new guy, considering an st1300

[oneshot]

howdy. just found this site, looks pretty cool.

i am considering buying an st1300 later this year, or around the 1st of next year. i thought i'd hang out here for awhile, and learn all i can.

i am currently riding a kaw concourse and a v-strom 650. i love both of those bikes but i think i'm about ready to move on to something else. i am thinking i will probably sell both bikes when i am ready to get the st.

has anyone here had a connie? i would like to hear some comparisons between the two from someone that has ridden both..

thanx,
kevin

[Pred8tor]

Welcome! I haven't owned a connie... but was considering one before I picked up my ST. I'll always have a sweet spot for Kawasaki (my first bike).

[Killtimer]

Welcome to the mad house. :D

I've never owned a Connie but I put a few thousand miles on one while I was waiting for my previous ST. IMHO the Connie is the best bang for the buck in the ST realm, but you have to remember that it's almost 20 year old technology. The ST does almost everything better. It's faster, quicker, handles better, has better luggage, better weather protection etc. The Connie's tire choices are even more limited than the ST's. The only big plus I've seen to the Connie is the valve adjustment procedure and some other maintenance issues. Simplicity has a place. Adjustable front forks are also nice, but most people don't miss them. Some say that the ST lacks character and they may be right. I can live with it. :) Keep the 'strom, the ST handles dirt and gravel... well like a ~700# barge. :rolleyes: HTH

[GRN]

howdy. just found this site, looks pretty cool.

i am considering buying an st1300 later this year, or around the 1st of next year. i thought i'd hang out here for awhile, and learn all i can.

i am currently riding a kaw concourse and a v-strom 650. i love both of those bikes but i think i'm about ready to move on to something else. i am thinking i will probably sell both bikes when i am ready to get the st.

has anyone here had a connie? i would like to hear some comparisons between the two from someone that has ridden both..

thanx,
kevin

A buddy of mine back in PA used to ride a Connie, we used to switch (he now rides an ST11 like what I had at the time)... in summery... ST's, either the 11 or 13 will seem like sex with 4 hot broads at the same time in comparison!!! Am I allowed to say that here?
:D

Faster, smoother... overall dif. in design and technology is almost past particular comparison. If you like the Connie, you'll probably love the ST man. The early Connie in the 80's is what got me turned onto the sport touring gig, almost bought one when I found my 91 ST11, absolutely no regrets.

Fall is going to be a great time unless you like the 06 color a lot more, from what I have seen sales have been slow this year, so Sept., after the dealers meet and the 06 intro., 05's will be easy to bargain for. Got my 04 that way for a steal (10,900 w/ heated grips/non-ABS).

[SpEd]

howdy. just found this site, looks pretty cool.

i am considering buying an st1300 later this year, or around the 1st of next year. i thought i'd hang out here for awhile, and learn all i can.

has anyone here had a connie? i would like to hear some comparisons between the two from someone that has ridden both..

thanx,
kevin

Hi Kevin,

I owned a '99 Concours for a while. I still subscribe to TCAT and always enjoy reading about your rides.

The Concours is an awesome ride, but I thought it lived for the higher revs. The ST redlines at 2500 RPM less than my Connie did, but the powerband seems to be completely across the tach. While I thought my connie would come alive at 5,000 RPM, I don't get that from my ST. Its almost as though the ST is more "gentlemanly" if that makes sense. If you twist the throttle on the ST, you'll get power from the get go, and not a surge at a certain RPM.

I think the biggest difference is that you won't have to work on the ST. The Concours is an awesome ride, but the fact that I won't be working on any bike in the future made a big difference in getting one.

Before the ST, I had a Wing and a Concours. I sold my Concours and traded in the Wing because I thought the ST would do the job of both. I do miss the sound of the Connie when I'd hit the throttle though. Sweet!

No digs here for the Concours by any means from me. I loved mine. While I didn't own it for a long time, it convinced me that a sport-tourer would be something I'd enjoy. I hope Austin City Limits will chime in quickly. He could give you a definitive comparison to the two bikes.

