Shadow vs V-Star - school me

Been looking at the Shadow (ACE mostly) and V-Star. Both very nice. Can anyone educate me on how they compare in maintenance, reliability, comfort for 6'3" rider, etc etc? What to look at / avoid?

The 1100s look nice - would consider a 750 but the size might not work out considering my height.

I already cannot imagine dropping the pipes to change oil (WTF?), but I see the is a relocation kit for the V-Star.

I really like the looks of the Silverado and the ACE Tourer.

Budget maybe in the $4000 +/- range.

I've ridden an ACE 1100 for the past 5 years. I'm 6'3" 200lbs. The bike has been rock solid reliable, all I had to do was replace the stator/regulator. Other than that it has been perfect. Being a rather tall person it works well as far as a cruiser goes, I put on floorboards and 10" apes that helped immensely. It eats up city and highway miles in relative comfort. It also sucks gas even though it runs perfect, I average about 33mpg.
If you want a Shadow 1100 I would really suggest a newer Spirit model with the dual pin crank. They rev higher, make a few more horses and I've seen them get much more respectable mileage (around about 40 to 45 average). Fyi the Tourer has the dual pin crank so it would be a nice option. The 750 Shadows are great bikes and get awesome mileage. Obviously you'll get blown around a bit more but they keep up just as well as the 1100 does.
I've never ridden Yamaha's harley rippoff but I've never heard anything bad.

EDIT: if you look at a Honda, Google "three yellow wires" for the common shot regulator culprit. Take a voltmeter with to check battery voltage at idle and revving it up a bit. A shot charging system is no reason to stay away from a bike but it's a good thing to be aware of!

Anybody here over 6' ride a 750 ACE?

Anybody have a V-Star with the relocated Oil filter?

I owned a Shadow 1100 back when they had 4 speed tranny's and tiny gas tanks. I loved that bike. The only reason I got rid of it is because I lost my job and needed the $$$.

I also had a Virago 750, which was very similar to the Virago 11000. I may be incorrect, but I think the V-star 110 is loosely based on the old Virago 1100. I liked the Virago too, but it was a pita to work on.

I would go with the Honda.

I have a 2007 VStar 1100 that I've put 52,000 miles on. Daily commuting plus lots of 1-2 week road trips. Never a single issue with it personally. The recurring issues that do come up on this particular bike is the starter clutch and the middle drive shaft yoke, which IIRC is most common on the 2006.

The oil filter ended up behind the pipe because it's a virago engine dropped into a new cruiser motorcycle. It's a slight pain but no big deal really. I change my filter every other oil change as recommended in the manual, so that helps. Some aftermarket pipes make this a bigger pain, but a 2-into-2 pipe, or the stock pipe, keeps it relatively simple. Lots of people use the oil filter relocation kits that puts a spin-on filter in the front. These bikes are also easy to modify intake/exhaust to get 10-15 more hp. Go here and click on the webpage tab at the top to see more online tech info than you will find for any bike.

http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/ma...av=start&prettyurl=/yamaha1100&gid=1869967536

Think twice about a 650-750cc V-twin cruiser unless you only plan on riding around town. If you have any road-tripping in mind you'll much prefer the bigger bike, especially a guy your size. Anything you get will probably require some ergo tweaks. Hands, feet, butt. I moved the floorboards and put on a good seat and apes. It's comfy for thousands of miles at a time. I'm 6' average build. I know some really big guys (over 6' and 250+ lbs) that ride the same bike. -al

V-Star looks really nice. Most of the Shadows look nice, but for some reason, the only model I do not care for is the Spirit.

Whatever I get will either come wirh, or quickly be fitted with a tall windshield and hardbags. That is why I really like the ACE Tourer.

I know nothing about about the V-Star. Have ridden emergency pillion on a Shadow 1100 and the bike had no trouble 2 up. I have ridden a couple of Shadow 750s and neither would pull a sick whore out of bed.

Have a few friends over 6'2 with 750 shadows. They like them and often carry their wives, pretty slow going though.

I had a VStar 1100 and sold it before getting into the oil filter relocation thing. Very popular mod though.

Guy on a Vstar forum has had 3 1100s since 1999, put 100k on each, and practically gives them away after that.

I'll never go back to a cruiser, generally poor brakes, high maintenance (chrome), small range and typically low in power.

All too true and bears repeating. Incidentally my stupidly reliable Honda 1100 of the past 5 years is up for sale in hopes of getting an FZ1 or SV650.

I'm 6'6" and I had a shadow spirit 750dc for a year... Ran great, the dc model had duel carbs and ran a chain instead of the usual shaft drive... Mileage was high 50s to low 40s in the winter... I should've kept it instead of getting the vtx... I'll look for a picture with the bike and I...

Hmmm...I just bought one of those stupidly reliable Shadow 1100's (2002 Spirit) because I needed something well-suited to 2-up riding. And I really like it. It's so torquey that it doesn't make a difference whether one person or two is on board. I once owned a Shadow 750 (shaft drive) and it was underpowered, IMHO.

