I actually got to ride the thing, and it seems like the lever travels pretty far before it starts seriously pulling. I suggested maybe just oil drag, but one of the honda people thought otherwise, that maybe it was a bent fork in the tranny or something.
Anyway, the carb or something is acting up. I lose power suddenly after a certain point in the throttle. The machine is unreliable; often hard to start, and randomly shuts off while idling.
Here's the link to the discussion.
http://www.hondashadow.net/forum/72-technical-discussion/489938-missing-carb-...