| 1986–88 Honda VT700C/VT800C Shadow |
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| Performance |   |
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| The Shadow was the first narrow-angle vee to use offset crankpins, which made it admirably smooth. It had the requisite low-speed, V-twin oomph, but thanks to overhead cams, three-valve combusion chambers and 'just-enough' crank mass, it revved surprisingly quickly. An interesting one-way clutch made downshifts smoother. LIke most bikes of the era, carbs were too lean from the factory. |
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| Handling |  |
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| When the engineers redesigned the second-generation shadow, they gave it much improved rear shocks. The steering was light, but cruiser-slow. Ground clearance in corners was considered poor at the time...it would be fairly good compared to today's mostly floorboard-equipped cruisers. |
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| Looks | |
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| The 1st-gen Shadow was overstyled and awkward. While it's still not perfect, Honda got a lot right on the redesign. |
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| Reliability | |
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| New, the Shadow was bulletproof and nearly maintenance-free, thanks to hydraulic valve lash adjusters and shaft drive. Only time and miles have reduced its score. |
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| Practicality | |
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| The hands-high, feet-out riding position is pitiful at highway speeds without a windscreen, but the seat was actually pretty comfy, and in-town handling was not difficult at all. |
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| Desirability | |
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| The '86 Shadow 700 was the first cruiser I ever sat on in the showroom and thought, 'Wow, I can see myself buying this.' That lightbulb moment has kept the 2nd gen Shadow on my list of favored models ever since. |
