2004 Honda Shadow Aero 750

kauskustoms
Aug 11, 2014
3 min read

I ride a motorcycle as my main transportation, so to that end, I have different needs for my bikes than the casual weekend warrior.

I needed something that was under 1000cc, shaft or belt driven, watercooled, simple, easy to maintain, and had a solid history of reliability. I also needed something that would not only allow me to mount fairings and saddlebags, but look halfway decent, that part is subjective though.

while looking at a few bikes I settled on a 04-09 Honda Shadow becuase it had all the features I needed in a vehicle, and it looked like I would be able to mount harley fairings on it fairly easily without it looking as dorky as a Vetter Goldwing.

I picked up this guy as a totally stock Shadow Aero on craigslist. it was a theft recovery and was heavily vandalized. the tank had crowbar dents, the speedo glass was smashed in, the tail light and headlight were wrecked.

First thing I did was get it running solid, tune up, fluid change, tires, brakes, etc.

next I built a true dual exhaust system, the stock 2-1 muffler was heavy and mounted too high to mount saddlebags. I used Screamin' Eagle harley mufflers and various bits of tubing to create this exhaust system. the easiest way to get the rear cylinder to exit on the left side was to cross under the swingarm.

After that was built, I fabbed up a rear mount to hold the saddlebags and trunk. I chopped up a GL1100 saddlebag mount and added onto it to fit the shadow frame. This piece completely unbolts from the stock frame and I did not have to modify the bike to make it fit. The saddlebags are a Harley-Davidson clone and the trunk is a genuine harley trunk I got cheap on craigslist. I wired the trunk lights into the honda electrical system.

The front fairing is a Memphis Shades batwing, These are kits that fit onto various metric cruisers, it works very well.

The lower fairings are Mutazu brand harley clone pieces mounted onto a real harley crash bar. the crash bar had to be modified slightly to bolt onto the honda frame but otherwise fits perfect. clearance is just right.

I wired in an automotive Avital Alarm system with some hidden horns and sirens that are extremely difficult to disable. Also each saddlebag has a hidden micro-switch that is armed with the security system, and if the are opened for any reason while the bike is armed, the whole system goes off.

The headlight is a Canadian aftermarket piece that houses a generic H4 bulb, I found out how dim it really is on a 2am ride through the mountain roads. I've since added the twin spotlights and LED flood lights up on top of the fairing.

Also in the list of electrical modifications is the ability to shut off all running and brake lights, useful for "disapearing" around a corner at night if someones following. Not that I've been in that situation...

It's not everyones favorite bike, but that was never my intention.

My goal was to have a moderately quick bike that was efficient enough to get over 60mpg on road trips, haul all my gear, go anywhere with as little fuss as possible, and be stealthy and anti-fuzz. It looks like any generic Ultra Classic, and we all know touring bikes never get pulled over when there are so many sportbikes and unsafe customs to deal with.

It may look a bit pedestrian but that's all part of the plan. This bike was purpose built to be very good at specific tasks, and it handles those tasks amazingly well.

UPDATE November 28, 2014:

I've started to take this back back in for a complete overhaul. It's still my daily driver, so progress is slow but steady.

Going for a custom bagger look now. Trunk is removed, bike is lowered and modded more so now. I am building a custom inner fairing to house a radio/6.5inch speakers and gauges, re-painting the entire bike in a metal-flake blue (I love blue dang-it!) Will have custom ground lights that react to music, Already have that installed. Also HID headlights, more performance goodies, custom upholstery, etc.

Heres a sneak peak.