Did I want to ride my own or not? Was there a bike I wanted? It all
started last year (2002) when the S.O. bought a Honda Nighthawk 750 &
came to visit. We went riding 2 up. I was VERY nervous! Then he told me
to get on it and go...I was terrified, could only touch the ground with
my toes. I realized if I was going to get involved with this I wanted to
control my own!
I started by looking on the net, thought I really wanted a Honda Shadow
(apparently I'm a cruiser lover!) Then to see one for real we went to
Biketoberfest last year. I could have saved myself the trouble! The
first morning there was an Intruder in the hotel parking lot before we
headed out. I was in instant lust!! Honda brought no Shadows to the
show, and they were kind of rude to boot! Left still wanting the
Intruder, RED!!! Found a few for sale on line & finally lucked into a
2000 with low miles, garage kept.
It was a great choice for me. Perfect seat height to flat foot, already
had a windshield & LeatherLyke bags, Boulevard slash pipe slip-ons (nice
low rumble!) The thing runs like a jackrabbit! It is a tiny bit top
heavy compared to some others, but nothing that creates a problem. Every
mechanic I've talked to has said it is practically the most reliable
bike they know of....most have never even seen the inside of the engine
because it never needs work, just change the fluids when scheduled,
replace the tires when worn & ride your butt off! Oh yeah, and no chain
to mess with, it's shaft drive!
The stock seat was okay for a while, but now that I've broken it in,
it's got to go! Too little cushion in the back of the seat allows it to
become very uncomfortable after about 30-40 miles. The gas tank is
small, but since you should stop every 100 miles or so, it makes that
easy! There is some vibration at about 75 mph, but it is not that bad &
you get used to it very quickly.
It's an eye catching machine & I haven't done anything except change the
driver's foot pegs. I would like a mural on the tank, but that's just
for me! For a lady rider, or a small guy I think it is the perfect bike
& one you can hang onto for a long time without having to trade up very
soon. It keeps up with the "big boys" quite nicely, and blows some of
them away off the line, although they will catch up! If I'd change
anything besides the seat (are you listening Suzuki??) it would be to
add a 6th gear....sometimes you just feel like there should be a little
more on the top end! There are better choices out there if you intend to
go really long distances, better choices for the major twisties, but
this bike does both reasonably well. And the price is right new or used! |
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