Honda Shadow Aero 750
MSRP: $7299
Caretaker: Masker
Measurements: 5'5"/175 lbs/28" Inseam
Odometer: 2377
Miles Since Last Issue: 544
| MODIFICATIONS: |
| JARDINE STRAIGHT CUT DRAGS | $615 |
It seems like this bike has been in the shop a month waiting for a pipe install, and yet somehow, Masker managed to knock down more miles than our weather-challenged associates.
Once it managed to elbow its way to the front of the line, and got our in-house mechanical maestro's attention, it turns out there was a little change on the 2008 (and later) Aero that Jardine wasn't aware of. You see, the '07 Aero came with a 2-into-1 pipe, while ours had a 2-into-2. The effective difference is that Michael (the aforementioned maestro) had to fabricate a bracket to extend the one that came in the box. A little kludgey, but as far as we can tell, effective.
Next up, we're going to see if we can tweak the carb to match the pipes and get a little more juice out of the little three-valve 750.
Honda VTX 1300T
MSRP: $11,299
Caretaker: Zimmerman
Measurements:
5'10"/220 LBs/32" Inseam
Odometer: 686
Miles since last issue: 321
As I write this on St. Patrick's Day, we've had maybe, just maybe, ten nice riding days since I picked the bike up. Several of them I spent working on the house, and the rest got divided up between ice racing, ice fishing, and riding the VTX.
Consequently I've yet to put any real mileage on the bike, which is a crying shame, `cause I'm really starting to like it. With the onset of warmer weather the cold running issue has been mitigated, I still plan to do something about it but since I've got a RoadHouse Exhaust on the way, and hopefully, it'll be here in time to do the August How To on it, I've been holding off on any carburetor work. I've also got a new seat on order, Ultimate Seats claims that its seat is the best thing, seat-wise since they invented...well seats, I suppose. We'll see and let you know.
If there's any one thing to complain about it's the VTX1300's appalling lack of ground clearance. I know I'm whipping a dead horse here, at least as far as my whining about any cruiser's lack of clearance, but so far I've bounced everything but myself off the deck at least three times a ride and it's getting just a little unnerving. Whether it's because the thing is too low, handles to well, or I'm just to fat for my own good I haven't yet decided, but rest assured I'm going to come up with some sort of solution, if I don't you may well be reading a How to on repairing ground-away frame components in the next issue. For the record I will say that the thing is incredibly stable, at least right up to the point where it grinds the kickstand and lifts the rear wheel.
My only other gripe is a lack of nighttime illumination, by no means is that a reflection on the VTX, so much as it is on my dim old eyes. In fact, its headlight is one of the better ones, and had I eaten my carrots when I was supposed to, the need to supplement it wouldn't be an issue.