Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014? A short article with responses.
Since writing the article on the new model likely to be introduced to replace the ST1300 in 2014, Triumph has launched the Trophy SE. Triumph started working on the development of in 2007 and has clearly produced a state of the art sports tourer to compete with the BMW R1200 RT, ST1300, Concourse, and FJ1300.
Simon Warburton, Triumph Project Manager said, “When we started we looked at the Pan European, the R1200RT and the FJ1300 because in 2007 those were the three best in the class. As we always do we evaluate them, work out what are the best bits of the best bikes, and try to beat them” (Two Wheels, January 2013, p.14).
Interestingly, Triumph decided to incorporate many of the features that I suggested should be incorporated in Honda’s upgrade of the ST1300. As well as this, Triumph obviously likes the styling of the ST since the Trophy looks a lot like the ST when viewed from the front.
http://www.cycleworld.com/2012/09/07/2013-triumph-trophy-1200-se-first-ride-review/
In a comparison of the ST with the 2013 FJ1300 and Concourse, Motorcycle.Com note that “with no U.S. model ST scheduled for 2013, prophesying a revamped ST for 2014 is a tasty fantasy for sport-touring enthusiasts.”
http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/2013-sporttouring-shootout-10-video-91504.html
They suggest that with less weight, slightly more power and contemporary electronics the ST1300 may well claim top spot in comparison to its competitors in the Sports Tourer category.
From my perspective, after owning the ST1300 for two years and posting 13,000 kilometres plus a little track time, I like the bike more than ever and have no regrets about purchasing it. For me it’s still the best bike in this category taking into account the engine, handling, storage capacity, long-term reliability, comfort, aerodynamics, and styling. As I’ve said in the original article, the key thing Honda has to do is to retain the longitudinally mounted V4.
Finally, before buying my ST1300 I did a lot of market research in the year prior to buying my ST. Originally I was going to buy a BMW R1200RT- then I found out about the reliability issues with it's drive train- including talking to a local long-term BMW owner who said- "You've got to watch out for the shaft drive- they are unreliable and cost a lot to get fixed". The big problem with the reviews of motorcycles by bike mags is that they all tend to read like advertorials. The reason is simple- if they give a bike a really negative review they are unlikely to get more bikes to test from the manufacturer's distributor. Furthermore, these are brief tests of new bikes- they give no real indication of how well a bike is likely to perform over the long haul. In New Zealand the five years from new depreciation on a BMW RT is around $10k greater than a Honda ST13000- that says a lot about the comparative long-term reliability of the two bikes.
