I have some thoughts as to the whole SMC issue, which appears to cause more trouble on the 1300 than the 1100....
Personally I would never simply change a set of pads, this means that you build up more and more crud in the caliper and around the pistons, worse still you are pushing dirty and possibly surface corroded pistons back in to the caliper.... this can only lead to trouble.
Every dealer I know, if asked to check the brakes and fit new pads if required, will simply fit new pads.... no cleaning of pistons or caliper....
Every time I change a tyre or service the bike, I clean the calipers.... I used ACF50 to do this as it cleans and protects the metalwork and prevents any further corrosion damage to the pistons...
If doing this I also check the SMC, the bearings, pivots etc.....
I have also now decided, after years of re-using bolts, that I am uncomfortable with this since having two caliper bolts drop out of the right hand caliper on my PC800, despite having been torqued correctly, although I didn't use any threadlock on the bolts.
This has never happened before in all the years I have been doing my own maintenance.....
When servicing my "new to me" NT700V Deauville in April, I was going to re-use the caliper bolts with thread lock applied, but when torquing them up, they felt all wrong.... there was a distinct feeling that they were stretching... so I stopped and used a short ratchet and socket to finish the job.... and ordered new bolts straight away.
New bolts come with threadlock pre-applied and they felt quite different when tightening....
My personal take is that if you don't do your own servicing, you should consider taking classes or attending STOC events where technically competent members demonstrate how to do your own work... this may take more than one or two visits to learn enough to do things like brakes, but it is worth learning.
If you still don't feel up to it, maybe asking the dealer to ensure that the exact work you want done IS DONE.... this is not easy.
Brakes are vital to survival on a motorcycle and although apparently complex, they are not.... they can be if you are not mechanically or technically orientated, but help is never far away.
Never assume that because a dealer says they have serviced your brakes that they mean they are cleaned and inspected, what they mean, usually, is they have checked your pads and replaced as required... this is NOT servicing.
Okay so, a bit of a rant, not trying to stand on toes... the brakes on an ST are good, considering the weight they are expected to haul down from speed.... and if there is anything not working correctly, then there may be trouble ahead.... and you won't stop in time.....
It is even more vital on an ABS equipped bike to ensure the brakes are correctly maintained and this is not just about changing pads.
I have never had any issues with brakes on any of my bikes, other than the bolts on the PC800, which was a one off and I got off lightly.... proper maintenance and cleaning is vital and I highly recommend proper attention to them every time you change a tyre or do a service.
This may mean if you go to dealer, then a chat with your dealer service manager, preferably the actual technician that will do the work, is vital to understand exactly what they are intending to do to your brakes if they require work.
Well that's my 2 whatever currency you deal in.....!