Hope to see you here on the boards, and ride safe.

[oneshot]

Welcome to the mad house. :D

I've never owned a Connie but I put a few thousand miles on one while I was waiting for my previous ST. IMHO the Connie is the best bang for the buck in the ST realm, but you have to remember that it's almost 20 year old technology. The ST does almost everything better. It's faster, quicker, handles better, has better luggage, better weather protection etc. The Connie's tire choices are even more limited than the ST's. The only big plus I've seen to the Connie is the valve adjustment procedure and some other maintenance issues. Simplicity has a place. Adjustable front forks are also nice, but most people don't miss them. Some say that the ST lacks character and they may be right. I can live with it. :) Keep the 'strom, the ST handles dirt and gravel... well like a ~700# barge. :rolleyes: HTH

yea the connie is old tech but it has been a great bike. i have had 2 of them. i did quite a bit of work on the forks and front brakes (i make a few motorcycle accessories for a living) and it handles a lot better that stock. the strom? i use it for my 1-up-touring/hooligan bike. but don't let anyone fool you with that dual sport biz. the v-strom is just a street bike w/ a lift kit, imho. i also have a klx400r for my dirt needs. so i will let the strom go also....reluctantly.

[Killtimer]

the v-strom is just a street bike w/ a lift kit, imho. i also have a klx400r for my dirt needs. so i will let the strom go also....reluctantly.

Makes perfect sense.

[oneshot]

sped? ACL is on here too? and i think i recognize a couple other names on here also.....he77, i'm gonna feel right at home around here!!! :D

[SpEd]

sped? ACL is on here too? and i think i recognize a couple other names on here also.....he77, i'm gonna feel right at home around here!!! :D

And you should. This is a great board with many informed individuals. You'll enjoy yourself here, and you're going to love the ST. I was riding home from school today questioning my sanity about a buying a 2nd ride. I had been looking at a Vulcan 750 to have a cruiser, but this bike is just the ultimate ride as far as I'm concerned. I have turned the throttle on several different bikes over the last couple of years inclding a Wing, a Vulcan 1500 Classic, a Concours and now the ST. I really love this bike. I think you will too.

I saw your post to TCAT about selling your Concours and the Strom. Don't wait. You know the red ones are the fastest. :) :biker: :biker: :biker:

[Mellow]

Can't give you any advise as far as bike comparisons go, just wanted to :welcome1: you to the site.

[Austin city limits]

Hey Oneshot!!! Welcome!!!

Just do me a favor??? Don't tell these guys here how much I was hated over at the Connie site... I am trying to change my ways... :D

My opinion on both will have to wait for another day as I am still unpacking from the Family Truckster trip... AND,,, leave next week on my 20 day Motorcycle trip... But will say,,, the ST,,, is a GREAT bike,,, and I don't say that about just any bike... If I had to buy again,,, I would,,, and it would be the Red ST ABS just like this time... The added Horsepower and women appeal is just,,, worth it in every way... :biker:

[CrashTestDanny]

Welcome to the ST club, oneshot! Make sure you buy a red one - they're much faster than the others!


Some say that the ST lacks character and they may be right.

I had heard this and thought it before I bought the bike, but the truth is that anything lacks character until you get to know it. The ST is no different - if you don't know much about it, it lacks character. Every day that I ride this bike I discover more of its character and charm. Everything I want to do with a motorcycle, this bike does well. Wanna drag the pegs off? (tip-over wings anyhow) It does that. Wanna go fast and straight? sure! Do a couple wheelies? go right ahead! (not on MY baby though - and skip the endos - LBS will make that pretty tough) But the real reason we buy the ST is so that we can tour in style and still run circles around the Gold Wings - there just aren't any other bikes that can do both of those at the same time.

Oh - and ACL is right about the sex appeal that goes with this bike. I was having to beat the women off before I got it, but now it's almost impossible to go anywhere without having some 18-25 year old hottie wanting to hop on and go for a ride! Where were all these women before I got married?!

the ST handles dirt and gravel... well like a ~700# barge.

Unfortunately, I have to agree here, but Killtimer was really being generous. It handles dirt and gravel more like a 700# unicycle, IMO.

[oneshot]

thanx to all for the welcome, and the info.

as far as the color choice goes here's a pic of my connie:
http://www.pbase.com/oneshot5806/image/28952728
i also have a pickup, boat, and had a ford explorer that
same color, so you know what i'll be looking for :biker:

ACL, i remember the emails you sent me about your bike
when u 1st got it, i know what you think. it's good to see
you on here...i thought this website...smelled like ...reeces
peanut butter cups :D if you get a minute shoot me a link
or a phone # to that place you mentioned in chattanooga.

sped, when are u gonna come on a tcat ride with us?

mellow, you're from dallas? u gotta check out the tcat site.
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/tcat22/

kevin

[tccox]

Welcome to the mad house. :D

Some say that the ST lacks character and they may be right. I can live with it. :) Keep the 'strom, the ST handles dirt and gravel... well like a ~700# barge. :rolleyes: HTH


I used to hear the Honda lacks character thing from fellow BMW riders. I invite anyone who thinks that to go beg or borrow a ST1300, find a nice stright section of road and grab one great big handfull of throttle through all 5 gears. Then, after they've changed their drawers let em try to tell me the big ST lacks character.....

[Mellow]

thanx to all for the welcome, and the info.

as far as the color choice goes here's a pic of my connie:
http://www.pbase.com/oneshot5806/image/28952728
i also have a pickup, boat, and had a ford explorer that
same color, so you know what i'll be looking for :biker:

ACL, i remember the emails you sent me about your bike
when u 1st got it, i know what you think. it's good to see
you on here...i thought this website...smelled like ...reeces
peanut butter cups :D if you get a minute shoot me a link
or a phone # to that place you mentioned in chattanooga.

sped, when are u gonna come on a tcat ride with us?

mellow, you're from dallas? u gotta check out the tcat site.
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/tcat22/

kevin


Kevin, thanks I'll check it out...

I'll also ask Charlie if he left a bag of reeces on top of the server... might account for the smell?

[Austin city limits]

Man,,, you DO,,, know me Oneshot... I would drive a IronButt Sidesaddle for a bag of Mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups fresh out of the freezer and a Gallon of milk... :rolleyes:

Here is the Chattanoga link...

Southern Honda (http://www.southernhonda.com/)

[SpEd]

thanx to all for the welcome, and the info.

sped, when are u gonna come on a tcat ride with us?

kevin

Not too sure I could keep up. Do you have a slow, sorta stupid group? :)

[oneshot]

Not too sure I could keep up. Do you have a slow, sorta stupid group? :)


lol. absolutely.. :D

[oneshot]

Man,,, you DO,,, know me Oneshot... I would drive a IronButt Sidesaddle for a bag of Mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups fresh out of the freezer and a Gallon of milk... :rolleyes:

Here is the Chattanoga link...

Southern Honda (http://www.southernhonda.com/)


thanx terry. now i just need to talk myself into parting w/ my other bikes.

decisions, decisions...

i wonder if i could talk murph into buying my strom. that way i could borrow it from time to time. :D

[KTMDAVID]

I'll chime in here. In February of '02 I bought a brand new Concours. I really wanted an ST 1100. But the difference in retail price suckered me into buying the Concours. I like it well enough. It got great gas mileage, it was fast and reliable. I thought that I was happy with it. I probably still would be riding that Connie if I hadn't taken a spin on an ST. I got to ride a buddies ST 1300 for about 150 miles one day. I found that it did everything better than the Concours. Better fuel mileage, it was faster, it was smoother (MUCH SMOOTHER). The ST motor is much quiter mechanically (No strange rattles and ticks here). The ST handles much better also. They are both heavy bikes. The ST hides the weight better. Fit and finish are much better on the Honda. In 1986 the Connie was a good bike. In 2005 the Connie is an antique.

