Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126792
e o ... u o 'one 40mm exhaust an By John Ulrich Honda's 1985 lineup is spearheaded by a made-in-America 45° V-twin with Harleycopy styling, an ultra-luxury, computerized version of the Gold Wing tourer, and the VFIOOOR sportsbike. The Shadow 1100 cruiser made at Honda's Marysville, Ohio factory is the incarnation 32 of Harley-Davidson management's worst fears and is aimed squarely at the heart of the market Harley covets as its own. Since the Shadow 1100 is made in America, it is exempt from the high tariHs imposed by the U.S. government in response to HarleyDavidson's claim that japanese motorcycle manufacturers unfairly copied Harley styling and sold their bikes for less than full value on the American market. Harley-Davidson officials have claimed that the imposition of the tariH has allowed the company to compete with japanese manufacturers and is responsible for the firm's recent return to profitability. The new Shadow is water-cooled wi th a bore and stroke of 87.5x91.4mm fora displacement of l099cc. The overhead camshaft design ha three valves and two spark plugs per cylinder with hydraulic valve lash adjusters and a self-adjusting hydraulic clutch. The plain-bearing crank haft has two offset crankpins to reduce primary imbalance; ignition is transistorized electronic. Final drive is by shaft and the transmission has five speeds,.fifth being extra-tall for highway cruising. Wheelbase is a long 63.4 inches; seat height is low at 29 inches. The forks have 41 mm stanchion tubes and a built-in brace between the sliders; the dual-shock swingarm suits the cruiser styling and makes room for the low seat and the positioning of a secondary gas tank underneath the seat. The main, Fatbob-styled gas tank carries fuel and coolant temperature gauges and, combined with the under-seat tank, raises fuel capacity to 4.0 gallons. The front wheel carries a 110/90-18' Dunlop tire; the rear a 140/90-15 Dunlop. Wheels are cast aluminum alloy; the rear brake is a drum, the front a dual hydraulic disc with twinpiston calipers. Like many HarleyDavidson models, the Shadow has a two-piece seat; a cast aluminum alloy sissy bar with padded passenger backrest rides behind the seat, ahead of the Harley-styled tailsection. C1aimeddry weight is531.4 pounds, including the chrome found on the headlight, instruments, turn signals, pipes, brake and shift levers and various trim pieces. joining the Shadow 1100 in Honda's cruiser V-twin stable is the VT700C Shadow, which, as a 750, was Honda's biggest seller in 1983. The move to 694cc displacement makes the Shadow a tariff-buster, sliding in underneath the 700cc-andover import tax. Other 1985 Honda cruisers include the Shadow 500, the I098cc V65 Magna, the now-699cc (used-to-be-750cc) Magna, the 498cc V30 Magna and the 234cc Rebel, an updated, even-morechopperized reincarnation of the notseen-in-1984 CM250. The Gold Wing Limited Edition heads the Honda touring rigs, being an everything-comes-stock version of the I I82cc GLl200 flat-twin. The Limited Edition has electronic fuel injection and a slew of computer functions for calculflti~ fuel mileage,. ,