Dealer "never seen a ST1300 before"

Okay I had to laugh at this one. Picking up parts today for my center stand (springs and link part). I asked the parts guy for the schematic off his computer. He asks what bike, I say 2007 ST1300. He asks "is that a scooter" I said "yea a heavy one". Then he tells me "I've never seen a ST1300", I told him that's because they never break! This from a Honda dealer . Maybe I should have invited him to the parking lot so he could see his very first one. Thought some of you might get a chuckle out of that.

Some dealers (well, two have told me) never get certain models of Honda's bikes. They think they cannot sell them or whatever. The two I'm thinking of were primarily ATV dealers and they had some off road bikes and crotch rockets. An ST would have been out of place in their showrooms. You're going to sell what you can, not necessarily what the manufacturer wants you to sell.

With the popularity of the1300, that's funny and sad. Think what it was like with the 1100. I think Honda imported about 750 a year in its big years. The second ST1100 I saw was when I attended my first STOC event, the 1999 EaSTOC at the Blue Ridge Campground. It was a bit different than now. Met a couple of the good guys there.

You're going to sell what you can, not necessarily what the manufacturer wants you to sell.

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One of the dealers around here sold ATVs and dirt bikes by the boat load. They had a constantly changing inventory of 25-30 dirt bikes on the floor, all Honda. Another dealer was Goldwing central. They had a half dozen on the floor and more in their storage building. They sold 15-20 a month. If you needed a Goldwing part they were the place to go. They stock a lot of 'Wing (1500) parts and after market parts.

For me the worst part of ST ownership was the blank look on the faces in the service department. They had no idea what it was and had to consult their books to decide on labor quotes and prices. I was unwilling to leave my beloved ST with folks who did not know how to work on it.

I remember the local dealer getting a new parts manager, he was from London England. When I told him what I needed he was astonished. "How do you like your ST?" he asked. "I didn't think anyone rode them over here."

"I love my Pan Euro", I told him. "I just wish there were more of them over here so people would know what it is."

And that was the feeling I had the entire time I owned that wonderful bike.

1dragon said:

I told him that's because they never break!

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Good answer !

Redfish said:

For me the worst part of ST ownership was the blank look on the faces in the service department. They had no idea what it was and had to consult their books to decide on labor quotes and prices. I was unwilling to leave my beloved ST with folks who did not know how to work on it.

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Bingo! I had to do that twice unfortunately. I would take it to a place in Shawnee, but it's a hour away and I can't afford to sit there all day and wait on it. Hopefully I can gain some knowledge on the ST this spring so I can avoid this all together.

Years ago I was looking for an ST1100. Cycle Trader showed one at a Honda dealer in Oceanside. I drove down there & was walking across the parking lot when a salesman came out. Asked if he could help me. Told him I was looking for an ST1100. "Who makes it" he asked. Without a word I turned around & left....

BTW, that dealer isn't there anymore.

Redfish said:

For me the worst part of ST ownership was the blank look on the faces in the service department. They had no idea what it was and had to consult their books to decide on labor quotes and prices. I was unwilling to leave my beloved ST with folks who did not know how to work on it.

I remember the local dealer getting a new parts manager, he was from London England. When I told him what I needed he was astonished. "How do you like your ST?" he asked. "I didn't think anyone rode them over here."

"I love my Pan Euro", I told him. "I just wish there were more of them over here so people would know what it is."

And that was the feeling I had the entire time I owned that wonderful bike.

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If you all think the ST was unknown in the US, you should take a NT700V (Deauville) to the shop. Only sold in the US for two years. (2010,2011) I put ST700 stickers on my NT and had dealers thinking Honda was making a ST700 . Got lots of laughs, They all mistake it for the NC700x. Even had the dealer I bought my NT from wondering what it was.View attachment 161038 View attachment 161039 View attachment 161041

Both bikes have been replaced by me for a new FJR.

In the best years we are led to believe Honda sold just over 2000 ST1300s a year, this from recall information. Going into the recession Honda had about 3500 dealers in the US. It's not a stretch to see many dealers sold one or two a year. Or none.

dduelin said:

In the best years we are led to believe Honda sold just over 2000 ST1300s a year, this from recall information. Going into the recession Honda had about 3500 dealers in the US. It's not a stretch to see many dealers sold one or two a year. Or none.

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Which, I assume, is why you can still find new-in-the-crate 2012's scattered around. Dealers don't want to tie up their capital with merchandise that doesn't sell. Good thing they're so reliable, or we'd all be scavenging one another's parts.

1dragon said:

Picking up parts today for my center stand (springs and link part). I asked the parts guy for the schematic off his computer. He asks what bike, I say 2007 ST1300. He asks "is that a scooter" I said "yea a heavy one". Then he tells me "I've never seen a ST1300", I told him that's because they never break!

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Well I woudl feel better with your tech than mine.

I dropped my bike off yesterday to get an estimate on repairs after having dropped my ST from the lift table.
The mechanic was coming outside to help me unload it said the first and worst mistake he ever had was when working on an ST.
Yeah.. made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

So I had to ask what happened.
He said he was backing it off a lift table, didn't raise the side stand, and as it came back over the ramp the stand caught and it dropped right there.
Hmm....

T_C said:

Well I woudl feel better with your tech than mine.

