1983 Honda reviews

Just bought my 4th one, will be my last one, beautiful bike, 5 star on every thing this bike offers, lots of people don't understand the bike, the high range isn't just for highway riding, I do lots off riding in the white mountains of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, the high range can be use in several gears, all depends on the traffic and road conditions etc. Great bike. Show less

This has been my baby since I bought it new. Great ride and has had TLC!!! Rides smooth and comfortable down the road. Love the bike just can’t ride any more due to age. This will make a great ride for someone who enjoys the open road. Needs a good home. Show less

Very smooth ride - Great starter bike. Lots of power and easy to control. Comfortable seat. But needs higher RPM to keep battery charged. Show less

I bought this bike for $3,200 brand new. We've been from Canada to Key West and from New York to Pikes Peak. A professional mechanic when I bought it, I wanted a bike that if I just kept the fluids changed, did the occasional spark plug replacement, put in a new battery every few years and kept up the tires and brakes that I could ride for this many years and never have to do anything else. Well it's 2016... and I've also had to replace a couple of rear turn signals and a flasher and besides the above, nothing else. What a Bike. I never dreamed when I bought it that it would perform and last so long. With around 50K on it right now, I'd trust it on a coast to coast ride in a heartbeat. It's no wonder this bike still has such a large following. And I see that used, this bike is still being sold around $2,500. Hard to believe that if I sold it today... that 30 years of dependable transportation on a 2 wheeled vehicle that handles and ride as well as it does would have only cost $500. Show less

I turned my XR into a dual sport bike when I was 16. It was used as my main source of transportation for 4 years! Only rebuilt the motor once. Then when the head gasket was spewing oil and it seemed doomed, the bike kept going for another 6 months until I sold it. THESE BIKES ARE UNSTOPPABLE! I rode it day in and day out, on road and off road and only replaced tires, chains, sprockets, and oil. Plus it will do 150 miles on a tank which makes for a really fun adventure. Show less

Bought this little bike with a bad cdi box CHEAP. Bike was running but only on one cylinder, bought a used cdi on eBay and she is back in business. Put 1500 miles on it and am really pleased with it's performance. As all the other reviews have said, the bike is a little uncomfortable on a long ride but an excellent commuter (which is why I bought it). The bike is light enough (438 LB dry weight) and can be stopped in a very short distance and seems to have a good center of gravity as it is smooth through the turns. I recommend it to both the beginner and skilled rider. Great starter bike! Show less

I purchased a 1985 Shadow VT500C from a gentleman in Missouri whose wife owned and rode it. It was a little cold blooded when I first got it but changing the plugs from Champions to NGKs made a big difference. The bike now starts up much easier when cold and warms up faster. The rake of the bars and seat position make the bike somewhat uncomfortable for anyone over 5'9". The bars also make the bike a little hard to handle in tight spots. I find I have to allow more room to turn this bike than I did for my old Kawasaki KZ650. Although it gets up to 60-65 mph fairly quickly it runs out of steam after that. I like my Shadow a lot but I think I'm going to look for something a tad bigger and more powerful. Show less

I traded an old truck for this bike last spring. It had not been ridden much at all for many years, showing only 1800 miles on the odometer. It needed a new solinoid and a battery and she was ready to roll. I took a class, got my endorsement and have put just over 2000 miles on it this summer. I mainly use it for cruising to work and back, but have also gone on several Sunday afternoon rides and a couple of longer overnight trips. This bike is way too small for my big 6'4" frame and I get uncomfortable pretty quick. The motor is solid mounted in the frame and thus, vibration becomes an issue after 30 minutes of riding. The bike is fairly light and tends to be somewhat at the mercy of the wind and is not real stable at highway speeds. The 500cc twin has adequate low end power, but runs out of steam at higher rpm's. Handling is light and quick and despite the raked out fork, it's easy to get twichy going into corners. Enough complaining! I love to ride and this bike is the reason. Therefore it will always have a soft spot in my heart. I will be moving up to a bigger bike next spring, but until then, I will ride my old Shadow every chance I get! This is a fun and easy bike to ride, and I highly recommend it (if you can find one in decent shape) for a new rider - especially someone who is a bit smaller than myself. Show less

Well i'd love to be able to put a pic of my bike in here and I might do that soon. I have an 83 cb1100f blue and white . I've been working on it on and off for three years , so far it has a 6 inch stretch , pm wheels , polished motor, smaller turn signals, led tail light. this winter I'm rebuilding the motor. The head is polished and ported, went with 2 mm over pistons , bigger cams and new valves and springs . She should be a runner. Check back and I might have a pic soon and thats why I give my bike a five star. Show less

I bought a 1983 Honda CB1000C when it was first offered. My wife and I toured on it with a tank bag. It is strong and relatively quiet and I like the traditional styling. I traded it for the V-four Magna and other bikes after that. I didn't ride for many years. About three years ago I started to miss riding and after searching found a cherry 1000 exactly like the one I had only this one had 12,000 miles on it. Show less