Honda Shadow 750

[makenzie71]

yeah it actually fits that 28mm axle just a LITTLE less snuggly than the external spacers! I was really surprised. It fits the dust seal perfect, too. I would have held out for an eBay spacer but the socket fit really nice and I have a bunch of them haha

 

[porcelanowy]

Hello
I am not a fan of this expression, but: looks dope
Definitely the bike has potential.
Looking forward what will happen

 

[makenzie71]

Why can't I get stuff done in a timely manner? Because of distractions. Today will be the last day I get to play in the shop for probably two weeks and I wanted to finish up the electronics tray and at least start on some wiring...but eight degrees outside and only a little warmer in the shop. I've always heated my shop with a waste oil burner and sometimes it works awesome but usually it makes a lot of smoke and not a lot of heat...so I spent most of my motorcycle time converting it to a wood stove :/...less time for motorcycles, but my shop was toasty.

Electronics tray is set up....I wanted to have had the harness unraveled and some of it tidied up but oh well.

Without much time to actually do any real work I decided to take stuff off I don't need. There's SO many hoses and unused brackets now...all emissions stuff.

One of the things that's baffled me about this engine since starting this project is that it's a 750 but it looks HUGE. It dawned on me while stripping off emmisisons hoses and brackets that this water cooled bike has air cooling fins on it...why? For looks. I'm not sure if I'll leave them off, though...the fins on the bottom are cast into the jug so they're there permanently and it looks a little goofy with half the fins. I'll decide later. The top end looks considerably cleaner, though, without the 500 tubes running around.

 

[JerryAssburger]

Isn't that nuts the way they went to those great lengths in the name of style?

 

[makenzie71]

Hey my new battery came in!

 

[Brodie]

Fancy.

Assuming you are going to run them as a 4s1p setup, will 3.8ah be enough?

 

[makenzie71]

3.8ah will be plenty...my concern is cranking amperage. I'm told these four batteries managed to crank up an LS build but I am a little "skeptical". It will be easy enough, however, to double, triple, or even more if it's not enough. I'm printing a battery box for them right now and I'll try cranking the bike tomorrow and see how it does.

 

[Brodie]

It will be interesting to see how you go.
Looking forward to the update.

 

[makenzie71]

Hey my new exhaust arrived today!

 

[makenzie71]

So this is my idea with the exhaust at present:

I'm looking at getting some short reverse cone mufflers...I think...I may use these tatty old things in the picture if I can get them to look right and shove some kind of muffler guts into them (these were off an CX500 and someone long ago "modified" them). It's not exactly the look I had in mind but I don't dislike it, it lets me get a good length on the pipes, and it gives me an easy place to do a crossover at 18" if I decide not to keep it divorced.

I also got a bracket welded up to let me use shorter cables for the throttle. I'm using VFR750 cables and switchgear. Needs some tweaking, though, or my old cable here is buggered, because it hangs up in the sleeve. New cables are on order to see if I can get it better.

Also got a plate cut for mounting a light. I'm going to run the Shadow's factory 5.75" housing...I think it fits nicely. There's only one bolt hole under the Triumph triple, though, but a bore on the other side I can use. I'm going to have to make a spacer to let me line everything up and hold it steady, then round everything out and paint and seal. I like this one, it's going to be one of the easiest headlight setups I've done. I thought my CX500 setup was easy but it was still like six different pieces all welded together, this is just going to be a plate with a little spacer. LED light should make it plenty useable and light on the electrical system.

 

[makenzie71]

This was my other routing option keeping the mufflers in the same general place (which I like)

I like the simplicity of that one, but the longer primaries with crossing them will be better for this engine I think. Not 100% decided yet.

 

[makenzie71]

Got the headlight bracket done. It's not pretty, but it's solid.

Also roughed out the exhaust. I was leaning toward this option to begin with...thought about crossing over because I thought the longer pipes might perform a little better and look a little better, but now that I've seen this setup with my own eyes I'm running with it. I like it. I don't know about those mufflers...they're just gutted cones and they're kind of rough...I might try to make them work, but I'm probably just going to run with pipes like what's on my CX500.

 

[JerryAssburger]

Looking SWEET! I freaking LOVE this build! MAJOR-Innovative! Would a two-into-one exhaust booger things up? From what I understand they're more for the lower RPM range. And I know the primaries are short on this suggestion.....

 

[makenzie71]

Got the hand switches adapted over on the Shadow 750. Again, using Honda VFR750 hand switches for this project....because I had them . I was able to repin the right hand control to match the Shadow harness but I had to splice a new connector onto the left side switch.

Hooked up power and all electrical tests check out...except the horn. Not sure why but the horn doesn't work. Thumped straight up with a little ether. Getting very close to the point of tearing it all right back down for paint and finalizing welds haha

 

[pidjones]

Horns are often a victim of rust. Sometime a turn on the tone control will get them barking.

 

[Brodie]

Yep horns always seem to give up. Give the horn a few gentle taps all around the outside with the handle of a screwdriver. Always works for me.

 

[makenzie71]

Nah the horn worked before the tear down. Looking at the wiring diagrams I think the VFR horn is hot on the control side, but the Shadow horn is hot on the frame side. I'll go out with a meter this afternoon and check...it was too cold in my shop to mess with it much last night.

 

[makenzie71]

I've been trying to figure out a way to sort out the shifter with the rearsets...it's set too deep into the frame and way too close to the sprocket and inside the chain...getting a link in there from the back and above is not fun. I finally gave up. This is the shifter. It'll be GP style shifting but it'll work. I'll get a pad on the end but definitely leaving the rest rough lol

 

[JerryAssburger]

I've been trying to figure out a way to sort out the shifter with the rearsets...it's set too deep into the frame and way too close to the sprocket and inside the chain...getting a link in there from the back and above is not fun. I finally gave up. This is the shifter. It'll be GP style shifting but it'll work. I'll get a pad on the end but definitely leaving the rest rough lol

This is turning out SLICK! You definitely have the "Do The Ton" calling! Can't wait to see where this goes.

 

[makenzie71]

So I got mounts sorted out for the coils. This is REALLY something I don't like and didn't want but I can't reliably say my "alternate" plans will work...spring is approaching quickly and I want this thing rideable by then so I need known solutions now. I'll be able to work on upgrades/updates later. I had to take a hammer to the valley of the tank a little to get them to fit, and I have no idea how I'm going to fit air filters with them there, but it's the only place that isn't out in the ether and the air filter might be easier to sort out.

Also got the mount for the fuel pump in place!

And will be picking up shim stock tomorrow to adapt a set of gold dot monoblocks! Or silver dots...I have both....but I think I like the gold dots better.