The other week I managed to win an E-bay auction for a genuine Honda Shadow engine guard. It’s pretty rare that you see these things go up for auction. Even rarer that you can buy them for under 100 bucks. It was my lucky day.
Below are a few photos of the installation of the engine guard. When I went to install mine, I had a few troubles figuring out just how to mount the whole contraption. Hopefully these photos will be of use to someone else in the future.
Left side engine guard.
Right side engine guard.
Note that the flat metal bit that goes inside the frame tube does not actually connect to anything on my 1984 Honda Shadow. It is simply left dangling out in the air. Perhaps on other makes or models of Honda, it actually bolts to something. On mine it dangles awkwardly. This doesn’t seem to affect the strength or rigidity of the bars at all.
Left side exhaust system partially disassembled. The exhaust system must be disassembled to attach the engine guards to the bike.
Cross-bar in front of radiator. The radiator shroud must be removed during installation.
Finished product on the bike!
Later that day I went out and bought two cheap highway pegs to mount on the bars. It is much, much more comfortable to ride my bike now. In the future I plan to upgrade to forward pegs to let my feet and legs stretch out a bit more. The one nice thing with the way they are mounted now is that I can heel shift and heel brake from cruising position.
Tags: 1984 Honda VT700C, crash bars, engine guards, highway bars, Motorcycle
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I wanted to do the same thing. Anything I should take in mind before I start?
Burke
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Watch E-Bay for a set. I got mine for under $100 including shipping and all of the bolts. Make sure it’s the right size for your bike, too. The 83-87ish VT700/750 guards are all pretty much interchangeable but beyond that there’s no guarantee.
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Did you have to change the gaskets/seals on the exhaust pipes? Any spillage from the radiator?
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I was able to reuse the seals that came with the bike. Actually it’s been a little while since I did the work and have since sold the bike (upgrading to something that isn’t quite so cramped for my tall stature) so I don’t quite remember if there was a gasket on the exhaust pipe or what it looked like. I can tell you however that I did not put a new one in. And in the miles that I put on the bike after installing the guards I never had any problems with soot (indicating an exhaust leak) on my pant legs.
As for the radiator, you don’t have to drain or disconnect anything on it. If you have the correct Honda engine guards, it should just fit right around the radiator and assorted hoses without problem. What year and CC of Shadow do you have?
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Hi.
I’m from Aguascalientes, Mexico and I have a Honda VT700 1985, the bike is in perfect conditions and I want to buy a Engine guards like yours, but unfortunately in Mexico is hard to get it. I wondering if I may have a good luck like you.
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Thanks for the detailed directions! After laying the bike down and spending $300 on parts (not to mention the time I spent cussing in the garage) I decided it would be well worth the investment of buying a crash bar for my 84. As you mentioned, those suckers are hard to find. Well, luck came my way last week (after keeping an eye out for months) and I got a pretty good deal on one. I really do appreciate the pictures as they really made the installation easy. Without them I may still be out in the garage scratching my head. Keep the shiny side up!
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Glad my photos helped! When I went to install my guards it took me the better part of an afternoon to figure everything out. After that experience I figured that people could use a tutorial. The bike and engine guards have since departed me. I sold in anticipation of getting a new bike. Three months later and I still haven’t decided what to get.
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That’s alright. Now’s the time to buy if you’re in the market for a newer used bike. Like boats, you can usually snag a deal from someone who doesn’t want to store it for the winter.
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That’s the plan! Either I’ll get a Suzuki V-Strom 650 decked out for adventure touring or a newer Honda Shadow Sabre (shaft drive) with a good set of luggage for cruising across the desert. Just have to bide my time and keep watching Craigslist.
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what is the brand of the engine guard that you have pictured here?
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It’s Hondaline brand. I think there might have been one other company that made aftermarket crash guards for the VT700 but when I was looking, I only found the Hondaline brand. They were good crash bars though.
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