Faults:

Trace amounts of rust in the gas tank (not bad for a 25 year old bike, though)

General Comments:

This Shadow VT500 was my first V-Twin, and the day I sold her I wept bitter tears. If I had my way, it would still be in my garage today, but we moved from Oregon to Oahu, and I just couldn't justify the shipping cost.

It's a Honda, not much more needs to be said. Their near bullet-proof build quality and legendary reliability are what drew me to the Shadow to begin with. I can happily say I was not let down in either category.

This bike started right up without much fuss with the choke (even on colder days). It never broke down on me, and ran like a champ every day I was on it, which was just about every day for two years.

I thought for sure, because it was an older bike, that I would have to replace something on it before too long. But a trip to my regular mechanic gave it a clean bill of health.

The 500cc engine was more than adequate for me. I am not an adrenaline junkie, so I never took it over 80mph (and even then that was rare). It is nimble enough to handle city traffic and comfortable enough for long trips.

If what you are looking for is an incredibly durable and reliable bike, then get yourself a Shadow VT500. If you want break the sound barrier on your bike, you'll need to look elsewhere.

If I find one here on Oahu, I will DEFINITELY buy it.