Honda VT1100C2 Shadow Ace American Classic Edition

Honda VT1100C2 Shadow Ace American Classic Edition
Manufacturer	Honda
Production	1992 - 94
Class	Cruiser
Engine	Four stroke, 45°V-Twin, OHC, 3 valves per cylinder.
Compression ratio	8.5:1
Top Speed	172 km/h / 107 mph
Ignition	CDI
Battery	12V, 16Ah
Transmission	5 Speed
Suspension	Front: 41mm Telescopic forks, Showa150mm wheel travel Rear: Dual shocks, spring preload adjustable, Showa
Brakes	Front: Single 316 mm disc 2 piston caliper Rear: Single 276 mm disc 1 piston caliper
Front Tire	110/90-19, Dunlop F24
Rear Tire	170/80-15, Dunlop K555
Wheelbase	1661 mm / 65.4 in.
Seat Height	699 mm / 27.5 in.
Weight	257 kg / 568 lbs (dry), 267 kg / 589 lbs (wet)
Oil Capacity	3.8 L / 4 US quarts
Recommended Oil	Honda GN4 10W-40
Fuel Capacity	13.2 L / 3.5 US gal
Manuals	Service Manual

It could reach a top speed of 172 km/h / 107 mph.

Engine

The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, 45°V-Twin, OHC, 3 valves per cylinder.. The engine featured a 8.5:1 compression ratio.

Chassis

It came with a 110/90-19, Dunlop F24 front tire and a 170/80-15, Dunlop K555 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single 316 mm disc 2 piston caliper in the front and a Single 276 mm disc 1 piston caliper in the rear. The front suspension was a 41mm Telescopic forks, Showa150mm wheel travel while the rear was equipped with a Dual shocks, spring preload adjustable, Showa. The VT1100C2 Shadow Ace American Classic Edition was fitted with a 13.2 L / 3.5 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 257 kg / 568 lbs. The wheelbase was 1661 mm / 65.4 in. long.

Photos

Overview

Honda VT 1100C2 Shadow American Classic Edition

Honda: Made In USA. These words, printed on the passenger seat of Honda's Shadow 1100 American Classic Edition (ACE), tell the whole story behind Honda's newest entry into the Harley-Davidson controlled cruiser bike market: It's made in America, it looks American, it sounds American, heck, it even feels American. Feel free to substitute "Harley-Davidson" for "American" anywhere above -- the ACE, as you can see, is the boldest Harley ripoff ever produced. A little back ground here: Harley-Davidson is in the enviable position of selling more bikes than they can make, thus, at the dealer level, customers have to wait for a year or more for their preferred bike. Making a bad situation worse, dealers typically "price gouge," consumers, often charging thousands of dollars over suggested retail. Honda is hoping to cash in on this in two ways. First, they're hoping that a few of the more impatient, and cost-conscious customers, will turn to Honda showrooms for their slow-ride fix. Second, in an attempt to lure Harley-haters into the booming cruiser market, Honda has attempted to make the coolest cruiser that doesn't bear the H-D name. It seems to be working, as Honda also is having a hard time filling orders for this American-made cruiser. That's right, American made. From the steel for the frame and gas tank, to the fasteners used to hold the bike together. Right down to the paint. In all, there are more than a hundred suppliers from all over the United States that supply the ingredients delivered to the Honda of American Manufacturing (affectionately known as 'HAM') plant in Marysville, Ohio, to make the new Shadow. But the styling and sound come straight out of Milwaukee. To get that cruiser 'look,' Honda outfitted the ACE with dual staggered shotgun pipes, chromed of course, a big wide gas tank, wide pull-back handlebars, spoked wheels with valanced fenders, chromed shock covers, a single chromed speedometer, a long chrome side stand, and generally follow the 'if it don't roll, chrome it' principle. "Blip the throttle and the bike literally jumps to life." But for Honda to take a piece of the Harley pie, they needed to build a bike that did more than just look like a Hog. It had to have that feel. To accomplish this they took the 45 degree liquid-cooled four-valve V-twin from the standard Shadow, and gave it a single, shared crankpin, emulating Harley's way of getting that uneven, rumbling exhaust note. And it worked. At an idle, the new Shadow sounds almost indistinguishable from a stock-pipe equipped Hog -- it even sounds better since Honda water-cooled the ACE, there is less gear noise offending the EPA's noise meter, so they got to make the exhaust note significantly louder than any stock Harley. (Since the EPA's restrictions are based on the bike's total noise emissions, a noisier motor requires a quieter exhaust system to be legal.) Watching the bike idle is a visceral experience: The motor, with its blacked-out fins (that hide the water cooling) and chromed valve covers literally shakes in its boots as the rubber motor mounts do their best to absorb the motion. The shaking finds its way to the handle bars, also rubber mounted, through the bar's long, triple clamp mounted risers, which have the look and feel of billet aluminum. Blip the throttle and the bike literally jumps to life. Throw a leg over the bike and settle into the wide, contoured seat, and you're sitting in -- not on -- the ACE. The forward-mounted foot controls aren't so far forward as to be awkWard or uncomfortable, even for some of our vertically-challenged testers, and the wide droopy bars come back to meet the rider's hands. The controls are typical Japanese high-quality units -- both the clutch and throttle operate with a light touch, and the turn signals are push-to-cancel. The mirrors are good for more than just checking your hair -- the widely spaced, rectangular units provide an excellent, mostly vibration-free view of what's coming up from behind. Despite all the H-D inspired pieces, there is no mistaking the fact that this is a Honda. Fit and finish is top quality though nobody, including Honda, can do chrome as well as Harley. Honda did a remarkable job of hiding the radiator between the front down-tubes; if you don't know it's there, you won't notice it. "We were impressed with how neutral feeling the big bike is - meaning the ACE can track around a corner without running wide as the throttle is fed in, or requiring constant steering input to stay on line." The pillion pad is removable to create a solo saddle, and the five-speed transmission is faultless. The shifter is a heel-and-toe type, though the rear half was a touch too high for easy reach. The most annoying part about the heel-activated shifter was accidentally knocking the transmission out of first gear while putting a foot down at a stop light. Another H-D styling touch that could have been left off was the removable gas cap. Where this bike is long on style, it's fairly short on performance. With all the rumbling going on, the motor gives the impression that it packs a powerful punch, but drag strip testing -- and seat of the pants feel -- tell the true story. We got our ACE to putt down the quarter mile in under 15 seconds, though only just, at 14.75 seconds, mustering up enough steam to reach a calm and cool 88.24 miles per hour. Soft clutch springs didn't help track times, but were appreciated on the street where, because of the bike's relatively anemic motor, shifting is the order of the day. Unlike the Harleys which have gobs of torque down low, and can tractor around in any gear all day long -- just don't expect more revs to equal more power -- Honda's mill has a broader power range and allows the motor to rev freely without shaking itself apart, yet lacks any great amount of power. The lack of a tachometer isn't a handicap because the motor stops pulling well before the rev-limiter kicks in. The front suspension does a good job of soaking up pavement irregularities, and won't bottom out under hard braking, aided in part by a front brake that doesn't seem to have the power to lock the front wheel on smooth pavement. A smooth application of both front and rear brakes stops the bike just fine, but we'd like to see a more powerful front brake. The rear suspension works well out on the boulevard just doesn't have the travel, spring rate, or damping necessary to make the ACE a comfortable long-distance freeway cruiser. Increasing rear spring preload -- the only suspension adjustment on the bike -- improves the ride substantially, though it exacerbates the under-damped feeling. "The front suspension does a good job of soaking up pavement irregularities." When the road turns twisty, put the Honda in cruise mode and enjoy the scenery. Try to go too fast and the so-so suspension and brakes will quickly become over-taxed. The bike has good cornering clearance for a cruiser, and the tires never felt over-worked, even while digging trenches with the footpeg feelers. An ultra-long wheelbase contributes to steering that feels rather heavy, but we were impressed with how neutral feeling the big bike is -- meaning the ACE can track around a corner without running wide as the throttle is fed in, or requiring constant steering input to stay on line. When we first saw the ACE, we thought it was going to be a poorly done copy of a Harley-Davidson, worthy of our collective contempt. But it turned out that the bike stands on its own merits: It is a good-looking, well-mannered bike that even manages to impress a few of the hard-core, pull-your-teeth-out-with-pliers Harley crowd.

