I recently purchased my first bike and it is a Honda Shadow Spirit 1100. I have no complaints thus far except a set of Highway bars would make the ride a little more comfortable. Being 6 ft 1 I need a little extra room on long rides. As far as power, dependability and good looks they are all there. Been eyeballing the 1800 though.

  I've been riding for about half a century and I've owned two BSAs, a Triumph, two BMWs and four Hondas.

I'm not all that fond of its  'Hardly Ableson Jr.' looks, but my current ride is an '86 Honda Shadow and it's otherwise just about flawless.

 I owned a Honda 750 Shadow ACE Deluxe for about 2 years and it was a very dependable and fun bike.  The Honda Shadows are pretty sharp looking bikes and they are balanced and handle good.  They are hard to beat for dependability and price. 

The only fault worth mentioning I had with mine was comfort.  On a long, all day ride I kind of felt cramped and after an hour or so with no stops I felt like I wanted to move around and change the position I was sitting in but there was no where to go.  It wasn't unbearable but I did feel pretty uncomfortable sometimes.  I am a 5' 5" female so I don't know how a taller person would be able to stand it.  I had running boards only so maybe a highway bar/pegs would have helped. 

The bike had good power for a 750 but if you are planning to ride on long trips at higher rates of speed for an extended period of time I would recommend a bigger bike.  This particular bike would make an excellent beginner bike in my opinion. 

Nicely designed bikes that run like tops.

Very fun bikes to ride. I've never owned one but my friends have owned a couple. They tend to rust easy. Maybe they should keep them in a garage.

hondas are awesome, we took a trip from Louisiana to Mexico with a group of about 25 Hondas and like 15 Harleys, not one Honda had to stop other than for fuel, all but 3 Harleys had to stop due to engine trouble. I'll never own anything but a Honda. Low maintenence and fun!!!

If you like the bike, buy it. Personally I feel the stock fenders and tanks on the Jap bikes look a little cheesey. Almost the Limburger or Roquefort variety. If you're going to copy the Harley Davidson Fat Boy, make it a good copy for pity's sake. The tanks all sit unaesthetically horizontal, the bobbed fender variety doesn't bob right, the factory colors are ALWAYS crap(I saw one in baby blue in a showroom!--who the hell would be caught dead riding a baby blue Harley?)! Bikes like the Fat Boy need no further alterations- they look good right out of the showroom and it's the only bike the Japs have truly envied as evidenced by all the clones- Suzuki Volusia, Kawasaki Vulcan Classic, Honda Shadow ACE(or rather the new VTX line), and the Yamaha V-Star line. Of all these, the Honda aftermarket reigns supreme in beautifying your ride. But how about coming out with one that's pretty right off the runway? Engineering is no contest, the Japs rule. Performance parts? There's always a large aftermarket for all bikes. But the LOOK...let's not kid ourselves here... the Japanese homage to the FAT BOY is VERY evident. I for one agree with it- it's the MOST beautiful bike ever(okay that's just my frickin' opinion)! But hey...there ARE other Harleys to clone, my Japanese buds from across the pond! How 'bout a nice SPRINGER SOFTTAIL line? Or a HERITAGE SPRINGER line with those ALWAYS COOL twin pipes jutting out from BOTH sides of the bike? Chill out with the FAT BOY theme already! A pint-sized 1100cc Heritage Springer would bring tears to my eyes! You see, for all the hype and bravado of our great American bike company, they are FAILURES when it comes to selling bikes to the throngs of PINT-SIZED people such as myself whose heart sank when he realized the Fat Boy was just...just a little bit too big for his 5'2 frame(sob,sniff!)- and I'm truly serious about that. One arrogant response from the salesmen convinced me that Harley's arrogance is the reason the Japanese bike market is expanding beyond belief now. His response, Well, son...some people just weren't born to ride. This said as he walked off in the other direction to tend to a burly six footer with a beard and belly only Santa Claus would envy. Born to ride? Is this fool convinced only 1-percenters buy Harleys? Am I supposed to earn my right to ride by joining the Hells Angels? Bandidos? Warlocks? Vagabonds? Would I earn respect walking into a Harley dealership wearing their colors? Sorry, Mister Harley man...the BIKE still won't fit. And people like me represent quite a large populations of riders YOU will never be able to sell a bike to because of your arrogance. To the Jap manufacturers: KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK....and clone the rest of the Harley line soon: the Deuces, Springer Softtails, Heritage Springers, Lowriders....and continue kicking Harley's ass in sales and reliability.

These bikes are bullet proof, look good, and DO NOT lose their value, contrary to other comments. Honda builds a great engine. I have owned several Honda MC's, including one 1100 Shadow. It was the best bike I have ever owned. Each used one I tried to buy this spring sold before I could get to it. So, while some may look down their noses at Shadows (made in the U.S.), they are deservedly popular bikes, low maintenance, sturdy, and fun to ride.

This is one of the cheapest Harley ripoffs I've seen. It sounds junky, and it loses it's value quite quickly. It isn't very powerful. Two thumbs down.

I own a Honda Shadow and I absolutely love it. I just learned to ride a motorcycle and it's been a great starter bike. A little vibration though, it's more for around town and not for long trips.