Those saddlebags, though. That’s the feature that has drawn my attention to this listing. Just look at those saddlebags, man. Look how well they fit the lines of the bike. You don’t often find that kind of aesthetic flow with luggage. Of course, everything comes crashing back to Earth when your eye turns to those basic alloy wheels. But if you hold your gaze squarely on the curves of those saddlebags this is a metric cruiser that rises above its station.
Outside of all that, yeah, it’s a 25-year-old Shadow. A popular choice among Midwestern fathers who had neither the pocketbook nor the patience to own a Harley, the Shadow platform (there are various incarnations) remains a stalwart presence in the used cruiser scene.
It was produced from 1985 to 2007 and changed very little over the years. Character was tweaked here and there for certain versions, but in all cases, it was powered by a 1099cc liquid-cooled V-twin that delivered somewhere between 65-78 horsepower, depending.
Shaft drive saves a certain amount of hassle, so, too, an 8,000-mile recommended service interval (That’s better than a 2024 BMW R 12). But the presence of rear drum brakes ensures you still have something to curse at when doing maintenance. Robust and reliable, it’s the sort of bike that will still be trundling around after everyone reading this is dead – it’s got over 60k miles on it now.
Really nice color scheme on this one, too ─ only available on 1999 models. It reminds me of 1970s living rooms. I feel at least one of those saddlebags should contain a box of Nilla wafers.
You can find this VT1100 Shadow Tourer for sale in Loudon, Tennessee for $2,500 here on Facebook Marketplace.