I dropped my bike off yesterday to get an estimate on repairs after having dropped my ST from the lift table.
The mechanic was coming outside to help me unload it said the first and worst mistake he ever had was when working on an ST.
Yeah.. made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

So I had to ask what happened.
He said he was backing it off a lift table, didn't raise the side stand, and as it came back over the ramp the stand caught and it dropped right there.
Hmm....

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My first thought after hearing that would be "Oh crap"

I don't hold the dealers particularly responsible. They only stock what they think they can sell and what's in demand. Until the American biker gets off their V-twin/cruiser fetish, the market will be easily saturated by the likes of the ST, FJR, Concours etc. Look at big Luxo-tourers; the 'Wing, a few Beemers and and 'Glides have that minority market. Same with sportbikes. I think it's somehow cultural. Only Riders will ever demand ST-level sophistication, and apparently there's more bikers than Riders.

1dragon said:

He asks "is that a scooter" I said "yea a heavy one".

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I would never share that comment with my CBR1000RR riding son. He always calls my ST a scooter!

Keith

Stopped in at the local Honda shop today on a minor errand. This is a VERY small shop that used to be something else like a Sears parts outlet or a small electrical supply company or some such. What used to be a loading dock faces the front (street) side of the building, though there is now a safety railing there and a row of dirt bikes behind it.

Anyhow, about half the sales floor was crammed with ATVs. Inside, way over on one side and behind a bunch of other clutter, was a CTX something-or-other. I didn't bother to go look because I didn't want to damage my eyes. No sign of the new NM4, happily. Out front on a trailer there was a Valkyrie; no idea whether it was a customer's or something being transported between this location and the main location for the dealer, which is 40 miles away, but there it was.

That dealer also keeps an ST1300 listed on their "for rent" books; guess they decided if they couldn't actually sell it they'd try to produce revenue with it some other way.

This is NOT a shop I plan to do a great deal of business with. The first time I was in there another guy stopped in to find out when his bike would be ready after he'd dropped it off for service; it was his third trip in as many weeks and each time they'd fobbed him off with "Nope not yet. Try back next week". Instead of that, I've struck up a relationship with an indy shop a mile or two further away, recommended by a knowledgeable and experienced - and VERY particular - friend of mine.

[QUOTE;1823376]I think many of us certainly move to a beat of a different drum. I bought my Valkyrie as the anti-cruiser and the ST, knowing it was another orphan ( soon to disappear ), but in both cases they were and still are exceptional bikes you can ride for 100,000's of miles and service yourself. Hence why many Stealers never see one!
Looking at the BMW 1600 GT the other day yes its a wonderful piece of engineering.....BUT, I don't need nav that disappears into the dash, i don't need a mouse driven menu, in truth I don't need more power; the ST speeds fine, and I certainly don't need the high cost of service every 12000 miles! $1000.00 I am told.

I love my ST and do I want to add something to the stable this year..yep, maybe another orphan,[/QUOTE]

My dealer won't even stock an ST1300. He admits he is partial to BMW's, and he sells a bunch of them. He has ONE Goldwing on the floor. He said nobody wants a Sport Touring Bike without at least Cruise control on it. He is disappointed with Honda for not staying up with the competition on technology. I'm like you though, I don't need, or want, all that menu driven electronic stuff on my bike. I love the electric windshield on the ST.

I wish it had a decent seat and handlebars that you didn't have to '' reach for". Cruise would be nice, and a place for forward pegs, but that isn't a deal killer to me.

GOV5 said:

I wish it had a decent seat and handlebars that you didn't have to '' reach for". Cruise would be nice, and a place for forward pegs, but that isn't a deal killer to me.

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Happily all those are easily fixable in the accessories aftermarket.

And in a way I am kind of glad they are not standard options, if they were would they be in a shape/location that would fit me. Would the designers place the forward pegs far enough out for me with a 36" inseam, or the seat sculpted for my size derriere. Handlebars, grips, etc... Why pay the factory for upgrades that won't work for me?

But factory cruise is definitely a one-size fits all option.

I don't know why this is a surprise, or a problem. I don't trust dealers working on anything of mine, but it isn't because they are unfamiliar with it. As has been mentioned there weren't many ST1300s sold. Factor in the rarity of problems and it's easy to find dealers who have never seen one.

But why is that a problem? For the most part a bike is a bike. Whether an ST, a Wing, or even a dirt bike they have similar working parts. Unless you are talking something really out there, like a rotary engine or other fairly unique design, there is no reason a mechanic familiar with Gold Wings can't perform quality work on an ST. Quality comes from the technician, not the model he is working on.

What I hate is letting a flat rate part-changer work on anything. Their main goal is to get it in and out as quickly as possible with little thought to quality. That has nothing to do with the model or whether he has seen one before- it has to do with the mechanic, and the way the dealership operates.

I will say you will get a more efficient repair if the technician is familiar with that brand. A Honda technician will most likely be pretty inefficient at diagnosing BMW problems. But within the same brand most systems operate in a similar way- similar mechanicals, similar fasteners, similar electronic systems.

GOV5 said:

My dealer won't even stock an ST1300.... He said nobody wants a Sport Touring Bike without at least Cruise control on it...

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That one really has always mistified me. Its particularly odd in that hardware can be expensive to change but adding electronic bits these days is generally not. In fact look at the F6B, they actually took the cruise off it in the origional models, even tho all the wiring and switch housings were there from the Wing. At least on the current F6B they fixed that, something Honda should have done on the ST in say 2004. I mean really, who is going to use a 700#, 7.7 gallon, 110HP fully flaired bagger to travel anyway