A dilemma: Restore my ST or buy a different bike

[the cueball]

I'm just going through this with my 1990, 100k mile bike.

I currently have 6 bikes, but I love my Pan.. I got it cheap many years ago on a drunken Ebay bid.. I have now put 90k on it riding all over Europe, in all kinds of conditions.

Then my exhaust bracket snapped, I moved house, a value came off and deflated the front tyre... and...and...and...

Last month I had enough and decided to get her back on the road... so I'm now a bit over £1k in parts (tyres, exhuast, brakes,service etc).. doing all of it myself.

2 bits of bodywork to paint and it's done.

The bike is worthless to most, but not to me... it sits proudly next to my new 200mph suprcharged beast... but still has more of my heart!

 

[John OoSTerhuis]

I have come to the conclusion that replacement is the best option.

Please find a good, loving home for that classic Sparkling Silver Metallic beauty. Someone who will cherish it… AND RIDE IT! Please…

Regards, John

 

[jwumpus]

Please find a good, loving home for that classic Sparkling Silver Metallic beauty. Someone who will cherish it… AND RIDE IT! Please…

Regards, John

I will definitely do my best

 

[jwumpus]

I have returned. After further review, the FJR is not going to work for me. Looked at the ZX-14, Hayabusa, Super Duke GT, K1300S, and probably others that I am forgetting. Out of those, the K1300S was the only one I really liked. And I REALLY liked it. Perfect fit but ultimately probably not the best choice. So now I am back to considering what I would need to do to the ST. It never got the 40A upgrade so I would want to do that. The bike was at around 60K miles when I got it and I don't know the service history so I'm thinking timing belt needs checking, splines lubed, all that. My job is less insane now than it was last year so I do actually have to time to do all that work. Maybe I should assume that everything needs doing. Probably should get a shop manual. There are a couple of cracks in the plastic. Need to figure out how to fix that. No idea as I've never attempted it. I'm also debating having it painted but I am hesitant because that sparkling silver metallic is nice. Oh, and eventually it will need a top box.

 

[Obo]

I have returned. After further review, the FJR is not going to work for me. Looked at the ZX-14, Hayabusa, Super Duke GT, K1300S, and probably others that I am forgetting. Out of those, the K1300S was the only one I really liked. And I REALLY liked it. Perfect fit but ultimately probably not the best choice. So now I am back to considering what I would need to do to the ST.

Did you ever consider jumping up from the 1100 to a 1300?

 

[jwumpus]

Did you ever consider jumping up from the 1100 to a 1300?

I never thought to look at a 1300. I stopped looking after the K1300S because it was perfect for what I need. I should check one out. Or I could dump time and money into my 1100. I'm fond of it despite its wooden brakes, worst stock seat of any bike I've ever sat on, and all the work it will need.

 

[jwumpus]

It needs suspension work, too. I've ridden a properly suspended ST1100. My bike rides like the opposite of that.

 

[Ron]

... I'm fond of it despite its wooden brakes, worst stock seat of any bike I've ever sat on, and all the work it will need.

I agree with you on the seat. However, I know a Guy that put a little under 100K miles on a stock seat in less than 3 years. I consider the stock seat only slightly better than a 2 X 12 plank.

For the front "wooden brakes", look at a thread by one of our 1100 riders, beemerphile.

www.st-owners.com/forums/threads/brake-master-cylinder-swap.168536/

 

[Erdoc48]

A few things…for one, these are actually pretty easy to work on bikes. I did a lot of work to mine in the past, never having done the work previously, and was able to get it all sorted out (yes, maybe taking longer than many of you on the forum but still got it done). Today, it’s tire change day on the 94 (so I get to use my Olmaxmotors tire changer) plus troubleshoot my ABS system on the bike. I haven’t done the alternator swap (was done for me on the 94 before I took ownership, but I know it’s not a fun job but doable). I had ‘wooden brakes’ on my 2000 (non ABS bike) and I realized with the sintered pads, I had the wooden feeling but replaced those with ceramic pads, and the wooden feeling is gone - it has better bite and lever feel now. Timing belt wise, not a bad idea as well as hoses and elbows under the carbs, but most will tell you the timing belt will look new (mine did as well despite the age).

