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Advice On Starting to Chop

  • Rodrick Stavimos

    Im new to this whole thing and its pretty overwhelming trying to find a place to start... Any recomendations on a bike to start with that beginer friendly 

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  • TJ BRUTAL CUSTOMS

    @Rodrick Stavimos

    Great question! Please bear in mind my advice is purely opinionated and based on my personal experience but ill back up my oipinon with some reason. 

    I think the VT600 years 1988 to 2007 is a great bike to start with and heres my reasons - 

    1. They are affordable, and can be readily found on places like marketplace, craigslist, and offer up.
    2. They're easy and comfortable to ride, plenty of power for a new rider and with a little tuning really turn into a ripper that looks and sounds great! 
    3.  They're very simple as bikes go, and with a little care they can run for ages! 
    4. I have made an extensive amount of videos, and continue to do so, regarding the care, and modification of the VT600 aka the VLX.
    5. We have a superlative amount of parts which are easy to use and we have videos for many of these products as well. 
    6. The VT600 does not require an extensive tool set to begin modifying, though a flat jack and basic hand tools are a great place to start. 
    7. The VLX can be drastically modified without any fabrication, thanks to many of our parts being of the bolt on variety. 
    8. The VT600 is not an overly heavy bike being a tad over 450lbs, and is very nimble and stable at all speeds. 
    9. The VT600 in the US is geared to be very usable both on surface streets and the highway,  making it a great choice for someone who cuts their teeth on surface streets but will graduate to highways and byways of their country. 
    10. Regular maintenance is a short list- chain, coolant, spark plugs, oil and tires. All very affordable and parts readily available. Beyond these, the clutch and throttle cables need to be lubed and the rear brake adjusted however the rear brake is drum and will likely outlast you. LOL!

      These are just a handful or reasons I believe the VT600 is a fantastic choice for a beginner bike!

     You can check out the Youtube channel here - https://www.youtube.com/@TJBRUTALCUSTOMS

    And the webstore is shoptjbc.com! 

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  • ES

    I'm picking up mine next week... After watching TJ on YT my choice was made. Got one from 91 (europe) but manufactured 88/2 (according to the sticker on the bottom tube). Fisrt owner and only ran under 10K miles (really!!)

    I'm planning my build as we speak. The way i start is by taking off everything i don't want. Then think of what i do want... and take it from there. In my case the previous owner had it standing for three years. So it runs poorly (carbs) and front brakes need revising. Im going to get the carbs cleaned and will rebuild the front brake. Im going to run it like that first, wit only a seat, fender and handlebar conversion. And when i save up i'm going for the performance kit!

    but hey, thats my way. Just start and find what works for you. 

  • TJ

    @Eelco Scholten congratulations man!!! a few things that will help you successfully resurt this Honda Shadow barn find gem - 
    First, pull one plug from each cylinder and you can spray wd-40, or a few tablespoons of atf fluid in each cylinder and let that sit a few days. it will help lubricate the obviously bone dry cylinders. lean the bike side to side to let the fluid move around in there then hand crank the engine for a few minutes to lubricate the cylidner walls with the fluid. 

    when you do start the bike, there will be a considerable amount of smoke so do this with good ventilation, preferrably out doors. 

    While youre at it, replace the ignition wires, resistor caps and spark plugs, at the very bare minimum, replace the spark plugs, i do have an ignition tune up kit on shoptjbc.com and theres a video on how to use the kit on the youtube channel - https://youtu.be/_U0XheccdJE?si=jk3TFu6JQGJlzcAe

    Next you will want to rebuild the carbs completely, however do not forget to replace the carb intake boots. they will not make a good seal anymore, once you pull the carbs out. we have the boots on the site. 

    Next, drain all the oil, and replace the oil filter and add new oil. i would run a full synthetic oil, i like royal purpole but theres many options. 

    next up is the coolant, drain your coolant, refill, and burp the system to get all the air out. the service manual details how to drain the fluid. replace the coolant with coolanol. 

    if the chain is stiff, i would inspect the o-rings. i highly doubt that chain is any good, youll want to get a 525-120 link chain and i like the clip master links, instead of the rivet links, theyre easier to change and service. 

    Inspoect those tires, any cracks are a sign of a tire that is not safe, and they should be replaced. last but not least - i would adjust my rear brake, and drank and refill the front brake master cylinder if you keep it. 

    Thats all i can think of for now! Happy chopping with that honda Shadow brother! 

     

    DO FUN SHIT!
    Check the FAQ's here for tons of tuning info and more!! - t.ly/MA6r6

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