Honda VT125C Shadow

Prior to owning my Honda shadow 125 i used to own a Gilera cougar 125. seeing as the Gilera was my first bike there's a lot of emotion attached, particularly true on the anger and frustration side of things! but that's what i loved about it - it had attitude, a mind of its own. every time it started up i felt like it deserved a pat on the tank. It felt dangerous and fast to drive allowing you to lean right into the corners. Basically it was a really fun bike to drive and it sounded AWESOME (for a 125).

as you can imagine then, the shadow is a bit lacking in personality. for me it feels TOO safe and too quiet. Although the ride itself is smooth with good acceleration through the low and mid range, the top end is pretty sluggish. ride height is also an issue for those who are quote another review 'a bit over enthusiastic going into corners.' The bike has a great big 15 BHP v twin engine which naturally led me to believe it would feel and sound MEAN.I can't feel it ticking over and it definitely doesn't sound mean. Honda have really gone to work on the exhaust making sure that as you drive by people only hear the quiet hum of what sounds like an electric motor. i considered taking the baffles out to increase the volume but not only is it illegal, but i don't particularly want to lower its already sluggish performance from a top speed of around 70.

despite not sounding as big as it looks or being as fast and fun to ride as you would expect, I would definitely buy it again if i could do it all again. The bike is EXTREMELY reliable, not once have i had to use the choke. regardless of rain or temperature the bike starts 1st time every time which for a 4 year old bike seems like a minor victory! haha. Although the bike isnt particularly fast, you wont need to do much more than 70 anyway considering most people will only use this bike on 'L' plates and you dont have access to the motorways. The bike atracts a lot of attention, even on rainy days! (don't know whether its people being smug at the fact they are in a nice warm car or because they like the bike.. for me, i enjoy sticking it out through winter and summer on a bike. but thats just me.) although the bike may be pricey at first at around 3700 new the bike will hold its value all day long thanks to the Honda badge. Mileage isnt that great but your still looking at around 180 miles to a full tank which costs me £17.00 these days.

of course all of this is my own personal view. your preferences are your own so if you disagree with what i have said then write your own bloody review!

I bought this bike after looking at nearly every 125 on the market. Japanese, Korean and the emotive Chinese models all offered different things, but in the end I went for the best engine power, the best reliability and to my eyes the most beautiful looking 125 available. Hondy as she is now known is a 58 with only 1000 miles on clock. I plan to complete full test in the next year, but she will do me very well until then. So the low points, don't kid yourself, you'll crave for more power up those hills but go high on gears and she'll get you up around 40 mph. She's a heavy bike, in excess of 20 stone , but that' can be a good thing for stability, if not accelleration and hills. So overall she's well built fab to look at, and yes she doesn't look like a 125, she looks way bigger. So if your thinking about a 125, the VT 125 is the best you can buy.

After passing the CBT on a Yamaha YBR I considered buying either a Suzuki Marauder, Yamaha 125 Dragstar, Honda Shadow, Kawasaki, or one of the Chinese 125cc cruiser variants, but the Shadow's 15hp four stroke engine, Honda reputation & the price swung it for me. Seriously glad I chose this bike too!

Despite being somewhat neglected by the previous owner (stored for over a year & rarely ridden or even turned over) it got me 170 miles through wind & rain back home. Since then I've serviced it & had the carb professionally cleaned & front brakes done. Poor maintenance by the previous owner means that for now I can only give 4 stars for reliability, but any motorbike requires TLC & my VT125c2's mechanics run well & inspire confidence despite the prior neglect. Parts are not hard to come by, & numerous suppliers means there are cost savings to be had too.

Corrosion resistance seems very good, all things considered. The last owner stored it under tarpaulin in the open, & while there was plenty of surface rust on the bare metal parts & some pitting/rust on the chrome the parts generally fared well & all seem to be of very high quality. The liberal use of WD40 means nothing has sheared off during maintenance.

The bike itself is a joy to ride despite being big & heavy (compared to other 125's). Traffic filtering & U-turn potential is limited, but that's to be expected for any cruiser. Performance is pleasing & 70mph isn't a big problem. Apparently, changing the front sprocket for a 13 or 12 teeth variant &/or changing the pipe from the airbox to a larger diameter pipe will improve performance. I haven't found a need to though. I've changed the mirrors to round variants & taken off the pillion seat to give it a more classic look, & also added a blind-spot mirror, but that's all.

This bike is great practice for moving up to a larger bike, although the Shadow's "big bike" look means I won't mind hanging on to it once I've got my full license. The fuel economy is beaten by most other 125cc cruisers, it seems, & in the spirit of classic cruisers there's no fuel gauge, but those are my only gripes.

Newer (2006 on?) VT125's use security type keys. £80 for a spare from Honda I understand, so if you get a used VT125 make sure it comes with two keys!

All in all an excellent bike imo, but find a clean example if you're shopping for one.

for an old duffer of 57 years who has taken up the bike the Honda VT125C Shadow is just great.

she goes like snot off a chickens lip.

still got me "plates" up but folks cant believe its " just a 125"

wish i'd done it years ago!

The Honda Shadow is a great bike. Looks awesome, runs brilliantly, Sounds fantastic, easy to control. Best thing about the bike is ya wanna ride it and you feel good riding it. The bike really holds its own on A roads - you are never gonna tear down a motorway on it but the V-Twin engine powers round country lanes and city roads which means riding with friend on bigger bikes does not prove difficult keeping up! In fact my mate has a 550 and could not believe he was keeping up with a 125. It is a 125 but it is the best looking, sounding and performing 125 cruiser I have ever ridden or ever seen. You will not be disappointed.

My Honda VT125C Shadow is my first bike and i love it

Great to customise and easy to repair. Check your buying one that has been well maintained as they are not a dear bike to buy new (£3300) people often do bodge jobs on them. Mine had nearly every bolt and screw sheared or messed up.

My gf dropped it and it survived with scuffed grip and blinker, no tank frame or detail damage!!!

Honda VT125C Shadow - A fantastic 1st bike so don't listen to dissenters. A load of fun and can be souped up when you have passed your test.