have for yourself, you don't need a 750; go with a VLX. Show less

I traded in my 2007 Triumph Daytona 675, which is a sport bike, for this entry level cruiser. And I do not regret it one bit. So comfortable, so sleek, so smooth. That legendary Honda quality and value kind of makes me miss my Civic. Anyway, this is the perfect bike for anyone starting out, or just looking for cheap, reliable transportation. I'm 20 years old, with 4 points on my license, but my insurance is $434 a year. Not too bad in my opinion. I would recommend Shadows to anyone, regardless of age, experience, etc! They're just great bikes. Show less

I purchased this bike about a year ago after not having one for almost 30 years, I ride it daily rain or shine. It handles very nice for its size. However I would recommend that it have a 5 speed, when you get up around 70 the bike has a tendency to rev higher than it should. It is a perfect starter bike for anyone getting back to riding or a beginner. It combines a good power to weight ratio and good acceleration. It handles well in the rain as well. Show less