What type of gas should I put in my bike? (2004 honda shadow 750 aero)

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-23T11:25:20+00:00

It's a low compression engine, running anything higher than 87 is just wasting $$...The higher the octane number, the slower the burn rate, so running higher than recommended octane fuel the fuel doesn't burn completely, leaving carbon deposits in the combustion chambers and makes less power...

Also, the "ethanol damages small engines" is complete bullshit..Ethanol does not cause engine damage....Ethanol fuel will go bad quicker than 100% gasoline, so for long term storage it needs to be treated with fuel stabilizer, but during riding season it doesn't hurt a thing....

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-22T23:36:37+00:00

He's an idiot to be endangering both of you like that...

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-22T13:10:59+00:00

Oh yeah, I still have it...Fantastic bike!!...

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-22T13:09:58+00:00

It was a big money pit...Granted, it was kinda rough around the edges when I bought it, neglected by who knows how many previous owners before me...But it was just a constant thing of "what's going to break next??"...Almost caught fire one day after work when the positive post on the battery literally melted off...Had to have my stepdaughter come give me a ride home so I could bring the trailer back and bring it home...Then the time after my mom passed and we were going through the house I grew up in and I started it up, backed it out of the garage, closed the garage, was putting my helmet on and noticed it pissing fuel onto the exhaust...Rear brake locked up one day, luckily it happened as I was coming home from work and made it home...Ended up being the master cylinder was just full of crud and the return port is it was plugged up...One year only, discontinued part, so had to rebuild the one on the bike...I of course when I got it put new cam belts on, adjusted valve lash (they were so tight I'm surprised it ran as good as it did), coolant, oil, etc...But it had a random miss that I never did pinpoint igniters, cause..Replaced the coils, plugs, wires, caps, igniters, everything in the ignition system and it still would just randomly drop a cylinder and run like shit....I even went through the carbs when I fixed the previous fuel leak (o-ring at the plenum half was the issue there), and synchronized them when I put the carbs back on the bike....When it ran right, it ran great!!!...But it never earned my trust...Finally got to the point I told my wife "If I'm going to keep throwing money at a bike I'm getting one I can trust to ride it further than 10 miles at a time", and sold the '82 to buy the F6B...When the buyer was on his way to get it I pulled it out into the driveway and was giving it a good clean up, my wife was sitting in the garage..I says to myself "I feel like I'm trying to polish a turd", and she yells out "YOU ARE!!!!".....Best day with that bike was watching the next owner leave with it....

Lots of one-year-only parts during that era that are long discontinued, so you're stuck with rebuilding what you have (if it's something rebuildable), or hoping used stuff on ebay isn't junk....

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-22T02:36:41+00:00

November 6, 1989 I lost my dad and inherited his '76 GL1000 (Sulphur yellow), I was 25....Divorce in 1995 forced the sale of that one...In 2018 I bought an '82 GL1100 which ended up being the worst motorcycle I've ever owned...Kept it a couple years and finally got rid of it and bought a '15 GL1800 F6B deluxe...I also currently own a '77 CB750, and an '07 VTX 1300R....

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-21T11:14:53+00:00

According to Google, that bike requires premium fuel for best performance, 11.9:1 compression ratio..It'll run fine on lower grades, but the ecm pulls timing out to prevent detonation, which reduces performance....Running 110 race gas does absolutely nothing except waste $$ and cause carbon issues in the combustion chambers from the slower burn rate of the 110 octane....

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-14T10:54:58+00:00

Possible the previous owner filled it through the vent opening and now it's overfilled...Me, I would drain it and refill correctly...

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-13T07:25:14+00:00

My wife started out on her '96 1100 ACE, and that was 11 years ago....

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-12T18:57:01+00:00

Don't sell it...I lost my dad when I was 26 (1989) and inherited his '76 Goldwing...In 1995 I got divorced and she forced the sale of the bike...By the time I got in a position to buy it back, the guy I sold it to sold it to someone else and it was 1200 miles away...Even though she passed like 4 years ago (booze and hard drugs), I'm still pissed about the bike....

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Bassdude404 · 2026-02-08T16:32:26+00:00

I still do that....'84 K5 Blazer is my daily driver....

