Left side of the 1996 Honda Shadow 1100 ACE as purchased

SKILL 03 / THE LOG

MECHANICS

A seized 1100. An unknown history. The real Honda Shadow ACE rebuild, starting with the bike as I bought it.

02 ARTICLES

FIELD NOTES

Left side of the silver 1996 Honda Shadow as purchased, with its engine in the frame and side cover missing

01 / 2 MIN READ

The Shadow: Where It Started (and Why It Wouldn't Turn)

I bought a 1996 Honda Shadow 1100 ACE, the American Classic Edition. It came with most of its parts, a seized engine, and a past it wasn't talking about. Here's where the rebuild begins.

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The stripped Honda Shadow on a wheel chock in the garage, with the parts that came with it laid out on plywood on the floor

02 / 1 MIN READ

The Shadow: Engine Out (and Full of Water)

The Shadow came home, the wrenches came out, and the bike started telling me its secrets. Most of them involved water.

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