Or (and I’m not suggesting this necessarily), fix it up suspension and seat wise to your liking and just ride it until it fails, just doing the necessary maintenance (which is unlikely)…do A to A trips (round trips) if you have concerns about a long distance run. If you decide to take a long road trip, depending on what state you’re in, you can just rent a bike if you have concerns about reliability, plus, you get to try a nice rental (I’ve done this a few times in Colorado and rented an FJR 1300, BMW R1200RT, and a BMW K1600 GTL, which were all really nice to try out). And if you’re in your home state where you can’t rent, travel (fly) to one where you can and rent there, and see the sights/mountains, etc. That can work out really well.

I would agree the stock seat is rubbish, but what I’ve done on my Saddlemen seats as well as on the Silverwing is place a mesh seat cover- Sit and Fly seat cover (they sell them on eBay for about $30 or so)-the STs have the AirFlow seat covers that are more money, which make the seat very comfortable and you get excellent airflow under your rump. I’d probably source a Sit and Fly cover as I’m really pleased with the one I have on the scooter.

 

[Uncle Phil]

A ST1100 properly setup will do about anything a street motorcycle needs to do.
The question becomes 'Where is your head and heart?"
You'll spend money to get a ST1100 setup to suit you, but you will spend a whole lot more on a 'new' bike.
The ST1100s are pretty much dead simple to work on and very reliable.
The big challenge is getting bodywork and some parts - especially for the ABS systems (IIRC you don't have an ABS).
And if you have a real concern about replacement parts, pick up a cheap used one for spares.
One just sold for $800 and the purchaser will get much more than that value in parts.

 

[Larry Fine]

One just sold for $800 and the purchaser will get much more than that value in parts.

 

[jwumpus]

If I had any sense I would sell it as a parts bike

 

[Uncle Phil]

If I had any sense I would sell it as a parts bike

If you do, sell it as one piece (and don't expect to get much).
You do not want to get into the 'parting out' business as you will end up with a bunch of stuff at the end you can't sell plus the hassle of packing and shipping.
You are going end up spending money - you have to decide whether it's on the ST1100 or some other bike.
That's a question no one can answer for you because folks are on both sides of that.

 

[Larry Fine]

If I had any sense I would sell it as a parts bike

28a alternator = sell
40a alternator = keep

 

[SMSW]

If you seriously consider a 1300, go for a post '08. These newer bikes have not had the dreaded Code 25/ECU failures that the '07 and earlier bikes have had. I would think you could easily find one for the money you are talking about sinking into your 1100. Of course, any new-old bike will probably need a thousand $'s worth of fixing. Fluids, battery, tires, brakes come to mind. And, you want an RDL or equiv.

 

[jwumpus]

I have returned. So I've done the following:
Drained fuel. Replaced with fresh fuel.
Cleaned spark plugs.
Changed oil.
Flushed and replaced coolant.
Flushed and replaced brake fluid.
Removed most of the plastics, thoroughly cleaned the lower half of the motor.
Start up fine, idles fine. All good.
Except I just noticed that it's a bit louder than it should be....
Exhaust leaks on both sides where the muffler connects. Worse on the left.
So that's just freaking great. Looks nice, though.

 

[jwumpus]

Right side just needed clamp adjusted and tightened. Nice! Left side there is rust and missing metal. Much less nice. The upside is that I don't see issues with the pipes in any other spot. Maybe cut that end off and a bit of welding will straighten it out.

 

[jwumpus]

I have interest from a couple of local buyers so I pulled all the plastics to get a good look at everything. Looks pretty nice under there. No corrosion, no leaks, none of the hoses seem to be in need of immediate replacement. Exhaust leak just past the collector box was the only problem I could find.

 

[rwthomas1]

You are making a career of sitting on that fence! That was intended as a friendly jab, BTW. If you sell it, I hope you find what you want. But I don't understand why you simply don't ride the thing? What are the most pressing issues? Fix those first. Then ride it. Seat sucks? Get a new/used seat for it. I picked up a used Corbin and its great. All the issues you have noted, at least what I've seen, don't stop you from enjoying it. I put Sonic springs and a Hagon shock on mine. Done, for relatively cheap, like $600 total. Went through the brakes once, they are really easy. Just did them again 3yrs later, again, pretty simple. I have a hole in the exhaust too and am facing the cost of Delkevic system. But in the meantime if it gets to be a problem a little muffler tape and hose clamps will suffice. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good enough. Just ride it. I put roughly 3-400miles a week on mine commuting when its warm enough. Dead reliable, never had a problem. Everytime I think I need a new bike, I ride them, then realize I won't be any happier on them, so I just twist the 1100's throttle and move on.

 

[jwumpus]

But it's a comfortable fence! Actually, I sold it yesterday to someone who will properly appreciate it.