My 93 600 has 50k miles I took the air box off and put velocity stacks on it with open exhaust and bigger jets. I can hit 85 no problem my clutch is shot so I don't know what kind of pull I got at past 80 and I do get a speed wobble I got a clutch kit coming in soon and bearings will be the next on the list... or maybe a new peanut tank
Speed wobble could be due to a few things, steering stem bearing, wheel bearings, or very likely the tires are not balanced correctly By open exhaust do you mean stocks bored out? Be careful because engines require there to be some back pressure, in order to run efficiently, won’t destroy your bike or anything I don’t think but I know it’s important, which is why on like cobra exhausts they are small and have little guns around the inside for it. When you do clutch go with Barnett clutch and springs, make sure they don’t over torque the spring bolts. If you have any questions let me know and definitely look into dropping the teeth on the rear!
Thank you for making the video, I appreciate all the upgrades and the advice. I think that rear sprocket change is exactly what I need. Do you have any suggestions on videos for that walkthrough? Do you happen to have a walk through on changing that out?
I unfortunately don’t but I will say it is VERY simple, it’s just taking the rear tire off which I have a video on my channel to show you how, then you have 5 bolts on the sprocket to undo and put the new one on and reverse the previous steps, when you put the screws back in make sure to torque them down to 47 Ft Lbs and to take the bolts off you will be better off using an impact if you have one, but don’t use it to put back on because you want to make sure it threads properly, use some blue loctite to make sure the bolts don’t unscrew themselves over time and you’re good to go! If you run into any issue please shoot me a comment and I’d be happy to help. Also, don’t mess with the front sprocket, just do rear to avoid headache
Well, it's YOUR best bike ever. But we don't all wish for the same things in motorcycles or anything else. I have my best bike ever too. And a lot of other people have THEIR best bike ever at home in the garage. Hondas have always been bulletproof, BUT that's no excuse to skimp on maintenance. All machinery needs proper care, inspection, and adjustment. Do other Honda riders a favor and advise them to maintain their motorcycles as they should, not try to save a dime. I like your' bike, it reminds me of a Honda Ace 1100, and Ace 1100 tourer that I once owned. They are gone now, but not forgotten. Enjoy your perfect motorcycle, be safe, and have fun. Oh, the right side mirror may not be perfect! LOL! I spotted it missing long before you mentioned it in the video. Thankfully neither you nor your ride was injured when it checked out. Keep riding!
Best part about these Vtx’s are they are stupid easy to maintain though. But yeah this video was just a POV video of my opinion of the best bike ever haha. I made it that way to see if anyone would notice before I said the mirror was missing, glad you spotted it quick😂 but yeah, thank you for your comment! You should never skimp on maintenance but this was just a aftermarket parts and bike preference video, love this bike and wish Honda would bring back the lineup😭
For this one it was literally plug and play, stupid easy a toddler could do it. You remove the screw, take the rim trim piece off, unscrew the bracket from the housing, and install the placement brake t with the new housing headlight and plug it in and you’re done, there are instruction you can scan and it will show you steps or a video but it’s really easy, hardest thing to do is pay for it because it’s not cheap lol but it’s SO worth it
There is the link for Amazon, is pricy but so awesome and good looking, if you need any help just shoot me a comment and I reply pretty quickly to all comments
Never drove to work. 2 hour + commute home and on the morning it was an hour with no traffic. Could not do it after spinal fusion plus being in a car after a day that long is more forgiving safety wise
I basically got 130 not. My sport 883 got the same with a smaller tank, but an 883 on an interstate can be nerve racking. The VTX laughed at 18 wheelers
Harley’s out the door stand by 55mpg so that sounds about right but absolutely, on my shadow 600 which is a little lighter than the 883 is very nerve racking next to tractor trailers, I get much more to a tank now with the new filter
Loved this bike, Converted mine to a total touring bike by myself. Never did that ever before and was not difficult. Highway bars required a little help shifting the radiator into place. Only critique was the gas tank low capacity
How many miles do you get out of a tank on highway miles? If I cruise 55-60 I get 48-50 mpg If I cruise 65-70 I get 44-48 mpg This all including some rips from stop signs and giving some beautiful development pops on slow down, I get roughly 150 before my gas light comes on. Then I have half a gallon to get me to gas station but I don’t like to sip on it lol
I bought my 2002 VTX 1800R band new and still have it. Some years I don’t get to ride it as much as I’d like but it never lets me down and I love the torque. It only has just under 15,000 miles and is mostly stock. The power level is very addictive.
