has anyone riden an ST1300?

I have a friend selling his ST1300, and I was just wondering if anyone has riden one?

He let me ride it, and its a really cool bike. It's like a sportbike for the older generation that doesn't want the nerdyness of a goldwing.

I really enjoyed the ride, and that V4 sounds freakin awesome. Though it doesn't have the same feel as our bikes. Its hard to describe. I enojoyed it, but I prefer my bike.

Though the larger feel of the bike really suites my personal taste. I just wish it didn't have the hardbags, and was designed with a little more style towards the sportbike market. But its more for people who want the sportbike feel, but the touring capabilites of a goldwing.

Anyone else ride one? Whatcha think?

 

ST 1300 impressions..

Yep, i spent a good 12 months with an ST 1300. I have nothing but praise for them. Love the electric screen, love the 3 position hieght adjustable seat, loved the stonking, smooth and creamy power of the transverse V4, shaft drive was good-lo fuss lo maintenance-all good.
when i got it i wanted a change from sport bikes, id had my VTR 1000 for 5 years , done a few long trips on her, and could see the appeal of a bike that could handle long distances with ease and one that takes care of the rider-really well!
Hard luggage was standard. It took a while to get used to the extra width at the back, especially after coming off a nice narrow twin.

It was quick & easy to remove the bags, altho i have to say the bike looked like it was missing something when they were off (which it was) but what i mean is that
on some bikes you can remove luggage, and you dont really notice the empty space( R1200GS) but on this i preffered to keep the bags in place purely for asthetics.

Honda finishing was of a high standard, controls logically thought out and fell to hand easily and were easy to use. great instrument cluster to use, with plenty of data, just had to watch the sun position rendering the LCD panel unreadable at times, normally around late afternoon when the sun was low in the sky. excellent headlights too. and real world wing mirrors with excellent fields of view and no buzz.

Overall handling was great. coming from a sportbike background, i expected less and got so much more than i bargined for, which was a pleasant surprize.

you can chuck these things around once your underway, just dont try it at slow/walking type speeds-thats when you feel the wieght.
its a wide tank so you do splay the old legs a bit, but she takes a good 30 litres of fuel and will cover a good 500ks on tour. i also loved having a glovebox.- kinda gadgety, but it held my wallet and sunglasses, and was lockable.

Summary.

Overall this is a great machine for long distance riding. This is its forte'. it will deliver you in style and comfort to your destination with ease, and you'll get off feeling fresher than you would if you'd covered the same distance on a sport bike. it has features galore and a high build quality with legendary Honda reliability.
it is the the natural extension of the VFR's touring capability with most of the sportiness restructured into touring neccessities.

To give you an idea of its abilities some buddies of mine recently toured the south island of newzealand (about 5000 ks round trip) on there 06 model ZX10's,
as part of the honda riders club. along on the ride were numerous other bikes one of which was an ST 1300.
one specifically commented about the 'old guy' on the ST 1300 who would turn up as fresh as a daisy after the days ride, whilst they simply had to get off theirs. they were spent, and they were envious.

its obvious shortcomings revolve around weight, girth, and sportiness. but you can buy other bikes to cover those areas.In deed the VFR shifts the touring goalposts back towards the sport side if thats the requirment.

its direct competitor-the Yamaha FJR 1300 is also similar altho i believe quite differant in key areas of engine & drivetrain. Kawasaki's new concours 1400 is also a contender but appears to be favouring the sportier side of the coin.

The STX 1300 ('Pan European' as it is known here) sits firmly between the VFR and the gold wing on the touring scale.

try one, you might be pleasantly surprized. I plan to own one again in the future.

 

I've ridden the ST them a few times & agree with most everything typed here so far. When I retire, I am planning on buying a true touring bike. Most likely, this will be a BMW R1200ST. The ST1300 would be the hands down choice except for the fact that it STILL only has a 5 speed trans. What is this 1975? The same holds true for every cruiser Honda makes. All of them have 5 speeds. This is just plain stupid & cheap. They put a 6 speed in the ST1300 & I will buy one in a heart beat.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2: