Shadow Phantom

Last week I was at the bike show and spotted the Shadow Phantom. Overall a nice looking cruiser bike (in the market) with good seat height, controls are all in the correct position, and and the price is within my shopping range. The only thing I do not care for is the rear drum brakes, other that I cannot find any fault with the bike without taking it out for a ride.

Any reason I should not consider this bike?

http://powersports.honda.com/2014/shadow-phantom.aspx

It looks good. I wonder why they used a drum?

why does a drum brake bug you?

they worked for years and continue to work. Cheap. reliable. and lots of braking is done on the front (argue this all day if you want, "balance the brakes" and "some front some rear usage" nom nom nom, the fronts do more)

It works.

Like the look? Buy it. Ride it. Enjoy it. Live it up =) =)

In reply to nicksta43: Its a modesty powered 750 cruiser with shaft drive, a rear disk would only add cost. Plus the people who care about that kind of stuff aren't buying bikes in this category.

It will not hold any value, and it has no soul. For the same $ you could knock together a nice reliable Ironhead or EVO XL.

I've got one, love it. Mine is a 2010, so it has the shiny black, rather than matte black finish, but I think that's the only difference. The drum is a complete non-issue, it will grab the wheel hard enough to skid it if you really stomp on it, but as CarKid said, 90% of the braking is done by the front. Servicing the drums is easy, it's not like doing drums on a car with lots of irritating springs to drag into place and delicately hold together. I did the rear drums on my Ascot (similar Honda system, shaft drive, etc.) in around 30 minutes, from putting the bike on the center stand to back on the ground.

It makes a great noise (I have the stock exhaust, the one you pictured would probably be much louder), comfortable, I've done 400+ mile days in the saddle with no issue. 70 mph+ on the highway brings a little vibration from the engine because it's revved up (a 6th gear with highway ratios would probably help), but it's not bad, just something to get used to.

And of course, by soul, bentwrench means you won't be constantly repairing it, cursing while stranded on the side of the road when it's cold and rainy, or watching it mark it's territory with oil leaks...right?

Mine:

I agree with Flynlow, based on the specs I would say go for it. I love that it is shaft drive and souless is relative. People on here HATE the SV650 but it is a great bike and many of my friends swear by them. Then people say a Ducati is plenty soulful but what do you expect with an open clutch and italian engineering. If you want a new cruiser, I might hold off until Harley releases the Street series as that is a pretty interesting alternative to these. I do say that with my flag firmly planted in the Harleys suck camp.

This bike is edging in on 600 lbs wet so keep that in mind. Seems a tad portly for the size. Probably makes it a better highway cruiser though.

Ouch...

I like to rag on Harleys just to bug the Hog riders, but I have nothing against them and will probably someday own one. But I would be leery of the new street series the first year, especially if the Honda reliability is something that attracted you to the shadow.

It says Honda on the side of it, which means unlike a Harley you'll spend more time enjoying riding and less time waiting on a service tech to tell you that they can't fix the oil leak (as it's a feature) and no, really, the "handling like a heavy cast iron ironing board" is also a characteristic of a Harley.

Of course, I've been told by an HD owner that if they wanted comfort, speed, handling, and touring ability they'd buy a Honda.

Personally, I'm not sure what's left.

People on here HATE the SV650 but it is a great bike and many of my friends swear by them. Then people say a Ducati is plenty soulful but what do you expect with an open clutch and italian engineering.

I've told people time & time again if I wanted my SV650 to sound more like a Ducati I'd stick a loose can of change on the side of it so it made the "Chinka-Chinka" sound of the dry clutch.

After working on and riding both over the years, you can keep the maintenance nightmare that is Ducati Cam Belts, model-specific valve tools/shims, and ethanol-swelling gas plastic tanks. I'll keep the SV.

A group of engineers, smarter than you and I, designed the bike and decided a rear drum was more than enough to stop this thing. Assuming a 50% failsafe, I don't see your concerns.

Buy it.

I especially like the color!

bentwrench wrote: It will not hold any value, and it has no soul. For the same $ you could knock together a nice reliable Ironhead or EVO XL.

My sportster was less than this out the door.

You can lock the rear wheel just fine with a rear drum. Modulation works just fine as well. Really, there is virtually no gain on a bike, having rear disc.

If the bike tickles your fancy, that means it's the one to get.

It looks cool in black. It looks like a bike to throw a couple bags on it, fuel it up, tell the boss you'll be back in a week and hit the highway.

My only argument against it would be this:

For me, the V-Star gave more for the money and fit me better. Test ride one and if you still prefer the Honda, then buy it without regret. It's a great bike.

My buddy bought that exact bike. Looks cool. He likes it.

Buy what ever you like just get out there and ride! There are no soulless bikes just soulless haters. Never seen a bike I thought was soulless just a few I would not own.

A partal list of my stable is. 52 Harley Davidson Model K.(1st year for K) 05 Suzuki C50 98 Ducati ST4 74 Montesa Caprra 250vr flat tracker 68 Montesa Cota 247 Trials bike 74 Yamaha Yz 125 (1st year for yz) 70 Yamaha R5 350 73 Yamaha RD350 (road racer USCRA #441) and 30+ others stored here and there....

My Point is real motorcyclist don't care what you ride or what type you ride....it's about the ride.

Watch On An Sunday and Wild Hogs!!!

44Dwarf wrote: My Point is real motorcyclist don't care what you ride or what type you ride....it's about the ride.

Well said! I LIKE Harleys, I LIKE Hondas, I like Suzukis, Triumphs, Ducatis, Yamahas, Nortons, and just about every other darned manufacturer under the sun. I want a big warehouse full of every bike imaginable, if I can afford it someday.

pinchvalve wrote: For me, the V-Star gave more for the money and fit me better. Test ride one and if you still prefer the Honda, then buy it without regret. It's a great bike.

Also, this. Take the opportunity to ride everything you can in the class and price range (Shadow, M109, V-Star, Vulcan, Sportster, Bonneville, etc.). This is the fun part, where you get to borrow the dealer's bikes and play with them all!