The bike is extremely addictive haha in so many ways, never get rid of it, everyone I’ve met alwayssss regrets it and goes back to it but can’t cause it wasn’t the one they used to have that was special, especially if you’ve kept it since new which is awesome!! Keep it forever and pass it on to your family :)
Absolutely, for it to be comfortable though you’ll wanna get a couple things though. 1.) 38-40 tooth stainless steel sprocket for lower rpm’s at highway speed. (Bring earplugs anyways) 2.) BACKREST! 3.) an emergency gas can I’m gonna get a backrest for her just don’t ride it long distances anymore now that I have the VTX I only ride it 30-45 minutes at a time now. I took this bike from chestertown Maryland all the way to the tail of the dragon in Tennessee/North Carolina and it was a 10 hour ride which is equal to what your ride would be about 630 miles. It did phenomenal at it, I used my luggage as a backrest but again, get an actual backrest and don’t go cheap, it can get uncomfy after a few hours Make sure you have an emergency gas can because you will likely forget to fill up as these bikes only get 80 miles till reserve then you need to fill up. All of the gas stops is why turned a 10 hour ride into a 14.5 hour ride because I had to keep stopping for gas. If you do it, don’t go fast, cruise at 60-65 and get better gas mileage because stopping for gas takes up WAYYYY more time than it does to just get more miles on the road. It’s been proven and I’m speaking from experience now. Get better gas mileage going slower to go farther and fill up less times because it makes alllll the difference. It is 100% doable and I would 100% do it again TODAY on this bike, just make sure you have back support, ear plugs, sprocket for lower rpm’s, and gas tank all at the very least including everything else you’ll wanna bring. And bring chain lube too so you don’t stretch the crap out of that chain, it’s gonna be really hot when you finally make it there. And if you’re really worried about making it there. Just break it up into two days, you can easily do 300 miles a day without being in ANY pain on these bikes even if it’s stock. They are great bulletproof bikes. If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to ask because you’ll never bug me, I love it, and goodluck to you on your rides!!
I personally want the whole bike brand new, granted I wouldn’t want all the emissions stuff they would need now but yeah, even the engine back would be awesome!!!
It’s not needed, I just upgraded because I needed a new clutch anyways. I would say if you are worried about the worn stock springs then go with a 40tooth instead of the 38 tooth I have. You will still have a hugeeee difference and is so worth it
@RidinAndVibin I will look into that. I have a 2005 vt600c, bobber. I removed the air box. Stock pipes with no baffles. Carb tuned with 142 main jet and a 48 pilot jet. Might need to go up 1 size on each. But she screams! I will upload a video tomorrow. Hope you watch it ✌️
@p.r.6220 heck yeah I’ll watch it! I’ll comment so you know I did 😁 happy to support a fellow supporter/rider! Also here is a tip, go about 500 miles then check your spark plugs, if it’s lean or rich looking you will know how to jet it up or down and dial it in perfect :)
Liked my '05 VTX 1800 NEO but it had a noisy drive train even with perfectly adjusted valves. Traded it in on a Harley Ultra and had the motor blueprinted and it would smoke any VTX and is much more comfortable.
Where are you located? Maybe we could run it?😂😂 The VTX is noisy but they last a lifetime no matter what, I plan to pass this bike down to my kids someday, sad to hear you traded your X but glad you’re still riding
Thank you for the support brother! It depends on if you have a windscreen/windsheild on or not. 60 without a windshield with full face helmet is very faint but still able to hear it and with brain bucket, you can hear it pretty good, with a windscreen/windsheild on at 60-80 you can hear it great! Good purchase and I might swap it to my shadow 600 and put a batwing with speakers on the VTX in the future when money isn’t tight haha, we will see
@@RidinAndVibin thanks for the info brother I have a Heritage Softail and it’s got the windscreen that you can take off or Levon so that’s good information😎
@Heritagejim5339 I’m very happy with it, around town is a lot of fun bumping it really loud haha, but it is still great on the highway, just make sure to position it where your head normally is because it is directional sound amp so the more proper the position is the louder to you it will be
Damn, i live just south of salisbury. I picked up an 03 vtx 1800s a few months ago and been doing a bunch of maintenence work and mods on it. I wouldve been down for a short shakedown run.
He's right about the rear sprocket. I bought a 40 tooth and I get 85-90. Get the 38 tooth.....There's no reason to have a 4 speed transmission in this.
It depends on the riding you do, if you don’t plan on doing 60-70+ mph then you’ll be fine with stock or 42 tooth, but if you plan on doing 55-60-70+ then you should get MINIMUM a 40 tooth if not 38 I have a 38 tooth and it’s the best decision over ever made, no longer killing my ears on my straight pipe haha but I do have to drop a gear to pass now though from 55
Hello. I have a 2002 VTX1800R. I do love the bike. It is mostly stock. I am looking to do some upgrades in the future. Keep the VTX videos coming!!!! Be safe!!!
