1983 HONDA VT750C SHADOW

1983 Honda VT750C Shadow

I purchased this bike out of necessity.
It was a time in my life when I was in desperate need of an additional form of transportation.
I had never taken a liking to “cruiser” motorcycles.
The very sight of their riding position was enough to not embrace their other “unknown-to-me” qualities.
In my eyes, they just did not look right!
The stepped contour of the seat, the hi-rise handlebars, the forward placement of the footpads forced me into a “sit-up-and-beg” riding position that made for a very uncomfortable ride ….. nah, not to my liking!
You see, I was more of a cafe-racer configuration enthusiast.
When I began to learn how to ride a motorcycle it was in a slightly aggressive forward-leaning position.
The bike itself is a very attractive, unique-looking machine.
Honda went out of their way to formulate not only its looks, but the whole technological concept of it.
It was like no other V-Twin that had come before it.
Characteristic to 90 degree V-Twin-engined motorcycles of the era, it had a relatively long wheelbase, causing it to have “slow steering” and a large turning radius.
This was due to the placement of the engine in the frame, taking up a lot of space.
Additionally it had a generously sized radiator in front of the engine which took up even more space, forcing a 32 degree rake angle.
Yes it was liquid cooled, making for a very technically capable touring capability.
V-Twins characteristically generate a lot of vibration by nature of their configuration.
Engineers found out long time ago that having the cylinders placed at 90 degrees to each other, is the design sweet spot that achieves the best primary balance of the engine.
This is at the cost of increasing the steering wheelbase, vibration and sluggish engine power.
Honda being Honda innovated on the V750c engine and revolutionized the crankshaft design by off-setting the crankpins on the engine and were able to achieve a 45 degree V angle resulting in a much more powerful and smoother output from the engine.
This engine, for its size, had/has phenomenal acceleration and I know many 1200cc bike owners of the day who were no match for me when I was on this bike and in the mood on this bike, taking off from “red lights”!
Its reliability and performance alone are the 2 factors that have made this bike a “keeper” for me.
As of the date of writing this personal article, I have owned this now-43 year old bike for 25 years and it has just shy of 29,000 miles (46,400 km) on it.
For the last 22 years it has been and still sits in a store room underneath a dedicated blanket halfway across the world, waiting patiently for me to make good time for full restoration.
I look forward to that greatly and hope that I will be blessed with good health and life to bring it back to life in its former glory and ride it again.

… but like I said earlier, it was out of necessity that I made this purchase and surprisingly it has become a beloved earthly possession that I continue to hang on to.
With so much riding exposure I’ve garnered over the years since, would I choose it for a long tour?
No.
It makes for a great commuter.
Short rides, half and hour to about an hour, point A to point B?
I would definitely not hesitate!
In that realm, I was the king of the roads!
… if you’re looking for specifications on this bike, no doubt they can be found all over the internet, so kindly spare me having to regurgitate those figures here.