I recently purchased a Shodow VT1100, my first Honda. The front end seems soft to me. It has 29,000 mi on ot. What is the proper way to check a front end?

 

not sure if shadows come with adjustable suspension or not. look to see if your seals are leaking. your probally gonna need some progressive springs or thicker oil can stiffen it enough sometimes.

 

as 'the hooligan' said, you'll have to check if your fork seals are leaking (where the chrome tubes meet the bigger tubes there are rubber seals and dust covers) any traces of oil here or worn/rusted fork chrome, mean the seals are gone. unless the oil is all gone outta the forks already!
changing the oil would be recommended anyway depending on the age of the bike. you could jack up the front of the the bike and remove the large caps on the top of the forks (CAREFUL, there's a commpressed spring behind those!!) there's usually an oil drain bolt at the bottom of the fork leg. you'll need to search the net for the right levels of fork oil to put in and the correct weight oil to use. some people use heavier oil to firm things up.
theres also a way to check if your springs are beyond their service life, a manual for the bike would be great for this and other little jobs if u plan on DIY maintenance.
looking at manuals for other bike will give u a good idea of what you're doing.
try this link: http://www.gofastvideo.com/gal....html