2007 Honda St1300a

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Rider Spectacularly Correct

I get a lot of PMs from guys wondering what my impressions are of my Honda ST1300, so I figured it was time to actually throw something up here after about 10 months of ownership.
First, a little background.
I came to the ST from three straight BMWs: a '96 R1100RT, a '99 K1200LT and then an '02 R1150GS. I loved all of them for different reasons but found that when push came to shove, if I had to choose just one, I would have gone with the RT. Because I like sport tourers. I like the fact they're quick, good-handling and yet comfortable. That they offer a good degree of weather protection. I don't drag my knee in corners and I don't go off-road. And with the advent of electric windscreens, it's nice to have a large degree of changable ergos: almost full windblast or cossetted behind still air. So sport tourers are my favorite ... (I reserve the right to change my mind, however, at any time. )
Last summer, the Three-Year-Itch afflicted my sorry saddle-sore ass once again and it was time to move onto another bike. I'm one of those guys who can't afford a whole stable of bikes, so I have to settle for one. But it had better be a good one, one capable of holding my interest for ... well ... about three years. At least.

I quickly narrowed down my choices to three bikes: the brand-new R1200RT Beemer, the Honda ST1300 and the Yamaha FJR1300.
I almost immediately ruled out the Yam because of that company's absolutely ridiculously stoooopit sales policy, which requires a $500 deposit to order the bike, sight unseen and then wait for months to acquire a bike you can't test-ride and probably have never ridden. :huh
It might be the best motorcycle in the history of mankind but I'm not buying something I can't even sit on first.
Which left the ST and the RT.
Because my GS crapped its rear drive and the part was back-ordered, my friendly neighborhood BMW/Honda dealer, Honda Northwest, loaned me an RT while my bike was being fixed. I had it the weekend of the MOA National Rally in Lima, for which I'm eternally grateful. I could have been stranded bikeless the week of one of the year's biggest bike events but thanks to the guys at the dealership, they instead allowed me to borrow the RT for the weekend.
And I loved it.
I'll say this: of all the BMWs I've ridden (which include all but the brand-new K1200GT), I like the R1200RT the best. It's sophisticated without losing that distinctive BMW feel. It's relatively smooth, handles beautifully, offers fantastic weather protection, and it's plenty quick to make things interesting.
But it's also expensive and without a BMW Financial Services special promotion or something, I just couldn't justify it.
Which left, by default, the Honda ST1300.
I picked it up one hot summer night and haven't looked back ...

The first thing you notice when you punch the starter is the engine whine at idle. Some find it annoying ("It sounds like the Jetson's car!"), while others, including me, find it charmingly mechanical. It's a combination of high-pitched whine and whistle, unique I think to the bike. Perhaps it's that V-four configuration.
There is no choke lever ... it's all handled by the engine management system. Cold starts will have that puppy churning at 2,500 rpm for a little while until she warms up.

For those unfamiliar with the ST's background, Honda of Germany suggested to Honda of Japan in the late 1980s that the company needed a sport tourer and helped design it. The ST1100 was introduced in 1989, a 90-degree 4-valve water-cooled, shaft drive V-four that had typical Honda reliability, speed and comfort. While never selling in big numbers in the U.S., it established an enviable record for transporting people over large distances and had the typical sport touring accoutrement, including removable hard bags, a decent-sized fairing and a reasonable riding position, with a slight forward lean. The ST1300 replaced it in 2003, with strong styling changes, electric motor-controlled windscreen, upgraded electronics and clocks and, of course, more power and torque.

With a claimed dry weight of 624 pounds, about 80 more than the FJR1300, the bike ain't light. For big boys like me it's not a problem whatsoever and the CG is low. It feels positively light compared to other bikes I've owned like the K1200LT. But it's still not for novices or vertically-challenged, I imagine.

It handles beautifully at slow speeds. U-turns and other parking lot maneuvers are easy to accomplish. The only fly in the ointment is a pretty snatchy drivetrain, made worse by a toggle-switch-like throttle. Full on and "kind of sort of" on aren't that far apart. I fixed that by rewiring my brain, which took about 500 miles. Now it's second nature for me and the jerkiness which accompanied my first few miles are in my rear view mirror.

Without a doubt the most universal complaint logged against the ST1300 by owners is engine heat on hot days. I was aware of it prior to buying the bike and was concerned it could ruin the ownership experience.
The heat issue is real. It's there. On hot, humid days - the kind with which Ohioans are quite familiar - it will bake your shins. I wear FG Hypertex overpants and BMW Gore-Tex boots, which help a bit. Days where I've worn jeans and sneakers on a short neighborhood ride were uncomfortably warm. The aluminum spar frame, into which the engine is solidly mounted, helps radiate heat as well, which somewhat increases the baking factor.
Regardless of the heat which roils off the two cylinder banks, it has never been so uncomfortable that it's in any way turned me off from what the bike does well, which is to munch miles. For a big, heavy bike, it handles beautifully. The suspension isn't as sophisticated as the Paralever/Telelever combo I was used to on my Beemers ... shorter travel, for instance, and a little more dive under braking. But the bike doesn't porpoise or wallow at all. Stable, steady and trusting, even when heeled over pretty well.
Honda offers excellent ABS brakes, which I have on mine. Being used to ABS, I feel more comfortable having them. They're totally linear and you don't realize they're on or working. No clunks or "cha-chinks" when leaving a stoplight. They just work.
The motor is the centerpiece of the bike and it's fantastic. I'm a fan of V-4s, including the old Magna and, of course, the VFR/Interceptor design, both of which sit the other way in the frame. Think of the ST as two Guzzi motors glued together. The torque curve is flatter than my first date's chest and the horsepower figure is impressive enough: somewhere in the neighborhood of 123 bhp at the crankshaft. Even with a fair amount of weight, the engine isn't found lacking for motivational go-power. It's an honest 145 mph machine. I've cruised at 120 for short burts and, believe me, it had a lot left.
The transmission is a typical wet, multi-plate clutch Japanese design ... meaning very smooth. Snick from gear to gear with little thought. Coming off the R1150GS, the tranny seemed to shift almost by ESP. The ST has only five speeds and I wondered initially if I would miss that tall overdrive 6th gear that my GS had. But the gear spacing is so perfect, so spot-on, I've never wished for another gear. At an indicated 80, the bike is turning about 4,100 rpm ... and with that motor, so well-balanced (and aided by a counter-rotating balancing shaft system), there is no tingling in either pegs or bars, just a pleasant thrumming feeling ...

The gauges are terrific and offer entertainment value, as well as real world facts, on long rides. Average miles per gallon (since the last reset) is shown as well as a snapshot of current miles per gallon about every 20 seconds. So hard passing might show 5.5 mpg while a long downhill portion might yield 80 mpg. Overall, I've gotten approximately 45 mpg out of unleaded premium, which Honda recommends. Not bad for a big pig that's not babied ...

More info includes digital readouts of ambient air temperature, fuel gauge, time, and engine temperature, represented by bars (three is normal). Simple and easy to read.
The tach and speedo are analog, just as God intended.

The luggage system is excellent: totally waterproof, easy to use, reasonably robust and totally removeable. The shape sometimes limits packing a tad but they'll hold enough for a nice long trip easily. Add to that a nice luggage rack and you can haul enough stuff for quite a few states.

Maintenance is practically nil. Valve adjustments, while complicated (and expensive) only occur at 16K intervals. Most valves hold adjustment for the life of the bike but the occasional errant clearance necessitates pulling the camshafts for a new shim. It's a balancing act, after all: trading the easy valve adjustment chores on, say, a Boxer twin for much longer intervals.

Would I buy the bike again?
In a heartbeat.
Any concerns that I might have had going in that the bike was too much of a compromise or a step down from BMW quality were quickly blown away by its excellent performance. The motor pulls strongly and makes a nice growl under full throttle. It handles better than I can fully appreciate. It's comfortable for long days (my chronically bad back not withstanding), it offers excellent weather protection and it's a bargain. You can often find one substantially discounted under MSRP and Honda will tack on extended warranties for reasonable cost.
It's capable of 100 mph blasts all day long, nationwide touring or trundling around town with equal aplomb. It's fast, smooth, comfortable and reasonably priced.
If that doesn't make for a terrific motorcycle, I don't know what does.
JohnTM Who's my daddy? Supporter

I didn't know Honda made bikes!