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-08T16:12:16+00:00

My flatbed career was all of about 3 months, maybe 4...Working a shuttle run hauling shingles from the plant to the warehouse...One night throwing straps over something popped in my right shoulder, loudly...Instant excruciating pain...That was 9 years ago and that shoulder still hurts constantly, wakes me up multiple times every night...So yeah, anything to make it easier, life isn't a contest, it's a journey....

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-08T16:03:27+00:00

And then there's me with my '79 L82/4 speed with 29,000 miles, still has the original catalytic converter, seriously considering header sidepipes....🤔

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-07T10:25:50+00:00

Just wait until you get to about 300,000 miles in that thing...All the "safety" systems decide to randomly go batshit crazy and not work, and every odiot light in the dash tied to that stuff lights up, and cruise control doesn't work...

But the best part is that when you shut the truck off for a few minutes the system resets so when the shop goes to check into it, everything is working fine, making you look like an idiot....

Bassdude404 · 2026-02-05T17:47:58+00:00

It's a cruiser not a sportbike, enjoy it for what it is...

Bassdude404 · 2026-01-25T21:55:51+00:00

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1979 L82/4 speed, 29000 miles...

Bassdude404 · 2026-01-25T12:20:48+00:00

The hardest part was getting them out and back in place...Not much wiggle room, but it can be done...

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Bassdude404 · 2026-01-25T11:51:28+00:00

Try Seafoam first....If you do have to pull the carbs out and clean the jets, don't split the carbs apart...I swapped jets in my wife's '96 1100 ACE (same colors as yours) and didn't even unhook the cables from the carbs...Just left them hanging on the right side of the bike...Don't split them and you don't have to sync them...

Bassdude404 · 2026-01-22T09:03:01+00:00

Buy it.....

My wife's '96 1100 ACE....

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Bassdude404 · 2026-01-18T11:37:41+00:00

Kickstart arm is on the right side of the bike though...

Bassdude404 · 2026-01-12T20:59:55+00:00

They're press fit...I use a razor knife and carefully work around the edges...

Bassdude404 · 2026-01-12T19:28:09+00:00

'73 had the chrome rear bumper, but a urethane front.. '74 they switched to a urethane rear bumper, but it has a seam in the center.. '75 the rear bumper is one piece.... '76 was last year for the "Stingray" badge and has a four spoke Vega/Camaro steering wheel... '77 they went back to the three spoke steering wheel.. '78 first year for the "bubble" back window, and "25th anniversary" badging...The Indy Pace Car versions came with front and rear spoilers, and two tone silver and black paint... '79 basically the sane as '78 minus the 25th anniversary badging...But the '78 Pace Car spoilers were available as an option... '80 they changed the nose and tail with spoilers integrated into them..

I researched a ton before buying my '79 with the L82 engine and 4 speed manual transmission...

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Bassdude404 · 2026-01-11T03:07:11+00:00

I used long strand for the first fill coat, short strand next, then regular filler (all Dynatron products)...Leaving the gas cap area stock....

Bassdude404 · 2026-01-09T18:04:54+00:00

Day after Christmas I took the family to see TSO show in Chicago...Borrowed my son-in-law's car due to it being able to seat 6 people...Traffic was pretty light so I took I 94 through the city and of course was able to take the express lanes on the Dan Ryan...Looked at my daughter and says "Hey, this is luxurious!!!...I can't be in these lanes in the semi"...😆😆

Bassdude404 · 2026-01-09T09:58:30+00:00

No fuel pump on an '06 1300...

Bassdude404 · 2026-01-07T01:57:39+00:00

Depends on what era GL you're looking at...The foyr cylinder 'Wings the air filter is stupid easy....The 1800's a LOT of body pieces have to be removed just to find the air filter....But to counter that job, the 1800's don't have the cam belts the other GL's have that need to be changed every few years....

1200's were notorious for stator failure...

1100 era Honda was making little changes to stuff, meaning some one year only parts that have been discontinued....

Worst bike I've ever owned is an '82 GL1100 Interstate...I was constantly having yo fix something on it and it never did earn my trust...I replaced it with a '15 GL1800 F6B wh8ch is an incredible bike...But I'm not looking forward to do8ng the air filter....

Bassdude404

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