The sole Honda Shadow offering in 2017 is a good one—the Phantom. A compact chassis with a raked out front end and fat front tire, the Shadow Phantom is a easy-to-ride cruiser.Handling is excellent in-town, where the 549-pound curb weight is appreciated, and it acquits itself nicely on weekend jaunts in the canyons.2017 Honda Shadow Phantom
The liquid-cooled 745cc V-twin is bulletproof, and puts out plenty of usable power. The blacked out look is aligned with current standards, but the Phantom has always been a dark horse.Brakes and suspension are base-level, but never disappoint, and you’ll rarely find a more comfortable ride, unless you’re a large rider. Old schoolers will love the drum rear brake, but not the shaft drive.Read our Honda Shadow Phantom Review.Visit our Motorcycle Buyer’s Guide.
2017 Honda Shadow Phantom Specs
ENGINE
Type: 52-degree V-twin
Displacement: 745cc
Bore x stroke: 79.0 x 76.0mm
Compression ratio: 9.6:1
Valve train: SOHC; 3vpc
Induction: PGM-FI w/ automatic enrichment; 34mm throttle body
Ignition: Digital w/ 3-D mapping; two spark plugs per cylinder
Transmission: 5-speed
Cooling: Liquid
Final drive: Shaft
CHASSIS
Front suspension: Non-adjustable 41mm fork; 4.6 inches of travel
Rear suspension: Spring-preload adjustable shocks; 3.5 inches of travel
Our first segment introduces you to the new Arch 1s. This latest, slightly more sporting American V-twin, adds to the original KRGT1 coming from the boutique manufacturer based in Hawthorne, Southern California. Senior Editor Nic de Sena rode through Malibu with Gard Hollinger, who co-founded Arch Motorcycle with his friend, Keanu Reeves. The 1s is a unique ride for sure, and Nic explains what makes the bike really stand out.
For the entertaining story behind Arch Motorcycle from Gard Hollinger himself, you must listen to his podcast episode on Motos & Friends HERE
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The guest segment of Motos and Friends is brought to you by the faster and most technologically advanced, 2023 Suzuki Hayabusa—visit your local dealer or suzukicycles.com to learn more.
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In our second segment, Associate Editor Teejay Adams chats with multiple Emmy award-winning writer, Producer, Director, and actor, Thom Beers. the former Chairman & CEO of Fremantle Media North America, responsible for American Idol and America’s Got Talent.
Thom’s fertile imagination led to most of the really big reality TV shows such as ‘Deadliest Catch’ (now in its 17th season!), and many others. Of course for us in the motorcycle world, you’ll be interested to hear the genesis and story of how he started the first real fabrication reality show ‘Monster Garage’, that showcased Jesse James, and then how that led to ‘Biker Build Off’ and the ‘Zombie Choppers’ movie.
You’d imagine that most of Thom’s time is spent sitting behind a desk and on his phone. Not so. His intense stories of capturing much of the content for these shows make for some hair-raising listening.