Heck yeah man! Great bike to ride! I thought it wasn’t going to change either, but then I got my VTX and now I ride that longer distances. I still kept the shadow though so it still hasn’t changed but I won’t take it farther than an hour away now though, I can still ride it longer than that but any longer than that then I might as well take the bigger bike. I don’t know if I’ll ever part with my 600, it’s just too much fun!
That doesn’t sound good. When did you do your last valve check and what oil are you using? It has a little ticking which is normal but shouldn’t be knocking and taping and racket sounds
@quadkrazykeith you might be close to me with that one haha I know that bike pretty well and they do eat rubber on pavement. But, it also comes down to the riders ability. We have to line them up and see who and who’s bike together is fastest. Interested?
@dryforkgarage1432 heck yeah! All I ask in return is when you get all your stuff, you shoot me a comment on one of my videos asking me to subscribe to you, I would like to support you too! And, depending on where you are located, I can also maybe meet with you and shoot a video together!
I just picked up my first bike today, 1996 Honda VLX600 in great condition .. so far I love it, I can’t wait to upgrade and make it mine fr. Definitely a great 40-60mph cruiser bike
It’s a great bike! Will last you forever!!!! So many upgrades to choose from too, definitely get some pipes and that 38-40tooth sprocket if you don’t have them already, it’s a must! If you do a mix of city and highway get a 40 tooth, if you do mainly highway go with the 38 tooth, will lower the RPMs by sooooo much, I also reccomend getting a backrest for YOU, I haven’t done it yet but it’s on the list, just have a lot I wanna do the the VTX first lol
Can’t beat them! I’m glad I kept mine because my 600 and 1800 both have their needs and it will be a hard choice to make to part with either of them ever lol
We go ocean city Maryland every year for vacation. I come there to Chincoteague all the time I rent scooter there ride around on scooter it so fun see the horses there. You guys should have road thing park and see the horses.
I had to be home for my birthday dinner, we were talking about going there and to Virginia Beach but the morning get together took longer than expected and I didn’t have time :( but next time though!! It’s always fun riding around on two wheels scootin and ridin around haha can’t beat the feeling!
Heck yeah!!! Join the Honda shadow customs group on Facebook, they can help you out if you have questions and everyone would love to see your progress!
I got you They are two completely different bikes for starter, duh but will still say it haha The Vtx family (1300 and 1800) is an amazing bike and can make sure a great bike and add some great mods if you have the right links and look deep enough. I’ve never ridden an FJR but I’ve seen sooooo many in my time with tons of miles and ride like a dream. They are touring bikes really and they can be pricey with all of the stuff you’re gonna wanna add to it but that’s the problem with this hobby of motorcycles, nothing is cheap so just remember that. I’ve seen VTX 1300s and 1800s with over 100-150k miles on them and still start on a dime with them maintained in the right intervals for fluids. I’ve seen FJRs with over 100k miles on them and still ride like a brand new bike. You can’t go wrong with either really they are both really reliable bikes but you HAVE to maintain them properly, we can’t keep doing 5-10k oil changes and expect it to last as long as a 3k mile interval oil change bike, they have to be maintained properly with allllll fluids not just oil. Stop listening to people say “oh you got another 2k out of that” or “it’s not due you can wait another year” JUST DO IT! Lol Now remember the FJR is a sport touring bike so the stance is different and knees are closer to your chest, if you like that then that’s your ride, by buddy who rides sport bikes says he can ride for hours on his sport bike and be fine, he rode a cruiser for 1 hour and was in a lot of pain so he is sticking with sport bikes, it really depends on you. But trust me when I say this, THEY ARE BOTH GREATTTT bikes and you can’t go wrong with either, my advice would be to go test ride both, or at least sit on them and get a feel for it, and see what you think from there. My thing is, it would be a lot harder for me to ride a cruiser without my backrest that my VTX has on it now that you can see in my must have for VTX video, was needed because I ride a lot but I could easily go 2 hours and be fine but after that my back would start to hurt. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate and I would be happy to answer them, I got you!
Thanks much for the detailed response! I’ve actually had my 1800R for 2 years now and I’m thinking about adding something faster to my stable but I don’t want to go full on sport bike. I got the ultimate big boy seat which is the best seat on the market with a butt buffer gel pad on top. I rode with that for 4 hours and never needed a backrest. Also I’d highly recommend switching to a 1300 final drive. It lowers the rpm’s especially on the highway and makes the gears last longer. I also have the all balls steering stem bearing but haven’t had it installed yet because it’s 3 hours of labor at the shop. Does it really make that much of a difference in handling over the stock one?
