HONDA VT750DC Shadow Spirit (2005-2006) Specs, Performance & Photos

The Shadow family series began its life in 1983 when Honda released into the world a series of cruiser-style motorcycles that packed a V-twin liquid-cooled engine of different displacements from 124 to 1100cc.

The Shadow line of motorcycles was meant to address the needs of the American cruiser market with the VT500C and VT750C machines. Due to tariff restrictions at the time for imported Japanese bikes over 700cc, the VT750C was reduced from 750 to 700cc and sold as the VT700C.

In 2006, the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer launched the Honda VT750DC Shadow Spirit, a cruiser motorcycle that debuted in 2001 with a slightly modified version of the VT750C.

The 2006 Honda VT750DC Shadow was known among American models as the Spirit, and in the European market, was known as the Black Widow with lower gearing and street-rod or chopper-style bodywork.

For suspension, the bike featured a 41 mm telescopic fork on the front with 130 mm of wheel travel and five-position spring preload-adjustable dual shock absorbers on the rear with 80 mm of wheel travel for optimum suspension performance and handling.

In the braking department, the bike packed a single 296 mm disc with a dual-piston caliper on the front wheel and a drum braking unit on the rear wheel that offered optimum stopping power.

As for the power figures, the 2006 Honda VT750DC Shadow Spirit had its muscles from a 745cc four-stroke V-twin liquid-cooled engine that delivered an output power of 43 hp at 5,500 rpm and 61 Nm (44 lb-ft) of torque at 3,000 rpm.