Service

Hello all. Picking up my 2001 st1100( no ABS) on Sunday (19th). It has over 80,000 klms. What should I look for? Are there certain things that should've been done by now? I haven't had a metric bike for 15 years now, I'm in the dark. The Googles can only help so much. Any input would be appreciated


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Do you have maintenance records for the bike? Any info about what has been done? That's a good place to start. Did you buy it from a dealer or private party?

Use the search function here. All kinds of answers to your questions. Rear drive spline wear would be at the top of my list.
Great Bike !! and that is not a lot of miles.

No maintenance records, it was a used bike dealer. No info whatsoever. Scary, but at the same time all part of the 'thing' we can't describe, isn't it? Thanks all


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Congrats on St missed your intro lots of us in S Ontario and two of us in Hamilton to start with

Ok, not knowing anything, this is what I would do - and some I'd do myself, and some the dealer. My philosophy is I don't want to deal with any of these things during the riding season since winters in NE Ohio are pretty nasty - so maybe I go overboard on potential problems that can easily be prevented. A good bit of this list I would let wait for winter lay up. Your bike has 50K miles on it (not a lot for an ST) and is 14 years old.

In no particular order:
Check date code on tires - replace if more than 5 yrs old or if tread is thin. I never go all the way down to the wear bars because a car i had hydroplaned - not a good feeling in a car, let alone a bike.
Check brake pads. I'd replace them if they are significantly worn. Check secondary master cylinder
Change all fluids - brake, clutch, anti freeze, final drive, oil and oil filter.
Check for anti freeze leaks. Check hoses for deterioration.
Check the battery. (maybe replace)
Check front forks (change oil), check rear shock, rebuiild preload adjuster. Somebody said recently that the shock is good for 40 to 50K miles. I'd do more research on this and maybe redo the front and rear shocks. Check steering head for play. (If the bike rides well, I would leave all shock work for winter - depends how far you plan to ride it this summer).
Check wheel bearings.
Check valve clearances. While I'm in there, I'd probably replace the spark plugs or at least check them.
I think your bike has carbs - I'd probably balance them and check the 5 way T below them as mentioned elsewhere on this site - I know nothing about it now but it can be a maintenance issue.
Change the air filter - or at least examine the old one and decide.
I'd also check the electrical system for ahhhhhhh, inexpert tinkering by previous owners. And correct anything that I found that was egregiously wrong.
Don't know about timing belts on your bike - I'd have to do research to see if there is a time limit on the belt - you haven't hit the mileage mark for this yet.

And you have a whole new world of farkles to explore.

Doubtless other guys here will tell me I'm all wet on this list. Did I forget anything? As they say, ymmv....

Hi Nico, welcome like the other posts there seems to be a good few ST owners in the area and I'm sure you'll find lots of help for your service checks from replies and points on the web site dealing with tech advice. I've not been on the site very long so haven't caught up with the local members yet, maybe we can all meet for a ride or a coffee meet to plan a ride sometime, I'm in the Hamilton end of Burlington so not far away from you. Good advice on the thread so far and hope you get to work through them soon as the weather is right for riding not fixin! Just waiting for a new rear tire for mine, got a flat last week so should get it sometime early in the week.
See ya,
Mike S.

Thanks smsw et al. The dealer did a safety and certification I checked the fluid levels, they looked good. Your list is daunting! Smsw, I'll know soon if it's a winter project.

Local guys where do you guys service your bikes? I've been wrenching my Harley since birth. I never touched my previous Japanese bikes.

It was a thrilling ride from Scarborough! What a difference in handling. Took a bit to get used to the handling. Once I did it felt great, until my prescription sunglasses almost flew off my head, left my full face at home. I then realized that the previous owner has cut the windshield way down. The buffeting was almost painful. Next purchase.....Clearview? Thanks again.
P.s. It be nice to get together, my days off are all over the map though


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Niko62 said:

Your list is daunting! Smsw,

I've been wrenching my Harley since birth. I never touched my previous Japanese bikes.

l. Next purchase.....Clearview? Thanks again.

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Lol, not knowing what has been done to the bike leaves things wide open, but some of the items can be dispensed with fairly quickly - front and rear shocks for example, steering head bearings. Since you are an old hand at wrenching, nothing on the list is really going to be difficult. Your first purchase should be the Honda Shop manual though much of that info can be found on this website. Bleeding the brake system has a distinct sequence that must be followed. Even just taking the fairing off was more than a bit confusing for me (the first time). If you've never bumped into terms like lower cowl, middle inner cowl, etc, you can get lost quickly (see Most Replied Tech Articles > TupperWare Worksheet on the first page of this site).

I like the Calsci windshield - i have a review here of that shield https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?140772-Calsci-Windshield-Review and there are other reviews of others.

SMSW said:

Bleeding the brake system has a distinct sequence that must be followed.

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Not on his 1100.

Your first purchase should be the Honda Shop manual

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I have a 1991-1999 ST1100 / ST1100A Honda OEM service manual in very good condition if you are interested. It has barely been used as my first 1100 was stolen and my second was totaled. I doubt that there were any changes of any note from 1999 to 2001 but can't say with any certainty.

DeanR said:

Not on his 1100.

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Of course - I forgot his bike is non ABS and an 1100. Sorry - I stand corrected. This makes me wonder about how useful the Tupperware Worksheet will be.

Help! Stopped to show my cousin my new ride. He sat on it, turned the key, nothing happened! Wth? Pulled windshield, lower black shroud. I had seen the low beams flickering on and off earlier in the day. Don't know if that means anything. Please help!

Niko62 said:

Help! Stopped to show my cousin my new ride. He sat on it, turned the key, nothing happened! Wth? Pulled windshield, lower black shroud. I had seen the low beams flickering on and off earlier in the day. Don't know if that means anything. Please help!

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From my own limited experience the things I know to check for include:
* Ignition cut-off switch flipped to the "Stop" position inadvertently?
* Both headlight connections firmly attached? (There is, for some reason, an apparent link between headlight wiring and ignition function on the ST300-- you didn't say whether your bike is an 1100 or 1300...)
* Bike left in gear and side stand not fully down?

There are several other current threads describing similar situations; you'll find in them many more sage suggestions than I can offer.

Hi Nico, I'd check the items ibike2 listed before you get into anything major. I've had someone checking my bike out while in having lunch and switched off the bar cutoff switch, I'd not used that and it took me a while to go through the stand switch - neutral gear position and a few other things before noticing it was in the off position! Duh!! The bike was completely dead nothing would work so could be the culprit. Hope you find it without too much trouble.
Mike S.

So, it turns out that the lead nut that's part of the battery was stripped. Even though it was clean and felt tight it wasn't. Found it by accident.
Dr. Phil suggested I try a circuit tester. The pointy prong touched the battery and positive cable while the switch happened to be in the on position!! Lit up like a Christmas tree( could hear Hallelujah in the background) it was a great feeling. Thanks all. This site has been awesome


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Glad you found that this problem was an easy fix. Now get out and ride!!

That is a beautiful bike, wish I could have found that red, I ended up with black...but it is the ride that matters, not the color.

bonth123 said:

That is a beautiful bike, wish I could have found that red, I ended up with black...but it is the ride that matters, not the color.

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Not exactly true. Red ST's are faster. I read that on this website......

I changed a few shims at 46k miles to make valve tolerances with better clearance. A manual, set of feeler gauges and a dead cold engine to check this, to make sure the valves seat within parameters while the engine is running.
A have used the 38.50 timing belt replacement for a car, found on this site, for over 20k miles. Age works against your belt, not just total miles. There is a lot of help here for placing a timing belt too.