Honda Shadow RS vs. 2010 Harley-Davidson 883
Since the 1980s when Japanese V-Twins began in earnest to whittle away from Harley-Davidson’s customer base, a lot of discussion has evolved into what is now a perennial debate about who makes a better cruiser.
It’s been a four-against-one prize match, and H-D has more than held its own, but that doesn’t stop the Japanese from making motorcycles more and more like the original.
As previously written about, Honda’s Shadow RS has been widely observed to have more than a passing resemblance to Harley’s also recently reviewed 883 Low Sportster, although the Japanese bike’s base price is $800 more.
Is Honda trying to say it has made a better Harley-Davidson than Harley can? Is it just a fluke of yen/dollar currency valuation that forces Honda to price its bike higher to make a fair profit?
In the case of the 883L and Shadow RS, it’s almost beside the point, as this duo has personalities that are distinct from each other.
Honda’s official explanation for the Shadow RS is that it was conceived and born in Japan for the Japanese home market. At first it wasn’t to be imported to the U.S at all, but when American Honda execs saw it, they decided to bring it here, where it has since caught flak by some pundits for being a copycat.
It may be, but in another sense it’s kind of authentic in that it is a Japanese bike intended for Japan’s home market. Sure, it looks a lot like the H-D, and not by coincidence, but just so we all understand where Honda is coming from.
As for Harley-Davidson’s Sportster 883L, it’s undeniably the real deal. It does have a fair amount of foreign content, but so do a lot of Made-in-USA products, and otherwise since 1957, the Sportster has grown into an authentic American icon.Similarities and differences
The Honda’s new-for-this-year fuel-injection feeds its otherwise traditional 745cc, 3-valve per cylinder, V-Twin. Its liquid-cooled-but-finned 52-degree cylinders conceal that it is an SOHC, while simulating the look of the H-D’s air-cooled 45-degree, 441.5cc jugs.
The pushrod-actuated Evolution engine is also fuel injected, and H-D gets kudos for having done it before Honda.
The Shadow RS’s 2.8-gallon, peanut-shaped tank (with unsightly underside seam where it was joined together) otherwise resembles the H-D’s 3.3-gallon tank. The Honda’s 61.5-inch wheelbase is similar to the H-D’s 60-inch wheelbase, as are its raked chassis, twin rear shocks, and non-adjustable forks.
Sparse instrumentation, and 19-inch front, and 16-inch rear wheel sizes, also mirror the Harley. Even the Dunlop tires are the same – 100/90 and 150/80 respectively – except the tread pattern is different for the Harley-Davidson-branded versions.
We know why Honda critics call the Shadow RS a “clone,” and they may be right in some respects, but in others, they couldn’t be more wrong.
Incompatible contestants
The Shadow’s ergonomics approximate a Standard motorcycle’s, with footpegs in a practical location below the rider and handlebar grips at the angle and location where the hands might naturally fall. Its seat, with room for a passenger, resides at 29.4 inches, some 3.1 inches higher than the H-D’s solo saddle.
And although the RS’ seat is plusher, rides of, say, 50 miles or more at a time the seat foam starts to feel overly soft. It isn’t supportive enough on long rides and gave at least one of our testers numb bum.
It’s been a four-against-one prize match, and H-D has more than held its own, but that doesn’t stop the Japanese from making motorcycles more and more like the original.
As previously written about, Honda’s Shadow RS has been widely observed to have more than a passing resemblance to Harley’s also recently reviewed 883 Low Sportster, although the Japanese bike’s base price is $800 more.
Is Honda trying to say it has made a better Harley-Davidson than Harley can? Is it just a fluke of yen/dollar currency valuation that forces Honda to price its bike higher to make a fair profit?
In the case of the 883L and Shadow RS, it’s almost beside the point, as this duo has personalities that are distinct from each other.
Honda’s official explanation for the Shadow RS is that it was conceived and born in Japan for the Japanese home market. At first it wasn’t to be imported to the U.S at all, but when American Honda execs saw it, they decided to bring it here, where it has since caught flak by some pundits for being a copycat.
It may be, but in another sense it’s kind of authentic in that it is a Japanese bike intended for Japan’s home market. Sure, it looks a lot like the H-D, and not by coincidence, but just so we all understand where Honda is coming from.
As for Harley-Davidson’s Sportster 883L, it’s undeniably the real deal. It does have a fair amount of foreign content, but so do a lot of Made-in-USA products, and otherwise since 1957, the Sportster has grown into an authentic American icon.Similarities and differences
The Honda’s new-for-this-year fuel-injection feeds its otherwise traditional 745cc, 3-valve per cylinder, V-Twin. Its liquid-cooled-but-finned 52-degree cylinders conceal that it is an SOHC, while simulating the look of the H-D’s air-cooled 45-degree, 441.5cc jugs.
The pushrod-actuated Evolution engine is also fuel injected, and H-D gets kudos for having done it before Honda.
The Shadow RS’s 2.8-gallon, peanut-shaped tank (with unsightly underside seam where it was joined together) otherwise resembles the H-D’s 3.3-gallon tank. The Honda’s 61.5-inch wheelbase is similar to the H-D’s 60-inch wheelbase, as are its raked chassis, twin rear shocks, and non-adjustable forks.
Sparse instrumentation, and 19-inch front, and 16-inch rear wheel sizes, also mirror the Harley. Even the Dunlop tires are the same – 100/90 and 150/80 respectively – except the tread pattern is different for the Harley-Davidson-branded versions.
We know why Honda critics call the Shadow RS a “clone,” and they may be right in some respects, but in others, they couldn’t be more wrong.
Incompatible contestants
The Shadow’s ergonomics approximate a Standard motorcycle’s, with footpegs in a practical location below the rider and handlebar grips at the angle and location where the hands might naturally fall. Its seat, with room for a passenger, resides at 29.4 inches, some 3.1 inches higher than the H-D’s solo saddle.
And although the RS’ seat is plusher, rides of, say, 50 miles or more at a time the seat foam starts to feel overly soft. It isn’t supportive enough on long rides and gave at least one of our testers numb bum.
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