Noted! I’ll probably make that a project far down the road when I get my house but will add it to the list for sure! I didn’t know the 1300 final drive gear fit in the 1800. You did mean the gear right? Not the shaft? And the FJR is a sweet ride and if you wanna add another to your line then that is a great option and soooooo much more comfortable that a sport or super sport, sport touring bikes are so much better! In my opinion of course. The steering stem bearing from all balls when lubricated generously (don’t listen to those who say “only add a small amount for the steering stem bearing, too much is not necessary” bull crap, lube the crap out of it but not enough to make it a huge mess, and it is a noticeable difference. It’s a lot smoother and easier to move when you are standing still. I hope that helps!
Both the final drive and driveshafts are interchangeable with the 1300 but you only have to swap out the final drive to get benefits. First gear becomes more useful because you can push past 5 mph without feeling the need to shift up and I don’t even think about shifting into 5th until I hit at least 80
@@RidinAndVibin Fuck that guy, I think ya did a fine job. I got an 04 1300 recently with less than 20k miles, one owner. Took on a foot of water in our recent Texas floods. Guy said 500 bucks....Couldn't get the money outta my pocket quick enough. Put a few hundred in it changing fluids and giving it a proper "once over" as they say, and the damn thing runs perfect. Has TONS of upgrades. Ultimate seat, Vance n Hines exhaust, crash bars, highway pegs, windshield, bags, the WORKS. No damn WAY I could say no to 500 bucks.
Thank you for your support! I’m sorry I didn’t see this sooner as it was hidden for some reason :( and holy cow that is awesome!!!! I’ll give you 500$ for it 😂😂😂 great find, never let that thing go because these are known to last over 150k no problem if we’ll maintained, ride safe brother!
Tell RU-vid that 😂 they wouldn’t let me make it a short unless it was landscape, nothing I could do lol or they would have made it a whole 15 seconds RU-vid video lol
progressive suspension 11-1520 12.5 progressive rate fork spring black, that is what it is called on Amazon, great suspension and for the fluid, I run a mix of two different weights equaling to 12.5 at a guess. Definitley let a experienced mechanic do it and made sure they have Hondas special tool to do it, it’s doable but different than standard suspensions. Goodluck!!
Whatttt? They had to come to a complete stop to let me go, there was NO time whatsoever, also know that the camera is on a wide angle, everything is much closer than it appears lol
My uncle did that to me our first ride out, I'm still new to riding and on a permit. Don't think I'm ever gonna get my license. I'm not paying almost $500 for classes either.
You should get your license! It’s the best feeling in the world trust me! Get that license and I’d put money on it that you won’t regret it! 500$ is a small price for complete happiness
@RidinAndVibin no it's not, not when you don't have that kind of money because life literally fucks you over. I had to drop over $6000 on a new transmission for my rogue, warranty wouldn't cover it. Then I get my car back, a dump truck pulls out in front of me a rock hits my window and cracks it. Now won't pass inside, now I have to drop another $760 on that. Sad part is I'm still paying on the pos. Plus all the other bills I have to pay.
First I will say that I am sorry that you are going through this, and I will say that Nissans are known for transmission issues, it has been their issue for the longest time. If I could give you any of advice, I would say to sell that, use the money that you get for it to pay off the loan, then buy a Toyota or a Honda, particularly a Corolla or a civic, they are dirt cheap and will last for hundreds of thousands of miles if you do the maintenance properly. I don’t know where your faith lies, but I understand that the Lord does everything for a reason, and the struggles that he is putting you through is not only a test, but it is to make you stronger, keep pushing through, and I promise you will see better days in your future. Pray to our heavenly father, seek him out, and you will see better days for the rest of your days.
Then you know that the head of the riders looks out for those behind them, it’s not that deep it was a good laugh but if you ever ride in a real group or anything and you pull out knowing there isn’t enough time for the one behind, it’s a big no no. Again it’s not that deep I’m just saying and we still are laughing about it 😂
It was the best and worst time lol, it poured the whole time there and back, but when I was at the tail, it was just regular rain and drizzle mix, and it was absolutely beautiful coming through the smoky mountains during the rain and going through and around the tail during it too and if I could go back and do it again just like that, I would, I would just be more prepared next time😂😂😂
I'm fixing up an 88 right now, its my first bike that's not an enduro and its got 24k and all the key components are good. Needs some cosmetic stuff and new wires but other than that she sounds great. Definitely looking at getting a after market sprocket and chain to get that extra speed
Yes!! Sprocket and a good chain are a must! Just make sure the sprocket is STEEL! If you get aluminum you will regret it, they are not crazy powerful bikes but still a chance to break teeth so make sure you get an steel rear sprocket when you swap. 24k is nothing on these bikes when you maintain them properly and take care of them they will last forever, just like every Honda! If you have any questions let me know!
Great ride! Other mirror fell off while I raced someone😂 vibrations were just too much for it on the highway Just saved another turtle on the road today haha at work though
I have the neo 06, I love it, I trying to put my speakers, ground lights, and bigger saddlebags, but can't find help, so everything is just sitting in my car