Nice write-up, Danno!
Rider Spectacularly Correct
Nice write-up Rider. The ST pops up on my "what the hell am I gonna do with all these bikes" list everytime I think of thinning the herd.
I Thought
I Heard

you have a Civic .
Ride Red
Hey, great write up! I have been researching the sprout tourers all spring as the kids want to do more long distance trips with me this summer. The sidecar on the /5 isn't "cool" my daughter told me last wknd (oh the pain, like losing a loved one to avian flu). Damn 8 year olds! So I'm on this mind-numbing addiction to find that perfect ride and on top is the FJR. Close second is the ST. I've sat on both and plan to ride both AS SOON AS IT STOPS RAINING.
And like I was saying, before the head hit the keyboard, was if the FJR (aside from the ahat pre-order crap) was ever in the running with you? I like it for the sport - kids like it for the tourer.
brutus Middle of no where, closer to the edge

Joined:

Nov 29, 2003

Oddometer:

87

First off great write up and photo's. Secondly this could not have been written up at a better time. My '03 K1200RS W/ 21500mi has another finial drive leak. New finial drive installed 1 month before Lima rally, new drive shaft and tranny seal in Feb '06 and now with only 2500 mi on new finial drive it is leaking again and bike is now out of warranty, dealer says if it is finial drive it will not be covered. I will look at the Honda as a replacement if that is the case. Thanks for the information.
Thanks for the great review. I really liked my 1100, sounds like the 1300 rocks.
Good report. Good looking bike. My ST 1100 was a bit warm as well. BMW's escalating prices and slipping quality is causing more former owners to take a look at other brands. This is a good example.
Thanks Rider, climbed on a 1300 at the dealers a month ago. It was a good fit. Still like the motor of a goldwing but all the junk on them now
From what I can read of the specs, it is a 4-valve head, but does not have the VTEC complications of the VFR. I had to remove the cams to adjust the clearances on my ST1100, but the cams simply lifted out without disturbing the cam drive. Usually it was as simple as checking the clearances and finding them to be fine. Other than having silent chain instead of belts, the ST1300 valve train seems more similar to the ST1100 than the VFR. Shouldn't be expensive for valve adjustments. - Lee
Nice to read a write-up from someone that has ridden other bikes, and actually spent some time on the one he's reviewing, nicely done. It seems like even in the long term tests in the mags that the person writing the review has only spent some time on the bike, not usually lived with it excusively for a while.
Tripod, not to confuse the sport-touring choices further, but it sounds like Kawasaki will be introducing a touring version of the K1400, though maybe not in time for touring this summer with your kids. I'm in the same boat, momma wants to go along on street rides more often, and the kids like to go and are getting bigger all of the time. I've seen some Hayabusa's that have been outfitted pretty nicely for sport touring. Beaudry's has some great brackets for mounting Givi luggage, but they don't leave much room for a passengers foot. The Corbin bags look cool, but are oddly shaped and have smallish openings. I'm thinking the Busa, or it's replacement (if rumors are true) may end up being the sport tourer for me. After reading Riders report the Honda may be a consideration too.
Rider Spectacularly Correct

Used to.
I moved up to an Accord.
Rider Spectacularly Correct

The FJR would have been in the running if I'd had an opportunity to test-ride the damn thing before committing to it.
My dealer, who also carries Yamaha, offered to set me up with one but I declined for the aforementioned reasons. Several members here own one, including Jabba, who just picked up his new '06 a couple of days ago. I'll try to convince him to write an in-depth report for you all.
There's no question the FJR makes serious horsepower (I think it's about 145 bhp), but I'm unsure about the ergos for us ... ahem ... "bigger gentlemen". Hence, my hesitancy in plunking down big dollars for one sight unseen. There have been reports of disintegrating valve guides and other problems too, although it's sometimes hard to separate fact from Internet fiction ...
Rider Spectacularly Correct

Ugh. Sorry to hear about your final drive problems.
I won't deny that my frustration with BMW's continuing problems in this area helped steer me towards the Honda. I simply know too many people who've fought that problem on BMWs, myself included, and it started to gnaw away at my confidence in the marque.
Nice post. If I ever get as old as you, I might consider the ST.
Rider Spectacularly Correct

Says the guy who's looking to ride an H-D Ultra Classic.
I've got about 6,000 miles on my '05 ST1300. I'd agree 100% with what Rider wrote. I'd add that the adjustable seat makes the bike doable for the inseam challenged like me (29") and Honda's add-on heat deflectors help a bunch with the engine heat issue, especially here in the Southwest where the 100 degree days have started already.
I thought seriously about the R1200RT (loved it when I rode it) but the $5k price difference wasn't in my mind justifiable. My local Yamaha dealer had the FJ1300 in stock but blue bikes are slower than red ones and for refinement I had to give the edge to the Honda ST with such a long reputation for reliability. I have a riding buddy with 165,000 miles on her '00 ST and with zilch for problems. Her success was a definite factor in choosing the ST.