2009 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 C2 Review

Exterior

2009 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 C2

The Honda Shadow Spirit 750 brings a touch of modernity in the world of middleweight classic cruisers as it can not only be characterized by those timeless looks and a lot of chrome, but also by slimmed-down fenders which expose the standard spoked wheels.

In what concerns the gas tank design, this features no modifications compared to the one on the Aero model. With 3.7 gallons of fuel capacity and hosting the instruments, this stands as a great combination of practicability and style. And so does the nicely finished V-Twin engine which is so characteristic to the Shadow.

The seat is only 25.7 inches from the ground and fills the space between the gas tank and rear fender, with the passenger part stretching all the way up on more than half of that custom rear fender.

Far from being a night rod, the Shadow Spirit 750 is covered in chrome all the way from the headlight to the rear shock covers and everything in between (handlebar, ignition switch cover, swingarm pivot cap, shift lever, rear brake pedal, brake and clutch lever brackets, left and right engine sidecovers, air-cleaner and cylinder-head cover). Yet another testimony is the variation of cool colors available for the 2009 model year: Candy Dark Red. Pearl White/Silver Pinstripe, Pearl Black/Red Pinstripe, Black.

Test Drive

2009 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 C2

Like on all Shadows built until 2009, the Spirit 750 C2 is an unmistakably easy to ride motorcycle with good accommodations, especially for the long haul and backed up by a lively V-Twin engine. This starts very easy and revs freely at idling speeds while worming up before the adventurous ride.

I got my hands on the bike in the middle of the city so passing through crowded streets was the first challenge that the Shadow Spirit was to experience. Being a middleweight cruiser, it has a low seat height (under 26 inches) and a low center of gravity and not only it can be easily maneuvered in the parking lot, but also handles easy in tight spaces so you won’t be needed to be careful at other mirrors than the ones mounted on your bike’s handlebar. Still, I was unsatisfied with the footpegs up front positioning as it makes it hard on the rider when lifting and repositioning the feet from and to the ground.

Outside the harsh city riding conditions, the bike feels stable as a healthy engine pull raises the speedometer needle at around 90 mph, which was also the top speed I’ve hit during my test. The riding position now shows its bright side even though I would have preferred a wider seat. I guess hamburgers do widen one’s bottom and that’s very likely to be the reason of my slight disappoint too.

The 745cc, 52-degree V-Twin provides you with kind of an ear-tickling exhaust note which is pretty much uncharacteristic to Honda engines, but also makes sure not to uncover its fairly small displacement when being revved up for passing by traffic participants. Yet, you won’t be needed to downshift as the wide-ratio five-speed gearbox only requires a heavy hand on that throttle in order to prove its point.

2009 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 C2

That also applies when going out of corners in third gear on twisty roads, but that’s where you are more likely to be impressed by the ease with which you’ll be leaning the thing into position. It will feel stable and reassuring, like any big cruiser out there while your heels won’t manage to touch the asphalt at any point.

The plush suspensions are ideal as long as the road doesn’t present any bumps. Because when these enter the scene, you’ll find that the 4.6 inches of travel front and 3.5 inches of travel rear will be easily bottomed up, especially if you’re carrying a passenger. This last will already be experiencing some serious fatigue due to the annoying knee-up riding position so the bumps will have the last of him.

As you can suppose, you’ll be begged for a quick stop and in this case, applying both brake levers seems like the adequate solution. Relying on a 296 mm disc brake and a rear drum brake, the stopping capacities of this bike are simply not doubtful. Before sharp turns or when simply needed to slow down, the twin piston calipers acting on that front disc will prove efficient enough so it is most likely that you’ll use that alone in those situations (at least so I did).

Overall, the ride is very pleasurable (except the times when you carry a passenger) and the Honda Shadow Spirit 750 C2 meets the demands of both beginning and experienced riders alike (as long as these do know what to ask from it).

Price

The manufacturer’s retail price in the case of the 2009 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 is $6,999. Indeed, it is the biggest among middleweight cruisers, but did anybody say that this Honda isn’t the best in its class? I reckon they didn’t.

Conclusion

Shadow is a name filled with heritage and by adding this extra model, Honda shown how easy things can go even further on the steep slope of longevity. It is like yesterday they’ve added it to the lineup and by now it has twelve years of production on its back. No wonder as it is a very fun and easy to ride cruiser in the first week after buying it and a decade later. How can you possibly beat that? Let’s just hope that Honda will offer the answer in the form of a redesigned 2010 model year.

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