In any case, be aware that the ACE has a single-pin crank while the Spirit and Sabre have a dual-pin crank. I prefer the dual-pin setup simply because it is smoother and has more power. The only (questionable) advantage of the single-pin setup is that it is more Harley-esque; i.e., more vibration and less power. LOL!

Yeah, I have the single pin instead of the dual pin, wish I had the dual! I covered up the sound with a quiet 2into1 anyway. Also, it should be noted the ACE Tourer is a dual pin, only the standard ACE is single pin.

It is torquey for sure but my wife gets uncomfortable after a couple hundred miles, that and the mpg suck. Your '02 Spirit is a great bike, I think it will serve you better than my single pin has.

I had a '99 750 Ace that I set up as a solo ride ....put way more money into it than I should have but when done with it, it was an all-around nice ride that handled very well and felt really "planted" for a bike in that size range. I sold it a few years back and later regretted it. I currently have a VStar 1300 Tourer which I really like. it is definitely a heavier bike but a very comfortable ride when my wife & I two-up (which is 80% of the time). The was NOT a two upper.

I have the Shadow RS 750....seems to run fine.

I installed an oil-filter relocation kit on mine. There are about four good reasons to do this:

• It allows for a larger oil filter
• If you ride in hot weather it allows the oil to "get out of the engine." I suspect that this helps a lot with cooling.
• It is just plain easier to change the oil.
• If you end up changing the oil often you will risk striping the case thread where the steel bolt does into an aluminum block. This is not the oil plug; but, all the little bolts that it is necessary to replace the, internal, cartridge, oil filter.

None of this is as important if you are a "send it to the shop for service at the end of the season" type of rider. However, if you use it for daily transportation and do your own maintenance it will become an issue.


I have also had several pick-up sensors go out on me. This is usually seen when the bike first runs poorly when warm, than dies once it warms up, and finally will not start at all. This all happens pretty quickly. I eventually started carrying a pick-up sensor and a left side engine gasket with me.


I also had the final drive coupler go out on me. This appears to be a well known problem. If you get one dissemble the cone on th e rear end and make sure the final drive coupler is properly greased with moly-lube. There are many reports of them being dry on delivery.



This is not a point that is checked when a tire is being changed; so, you will have to stay on top of it yourself. If it fails (when it fails), if you are not lucky, it will take out the input gear on the final drive. This gear is not sold as a part and the entire rear assembly must be replaced.


The other thing to pay attention to is the valve maintenance schedule. Yes, they are easy to adjust once you get to them; but, it must be done every 4k mi (I do not know the Shadows schedule). Further, they are a real pain to get to.

Having one, I really do not feel that the V-Star was intended as a daily transportation bike. I remember mentioning the frequency of the valve adjustments when I was at the dealer once (looking at a different bike). The salesman really did not understand the issue. He commented, "ya, it should be brought in once a year at the end of the season; but, thats still probably not going to be 4k between servicing."

I have had trouble with mine; but, if you ride one or two weekends a year, the V-Star is probably a good bike. If you are going to use a bike as your sole transportation, I would not recommend it.

Edited to add mileage; I see that several people are commenting on mileage. When I used it exclusively in town I got about 45mpg (sometimes better); however, when used on the highway the mileage dropped considerably. When on the highway I was in the high 30's and never hit 40 mpg. All that can tell you is that the aerodynamics are terrible.

The only Shadows I've ever liked were the 1100 Spirit, 1100 Sabre, and VLX600. The 1100s have tubeless tires, and there is a centerstand available for the 600. The 750s have tube type tires, and no good way to get the wheels off on the road. The 650 and 1100 V-Stars have a Harley style frame with long bottom rails that could be jacked up from the right side of the bike on the sidestand to get the wheels off the ground. All these bikes are reliable, and they are all made in Japan, not China. But I will not ride a bike with no way to fix a flat tire, that would automatically remove it from consideration for me.

The valve adjustment interval on the Shadow is never. It has hydraulic valves, as should all bikes in that state of tune and price point.

Very odd to see all the low mpg reports--it was very rare to read of fuel economy that low on the XLforum unless something was really amiss on the tuning.

I had the 1998 Ace Tourer 1100 for five years and 80k miles and it was absolutely trouble free. Change the oil and the tires was it.

Enough juice for me. I would not mind another one.

I am currently riding a Sabre 1100 and have no complaints. Plenty of power to ride on highway, decent fuel mileage (40s), enough room to avoid cramped riding posture. Looked at the VStar as well, seems like a quality bike. Take both for a ride and see which one speaks to you.

ALL cruisers should have hydraulic valves. Power is not a factor with cruisers. My Vulcan 750 has hydraulic valves and plenty of power (for a cruiser) It's just another thing that manufacturers have not done, for whatever reason. We have FI and ABS, but still use tube type tires and valves that have to be adjusted. Doesn't make a lot of sense.