Honda Shadow Phantom / Black Spirit (2010+) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals
This is the maintenance schedule and associated service intervals for the Honda Shadow Phantom, also known as the Shadow Black Spirit in some markets, made from 2010 onward.
The Honda Shadow Phantom is part of the family of modern Honda Shadow motorcycles which have a 745 cc liquid-cooled fuel-injected 52-degree V-twin.
The Shadow Phantom has a low, bobber-style design, a blacked out engine and body, and a shaft final drive with a five-speed transmission. By contrast, the Honda Shadow RS/VT750RS has a chain final drive.)
The Shadow Phantom also looks really good. Here are a couple more pics of it.
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Service Intervals for the Honda Shadow Phantom
Fundamentally, the Honda Shadow Phantom has 8000 mile / 12800 km service intervals between oil changes. At every service, do a once-over of the motorcycle, checking its condition and for leaks, wear, and lubrication needs.
Valve clearances also need to be inspected every 8000 miles or 12800 km. The Honda Shadow’s engine has three valves per cylinder and a V twin, meaning there are six clearances to check. The valves are of a screw and locknut type, so they’re easy to do, but you have to move a lot of parts out of the way.
The Shadow Phantom has a low-maintenance shaft final drive, whose fluid you should change periodically. But it has a liquid-cooled engine, so you do need to change the coolant.
Honda Shadow Phantom Maintenance Schedule
Below is the maintenance schedule for the Honda Shadow Phantom.
Honda recommends that you take wheels/tyres and steering head bearings to a licensed mechanic. Everything else can be done at home, with the help of a service manual as needed.
Notes:
- Keep following this schedule every 4000 miles / 6400 km beyond the end of the schedule.
- Follow the earlier of time-based or distance-based service requirements.
| x 1000 mi | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x 1000 km | 6.4 | 12.8 | 19.2 | 25.6 | 32 | 38.4 | Every |
| Inspection checklist (see below) — Perform all items (* Some items to be checked every 4k miles / 6.4k km) | * | ✓ | * | ✓ | * | ✓ | |
| Engine Oil — Replace (Pro Honda GN4 10W-30) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year | |||
| Engine Oil Filter — Replace (HF204RC) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Spark Plugs — Inspect (gapped to 0.8-0.9mm) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Spark Plugs — Replace (NGK DPR7EA-9) | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Air Cleaner — Respect (K&N HA-7504) | ✓ | ✓ | More often if riding in rain/dust | ||||
| Valve Clearances — Inspect / Adjust | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Radiator Coolant — Replace (Honda coolant) | ✓ | 2 years | |||||
| Evaporative Emission Control System — Inspect | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Brake Fluid — Replace (Honda DOT 4) | ✓ | ✓ | 2 years | ||||
| Final Drive Oil — Replace (Hypoid gear oil SAE 80) | ✓ |
Regular Maintenance Checklist
Belos is the regular inspection checklist. do these checks according to the schedule above.
Note — Check some of the items between major inspections.
| Inspection Item |
|---|
| Crankcase breather hose — Check / Clean Check so between inspections |
| Fuel Line — Inspect |
| Throttle Operation — Inspect Free play should be 2-6mm or 1/16 – 1/4 in |
| Engine idle speed — Inspect Inspect between inspections |
| Radiator Coolant (Honda coolant) — Inspect level |
| Cooling System — Inspect |
| Secondary Air Supply System — Inspect |
| Evaporative Emission Control System — Inspect |
| Clutch system — Inspect Free play should be 10-20mm, or 3/8- 13/16 in |
| Brake fluid — Inspect level Should be above the “lower” mark, and below the “upper”. |
| Brake system — Inspect |
| Brake pads (and before 2023, rear brake shoes) — Inspect for wear |
| Brake Light Switch — Inspect |
| Final drive oil — Inspect It should reach the lower level of the opening of the oil fill cap. If level is low, check for leaks. |
| Headlight Aim — Inspect |
| Side Stand — Inspect |
| Suspension — Inspect |
| Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners — Inspect |
| Wheels / Tires — Inspect Inspect between services |
| Steering Head Bearings — Inspect |
Tyre size and tyre pressure for the Honda Shadow Phantom
The Honda Shadow Phantom has the following tyres and tyre sizes standard, as well as the following recommended tyre pressures.
Note that the Shadow Phantom has tubed tyres.
| Tyre | Size | Brand(s) | Tyre pressure (cold) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front | 120/90-17M/C 64S | DUNLOP D404 FG BRIDGESTONE G701 CHENG SHIN M6002 | 29 psi (200 kPa, 2.00 kgf/cm2) |
| Rear | 160/80-15M/C 74S | DUNLOP D404 BRIDGESTONE G702 CHENG SHIN M6011R | Below 90 kg (200 lb): 29 psi (200 kPa) Above 90 kg (200 lb): 36 psi (250 kPa) |
About the Honda Shadow Phantom
The Honda Shadow Phantom is a classic entry-level cruiser from Honda, extremely easy to ride, stylish, and very dependable.
If you want to stand out from the crowd and get something a little more old-school than the Honda Rebel 500, for example, the Shadow is for you.
The Shadow Phantom is a very long-running version of the Shadow platform.
At its core, it’s quite a simple motorcycle. The engine is a 745 cc liquid-cooled 52-degree V-twin that’s fuel injected. It has a single overhead cam per cylinder head and three valves per cylinder. The engine has a very mild compression ratio of 9.6:1… This bike isn’t exactly tuned for high-end power.
The drive train is a 5-speed transmission and a low-maintenance shaft. Take that, belts; shafts are even easier to maintain!
And the chassis is nothing to write home about — a non-adjustable fork, and dual shocks with five-position spring preload adjustability just to cater to people of different weights.
The Honda Shadow Phantom is clearly aimed at the Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron crowd. It looks very similar. It shares much of the same aesthetic and feel — it’s clearly an American V-twin.
But with the Honda Shadow, you get a liquid-cooled engine, pay a lot less, and have to service the valves. You also lose out on brand cred, as well… so it depends on your priorities.
Speaking of valves, the valve clearance check on the Honda Shadow engine does come up quite often, ever 8000 miles / 12800 km. It’s a relatively involved job, as you need to remove the tank and anything in the way of the cylinder heads, then remove the heads.
The good news is that the valves in the 750 Shadow from 1998 onward (carburettor-fed or fuel-injected) has mechanical valves with screw and locknut adjusters. It’s not as painless as hydraulic valve lash adjusters, but it’s easy enough to do, once you move everything out of the way.
In total it takes 2-4 hours, depending on your experience and comfort with it. And many say that there is no adjustment required after the first time.
The 745 cc engine capacity isn’t tiny, but it’s not huge either. The Shadow Phantom has decent (but not massive) low-end torque, enough to not leave you wanting unless you decide you have some adrenaline you want to burn via high-speed runs. If that’s the case, you might be looking at an angrier Honda motorcycle, something like the Honda Fury (which is no longer produced in most markets)
For 2024, Honda updated the Shadow Phantom, introducing optional ABS, and a rear disc brake to replace the drum. It also gets a style makeover for the new model year.
Manual for the Honda Shadow Phantom
The above maintenance schedule comes directly from the user’s manual for the most recent Honda Shadow Phantom.
You can download it from Honda’s repository here.