Source Motorcycle.com

Make Model	Honda VT 1100C2 Shadow American Classic Edition
Year	1992 - 94
Engine Type	Four stroke, 45°V-Twin, OHC, 3 valves per cylinder.
Displacement	1099 cc / 67.1 cub in.
Bore X Stroke	87.5 x 91.4 mm
Compression	8.5:1
Cooling System	Liquid cooled
Oil Capacity	3.8 L / 4 US quarts
Induction	2 x 36 mm Keihin carbs.
Ignition	CDI
Starting	Electric
Battery	12V, 16Ah
Max Power	39 kW / 53 bhp @ 5500 rpm
Max Torque	91 Nm / 9.27 kgf-m / 67 lb-ft. @ 2700 rpm
Transmission	5 Speed
Final Drive	Shaft
Front Suspension	41mm Telescopic forks, Showa150mm wheel travel
Front Wheel Travel	150 mm / 5.9 in.
Rear Suspension	Dual shocks, spring preload adjustable, Showa
Rear Wheel Travel	100 mm / 3.9 in.
Front Brakes	Single 316 mm disc 2 piston caliper
Rear Brakes	Single 276 mm disc 1 piston caliper
Front Tire	110/90-19, Dunlop F24
Rear Tire	170/80-15, Dunlop K555
Rake	33°
Trail	155 mm / 6.1 in.
Wheelbase	1661 mm / 65.4 in.
Seat Height	699 mm / 27.5 in.
Ground Clearance	147 mm / 5.8 in.
Dry Weight	257 kg / 568 lbs
Wet Weight	267 kg / 589 lbs
Gvwr	426 kg / 940 lbs
Load Capacity (full Tank)	267 kg / 589 lbs
Fuel Capacity	13.2 L / 3.5 US gal
Consumption Average	5.2 L/100 km / 19.1 km/l / 45 US mpg
Braking 48 Km/h / 30 Mph - 0	8.8 m / 29 ft
Braking 97 Km/h / 60 Mph - 0	36.6 m / 120 ft
Standing ¼ Mile	13.7 sec / 151 km/h / 94 mph
Acc: 0 - 48 Km/h / 30 Mph	1.5 sec
Acc: 0 - 97 Km/h / 60 Mph	4.7 sec
Acc: 0 - 145 Km/h / 90 Mph	12.1 sec
Acc: 0 - 161 Km/h / 100 Mph	21.2 sec
Acc Top Gear: 64 - 97 Km/h / 40 - 60 Mph	4.8 sec
Acc Top Gear: 97 - 129 Km/h 60 - 80 Mph	6.7 sec
Top Speed	172 km/h / 107 mph