Honda pumped out a preview on their site touting the 2010 Honda Shadow RS.

Wish there were more to expand upon but there is not much released yet to repeat. No price listed yet, no specifications, but here's what we do know:

Available March 2010

• White or metallic silver
  
• 'Athletic riding position' which I read to mean that the pegs are about 12" further back than the rest of the Shadow line.
• Drum rear brake

Now for some speculating assumptions:

• EFI (as found in the 2010 Shadow Phantom)
• 750cc
• Will be mistaken for an HD Sporster by many.
• I suspect will get a list price between $6-7K

More info to come as it arrives.

Update:

Got ahold of an official Honda press release regarding the Shadow RS, MSRP is $7,799.

Opinion:

I ride and love my Honda, fine motorcycle. What concerns me about the Shadow RS is the price and what you get for your money. Being that the Shadow RS has a lot of the HD Sporster's look and style, lets use that for a comparison:

Harley-Davidson 883 Low

$6,999
Belt Drive
Rear Disc Brakes
Electronic Fuel Injection
Larger motor
Better trade-in value

Honda has a great reputation for quality and reliability, but they also feel a bit cheap on some of the details. Lots of plastic and chrome plated plastic. There is a wealth of after-market options for everything Harley-Davidson, not so much for the Shadow line of bikes. Sporster has had a long history in the product line and is a mature design with refinement. Etc, etc, etc.

All lead to my big question: "Why does it cost more than the competition and offer me less?"

Wish I could answer that… doesn't make sense. I think that if the price was at $5,999 it might sway more heads towards a Honda dealership. But for $800 more than the real McCoy they're copying, why not go with the McCoy's product?