Honda Shadow VLX reviews

It's a little small, but comfortable, and not intimidating. It's powerful enough to be faster than almost any car, acts like a cruiser, but maneuverable. It was affordable, and I wanted my first bike to be reliable so I could concentrate on important things...this bike is reliable and built solid. No problems yet, I've owned it for almost a year. I took it out of winter storage yesterday, and it started up right away and ran smooth as when I put it away last fall. It is a little small for highway use, but for cruising around town I love it. Show less

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

I purchased the VLX Deluxe primarily to drive to and from work (about 50 miles each way), and I've discovered a ride that's conservative with fuel and generous with excitement. The standard Honda reliability and good looks are definitely built into this bike. It handles interstate highway speeds and wind turbulence smoothly and without hesitation. I've found it to be quite comfortable on longer rides (200+ miles). I didn't expect it to provide a tour-bike ride; it's a cruiser, after all! It does well with the 4-speed, but a 5-speed would be better. I plan to ride my Honda for a very long time. 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

I've seen many comments that the 600 VLX is a good beginner's bike. That may be, but I think it is an experienced biker's bike also. Other than my butt needing a short break after an hour or so, this bike is great. And it's only 600 cc? I can get to the speed limit as fast as I need or want to. It may not be as fast as a crotch rocket, but it's not a crotch rocket. It's better on fuel than bigger and heavier bikes too. All in all, this is a great bike for anyone. 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