Honda VT500C Shadow reviews

Bought this little bike with a bad cdi box CHEAP. Bike was running but only on one cylinder, bought a used cdi on eBay and she is back in business. Put 1500 miles on it and am really pleased with it's performance. As all the other reviews have said, the bike is a little uncomfortable on a long ride but an excellent commuter (which is why I bought it). The bike is light enough (438 LB dry weight) and can be stopped in a very short distance and seems to have a good center of gravity as it is smooth through the turns. I recommend it to both the beginner and skilled rider. Great starter bike! Show less

I purchased a 1985 Shadow VT500C from a gentleman in Missouri whose wife owned and rode it. It was a little cold blooded when I first got it but changing the plugs from Champions to NGKs made a big difference. The bike now starts up much easier when cold and warms up faster. The rake of the bars and seat position make the bike somewhat uncomfortable for anyone over 5'9". The bars also make the bike a little hard to handle in tight spots. I find I have to allow more room to turn this bike than I did for my old Kawasaki KZ650. Although it gets up to 60-65 mph fairly quickly it runs out of steam after that. I like my Shadow a lot but I think I'm going to look for something a tad bigger and more powerful. Show less

I traded an old truck for this bike last spring. It had not been ridden much at all for many years, showing only 1800 miles on the odometer. It needed a new solinoid and a battery and she was ready to roll. I took a class, got my endorsement and have put just over 2000 miles on it this summer. I mainly use it for cruising to work and back, but have also gone on several Sunday afternoon rides and a couple of longer overnight trips. This bike is way too small for my big 6'4" frame and I get uncomfortable pretty quick. The motor is solid mounted in the frame and thus, vibration becomes an issue after 30 minutes of riding. The bike is fairly light and tends to be somewhat at the mercy of the wind and is not real stable at highway speeds. The 500cc twin has adequate low end power, but runs out of steam at higher rpm's. Handling is light and quick and despite the raked out fork, it's easy to get twichy going into corners. Enough complaining! I love to ride and this bike is the reason. Therefore it will always have a soft spot in my heart. I will be moving up to a bigger bike next spring, but until then, I will ride my old Shadow every chance I get! This is a fun and easy bike to ride, and I highly recommend it (if you can find one in decent shape) for a new rider - especially someone who is a bit smaller than myself. Show less

I agree it is a great starters bike and easy to maintain. I have had mine for 4 years now and it's time to upgrade.It's selling for $1.500 it comes with saddle bags, engine guard and HONDA highway foot pegs the bikes in good condition and it has a total of 53.722 km. The bike is black with crome side covers. Anyone interested? Show less

Last summer I got a '83 VT-500c for about a grand. It has just 7,500 miles on it. I love it! It's a wee-bit on the slow side, but it's before the age of aluminum, so the bikes on the heavy side (for its size). Got the classic "metric-cruiser" look, it rides like a Town car, VERY easy to handle, thus; "It's a really good first or sec. bike that you can take on a long ride or around town!" only thing that gets to be a pain -is that the motor it a lot more compact than it looks, so you got to spend a few min. Getting things out of the way even when you can clearly see it! It fools ya." Show less

I have put over 30,000 miles on this bike...picked it up used for $850. Very reliable, only trouble has been with batteries. Solved that with a battery tender. Engine starts easy with full choke, can ride away immediately, off with choke after a minute or two. Bike is not a power house; with a windscreen on it you can cruise at 70 mph but there is nothing extra and if you have a south Texas headwind you won't get 70 mph. If you are at 60 and want to pass, give yourself lots of room! Seat height is very low and bike is crowded for anyone over 5'8". I put 552 miles on it in a 12-hour ride through the Texas hill country one day and, yep, sore butt. Great little commuter around town, not so good for cruising the interstate or touring, but it can be done. Never been sorry I bought this bike and would recommend and buy it again in a heartbeat if I couldn't afford a larger bike. If you want power, speed and status, look elsewhere. If you would like a nice, dependable, inexpensive ride, find an 83 Shadow 500 thats been maintained and snap it up!!! Love that drive shaft, bike is very low maintenance. Mainly just change oil and filter, gas it up, 50-55 mpg, and ride. Show less