In June of '04 I took delivery of a brand new ST 1300. I have spent just over 1 year and 12,000 miles on the ST. I wish I had just went ahead and bought an ST back in '02. But, if I had not owned the Connie, I would have never realized just how good the ST really is.

[Austin city limits]

Murph should,,, buy your bike!!!

I want to tell everyone here that Oneshot is a HECK of a fabricator... He and a guy named Murph make a Bunch of stuff for the Connie and it is all great stuff too...

If we get Oneshot involved in an ST,,, I KNOW,,, we are going to have another guy,,, making stuff we all need,,, or,,, more simply put,,, a "Farkle Provider"... :D

[Putt]

Oneshot,
Welcome to the board... Even if you do know Terry....
We all have our millstones....:crackup



Putt...

[sherob]

That's ACLHLAH :eek:

[oneshot]

after a few days of consideration(months really) i decided i am going to go ahead and get an st1300. so, i have an '03 connie, and an '04 v-strom 650 for sale. i'm going to put them in the local paper and cycle trader in about a week. if any of you guys know someone looking for a bike, i'll make someone a good deal, if i can avoid the hassle of listing them and showing them to a bunch of casual lookers.....they are both farkled out pretty good, btw.


guess you guys are gonna be stuck w/ me for a while :D

[oneshot]

yes thanx. i did that. got a couple nibbles already....

[oneshot]

well, i just got back from the local honda dealership. they had an '05 sitting on the floor w/ 13,999 written on it. i told they guy i found one out of state for 11,354 and it would be another 1000.00 to get it home and licensed here. so i offered him 12,300 otd......didn't say no, but he didn't say yes either. he gave me the "i gotta talk to the boss" line and took my number. i guess we'll see...

[DWJ Honda]

Oneshot,

Is that with ABS? Am just about to pick up a brand new '05 abs for 14,300, but that is in addition to a great trade on my '01 Wing, a couple of thousand more than the other dealers in my area would give me. SO the bottom line for me is a very small out of pocket cost.

By the way. I have really admired the 650 v-strom. Came very close to pulling the trigger on one instead of the ST. Am glad I held out!

DWJ

[oneshot]

nope, that's for a non-abs.

[SpEd]

Hope the deal works out for you Kevin. Good luck!:biker:

[oneshot]

well, i sold the connie tonight. gonna deliver it tomorrow, and order the st.....YEHAW!!! :D

[Carl_T]

:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :beer3: Excellent!!!

[Lake Cle Elum]

Oneshot - Welcome, I"m new to with this being my 1st post. I've put over 200,000 miles on 3 Concours since 1988. A week ago I flew from Seattle to New Orleans to p/u a very nice '04 ST1300. Had 6,900 miles a week ago. It now has 10,400....

I'll never bad mouth the Connie after all those years of faithful service, BUT: The ST is much smoother, handles better, is less top heavy, has better brakes, better suspension, and get better fuel mileage. I did 44-46 mpg on my trip home..The weather protection is about the same, as is the luggage capacity. Anyhow, proceed and don't look back. Best thing I ever did.

I'll be picking the brains of this board in the near future as I start to "Farkle up"....Take care.....

[oneshot]

cool...another familiar name from the cog forums.

ordered my '05 st this morning from abernathy's in tenn. i'll pick 'er up in about 3-4 weeks. only problem is that the nearest airport is in memphis, about 120 miles away. maybe i'll fly to memphis then take a bus to union city....?

can't wait!!! :headbang:

[SpEd]

maybe i'll fly to memphis then take a bus to union city....?

can't wait!!! :headbang:

If you start walking now, you'll be there in 3 or 4 weeks. That should really make you appreciate the ride back. LOL

Congrats on the new ride Oneshot. I know you'll love the bike. Did you get the '05? :biker: :biker: :biker: :biker:

[oneshot]

Congrats on the new ride Oneshot. I know you'll love the bike. Did you get the '05? :biker: :biker: :biker: :biker:

yep, '05 red, for 11,354 otd....someone explain to me why they are so much cheaper in tenn. the best deal i could find within 200 miles of here wwas 12,600 = ttl that's about 13,500-14,000 otd! over 2000.00 difference. i don't understand.....

