Shadow Spirit 750
Shadow Spirit 750
HONDA 2001
That's the Spirit
I HAD A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH WHO STRESSED the importance of working proper muscle groups when pumping iron. "Enough curls, Canet," he'd shout, "you're only building beach muscles!" In a sense, show boat biceps are what Honda's Shadow Spirit 750 is flexing. Street-rod styling gives the rakish Spirit a strong dose of visual attitude. A mile down the road, however, reveals that beneath the ready-to-rumble exterior resides a refined bit of machinery, civilized even. We're talking more man icure than muscle here. What the Shadow delivers in droves is ease of use. Slip into the stepped drag-style saddle and you feel like a secure fixture on the bike. You immediate ly notice the smooth, feathery operation of handlebar con trols and the natural placement of your hands on the chest height grips. Solid footing, thanks to a low 27.1-inch seat height, will boost beginners' confidence. A touch of choke and thumb of the starter spurs the liquid-cooled V-Twin into quiet life, emitting a muted exhaust note that goes a long way toward keeping harmony in the neighborhood. Smooth clutch engagement, sweet-shifting gearbox, a low level of engine vibration and clean carburetion all make for a very pleasant riding experience.
A rugged rectangular-section-backbone frame and swingarm do an admirable job of keeping the 65.2-inch wheelbase tracking true at all times. Chain final drive means no chassis-jacking, an effect that's common on many shaft-drive motorcycles. Blessed with exceptional stability and neutral steering, the Spirit is a bike any rider will trust in short order. Cornering comes easy, with only a moderate amount of effort required to initiate turn-in. Brakes are strong without being too grabby, and the 41mm Showa fork, while plush, resists bottoming surpris ingly well. Twin rear shocks offer spring-preload adjust ment for tailoring the ride to your likes, though like most cruisers there's not a lot of travel to work with here.
About the oniy thing the Spirit 750 really lacks is a bit more muscle to back up its bad-boy looks. On CW's dyno, we measured 38.6 rear-wheel horsepower at 5600 rpm and 42.4 foot-pounds of torque at 3400 rpm. Modest figures for the 500-pound Twin, and posing no threat to Honda's other 750cc muscle cruiser, the venerable V-Four Magna. Fit and finish exudes typical Honda quality, with a gen erous amount of chrome accenting a color choice of either black or pearl white. At a bargain $5999 purchase price, you may even find budget to include some bits from the extensive Hondaline accessories catalog.
Stock, though, the Spirit does just fine in the eye-candy sweepstakes. Out the other day cruising Newport Beach's Balboa Peninsula, I heard someone shout, "Hey, nice bike!" and turned to see a blonde in a convertible admir ing my wheels. Just goes to show, beach muscles have merits too, coach.
Don Canet