[clickr]

third bike after two Eliminators. I could easily hit 100 at the end of the onramp on rt35 in Dayton. Took on a 4 wheel BMW on day on the same route and I backed out at 130 just as the state highway patrol went past on the other side of the 4 laner. The trooper caught up with the BMW real quick.

For top end - I would love to see the ST with six gears. The 13K redline sound was awsome. The negative (big one) is the ancient fairing with the ugly design and the screws that loosen up all the time. Roll the Connie on its side and you'll crack the faring quite easy. (anyone want to buy a plastic welder?)

I think the lever feel on the ST is lacking...the shift lever feels like it could bend very easily, and the digital readout is a piece of crap unless at night or sitting still. It is nice to be able to track mileage easier.

Overall I would rate the ST a 10 and Connie a 8.5 on a 10 point scale for performance, 10 and 7 for technology. And 5 to 8 on price.

ST really needs to come down in price. IMHO.

Wife likes the ride of the ST over the Connie, so that has to figure in there somewhere I guess.

The Connie when it came out I believe used the Ninja engine. Kaw now puts the Ninga engine in the 15F jet ski (145hp). I don't believe the ST engine is used in any other bike (which is good I think). I think if you like the Connie you will love the ST.

Cheers.

[Tor]

Looks like Chattanooga also has more or less the same prices on them.

http://www.southernhonda.com/new_vehicle_detail.asp?sid=02551386X8K1K2005J11I07 I53JAMQ1606R0&veh=14057&CatDesc=Motorcycles

Ride Safe

Tor

[oneshot]

Looks like Chattanooga also has more or less the same prices on them.

http://www.southernhonda.com/new_vehicle_detail.asp?sid=02551386X8K1K2005J11I07 I53JAMQ1606R0&veh=14057&CatDesc=Motorcycles

Ride Safe

Tor

i tried to get mine there, but they wouldn't hold it for more than 2 weeks. woulda been great cuz i could have flown into town and rode it home.

in union city, i have to fly to another town, like paducah, nashville, or memphis, and hoof it to the dealership.....i'm still trying to figure that one out. i may have a friend pick me up in nashville, and give me a ride to union city....

[Tor]

Kevin,

Remember this?:

<<<<<i am considering buying an st1300 later this year, or around the 1st of next year. i thought i'd hang out here for awhile, and learn all i can.>>>>>

That was about 10 days ago. I don't know what kind of calendar you're using, but let me know what kind it is."Later this year, or early next year",,mmmm, sure, yeah, absolutely,,,, LOL. I don't blame you, Kevin, congrats to you. Hope you get it fast. I am hunting for one too. Trying to find more stuff to sell, so we'll see when I'll get it. If I just had a "Kevinish" calendar, I would be in perfect shape. BTW I talked do my nearest dealer today, and I managed to squeeze it down to 11.800 new 05 non ABS. I told him I'll get back with you, shortly....

Ride Safe,

Tor

[oneshot]

Kevin,

Remember this?:

<<<<<i am considering buying an st1300 later this year, or around the 1st of next year. i thought i'd hang out here for awhile, and learn all i can.>>>>>

Tor

did i say that?

what the he77, 10 days later is still later this year.....what can i say? i'm an instant gratification type personallity. can't help it. it's a serious medical condition..... :D

[Tor]

I am with you. When I want something, I want it yesterday. Called the dealer again today. He said it would take about a week to get the bike in once I order it. I am scrambling here to sell my 1100 Spirit.

Ride Safe

Tor