anyone thinking on moving on from st1300

What year and mileage is your St 1300 and are you thinking/looking at something different and why?

Oh no, don't say that I just got here.
I moved on from my old Valkyrie that I had loved and enjoyed for 16 years. I moved to the ST1300 to get rid of 6 carburetors and jacking for tire changes. The ST1300 has a good reputation for reliability and high mileage. I was also interested in the newer technology it offered. I hope that this bike lasts me many happy miles and smiles as my previous.
Mine is a 2007 ABS and I see nothing else that currently interests me in any price range. I made the right choice for me.

I have 2 1 with over 150k and one with over 70k no plans to change any time soon.

I'm debating this right now. My bike got totaled last week and I am looking for a replacement but I keep coming back to the thought that there's not a better value out there than a used ST.

I've had two 2004 ST1300, 95K miles on the first one and currently 35K on the second. I like the ST, but I will be seriously looking at the 2016 FJR when it arrives at the dealer.

Hi Ralph,

Doesn't answer your question, but ST1100 forever for me!

Those FJR's are sure popular though, as well as a handful of other current 'updated' models.

I have a 05 with 56,000 and I moved on to a BMW RT 2014 mdl I wanted something lighter and more electronics
I absolutely love the RT I will at some point sell my ST this year

I really liked my ST1300, like my FJR (3rd Generation) better, but if money fell in my lap I'd look at the BMW RT and the new African Twin....new toys are always more fun.....keeps the economy going.........enjoy the ride......ff

Moved on to a BMW K1600 GT last March. Our love affair continues after 14,000 miles...

Not here. Staying with the ST a long time. The ST 1300 is the only bike for me. Why change to be changing.

Mine is a 2009 with ABS and 49,890 miles. I am aiming at the 50k mark and thought I would get there in January, but looking like it's going to be February. The new 2016 FJR with the 6 speed and a bunch of other things I don't have on my ST has certainly caught my attention, but every time I think it's time for a newer model I also think "I wish they made a 2016 ST" to add to the garage. The ST has been a lot of fun for a lot of miles.

I must say that the love for my ST 1300 gets stronger every year. I just keep modifying it and have no intention of ever selling the best bike I have ever owned.

Read the following Threads and you will gain some in sight on why folks have chose to move on to other brands or stay with Honda. I made the switch and moved on a little over a year ago. I was a Honda person for over 30 years and a ST person for over 22 years. A little over 200000 miles on ST's, But time moves on. I now ride Yamaha and Suzuki. I will not elaborate any more on this subject for risk of offending some folks on this forum. Good luck with your decision no mater which way you go.


https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?133738-Replacement-for-Honda-ST1300-in-2015

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?146244-If-Honda-asked-for-input-on-a-new-ST-what-would-you-suggest/page4

My 2005 ST1300 has over 79,000 miles. Shell Rotella lasts 15,000+ per change. Valves not yet needed adjusting. McCruise and Helibars make 700+ mile days a breeze. Lifetime 48+mpg mostly full-up windscreen. My first bike: probably my last.

Bought a 2012 FJR1300 last summer as a second bike to my 2005 ST1300 because I wanted a newer technology machine. Rode it a few thousand miles last summer ... Switched back to the ST in the late fall because of the better weather protection and ended up totaling the ST in December.
I cannot wait to get another one and start riding in the spring. It is the most comfortable bike I have ridden. I may even consider trading the FJR in on a second ST!

Great question. I have loved my ST1300 since 2007. However, as I enter my late 60s--and with my steep driveway and lots of gravel around--I worry more often about losing my footing.

I play with the idea of something lighter, but every time I ride the ST, I remember how great this bike is. And how super it is for my 6-8 day trips. And it has never used a thimble of oil, and for a heavy beast it gets 10K on every pair PR 3s and 4s. Tires never cup or wobble. Silky shifting. Rock solid. Reliabilty and quality engineered into all major systems.

So if I try something lighter in a year or two, I'm keeping the ST.

I "moved up" from antique BMW bikes, and the ST1300 seems like a VERY modern bike to me. I understand there are folks who HAVE to have the newest and best, and if that floats their boat, fine. However, the durability, solidity, road feel and ease of maintenance of the ST will be the deciding factors in me keeping this bike for many years to come. I ride with a lot of other riders, who seem to have their bikes in ( to the dealer) for one thing or another constantly, with the BMW riders having the most problems. Despite the fact that most of these problems are under warranty, there is a lot of lost time due to riding/hauling the bike in, waiting for it to be done, and b******g about it later on. I just wanna ride.

Yes, it is not as "advanced" ( read: prone to failure) as some other bikes, but it fits me well.

Bought my 2004 ST1300 in July 2014, with about 34.2K miles on it. First bike I've ever owned, only the second I've ever ridden.

Knowing nearly nothing about motorcycles in general, and absolutely nothing about STs in particular, when I bought the ST I have to say how pleased I am to have stumbled by blind luck onto such a great platform. Having no actual experience to use as the basis for comparison, I can't comment on any of the alternatives but I don't really have the itch to do the research.

Plus, I've enjoyed the heck out of spending the past two winter layover seasons decorating and customizing and personalizing my bike. It now has everything I think I need, plus most of the features I think I might eventually want. Yes it cost money to buy the farkles- maybe more than if they had been factory-installed, maybe not. Yes it cost time to install them. Yes it might have been better to have had those features designed in and included when the bike rolled out of the factory. But it didn't have them then and it does now and I've learned a TON about the bike in the process of adding them. That alone was worth it for me because I feel I understand a lot more than if I had bought a ready-to-go fully-accessorized bike.

I occasionally try to shift into 6th gear when tooling down the highway. Oh well.

04 Honda ST1300 with 177,000 miles, still own it will keep till warranty up on my new 2015 BMW R1200RT. That will be in 2 years.
R1200RT is full loaded, as in it has every thing BMW offers for this model. No problems. Only 11,000 miles. Love it.

I've enjoyed my ST1300 but I'm not wedded to it.

It's never left me stranded and the engine is fantastic. Don't think there's a better touring engine available. Once I upgraded the suspension (front and rear), it handles great, real solid in high speed sweepers. Plenty of room to carry junk for trips. Great wind/water protection.

Maintenance, well let's just say I've had my issues with brakes, coolant leakage, final drive bearings, now an intermittent electrical failure (electrical qualified by being almost 9 years old; IE expected). I expect rubber components to start failing next because of age. Just more maintenance than I want to perform.

I found fault with the stock setup. For me, the seat was terrible. The suspension was set up for folks weighing less than 185 lbs and was terrible for anyone weighing 200 or more. The mechanical linked braking system was overly complex for simple maintenance, many pages have been written in this forum on how to maintain them thankfully. The shop actually messed mine up. The water hoses are weakly secured which caused my bike to leak like a sieve when in freezing conditions, fixed with torque-able clamps. The final drive bearings are weak for the load they are driving, I replaced them with a set of needle bearings from CBR (CBX ?, don't remember, you can find the source within this forum).

If I can't get my electrical issue fixed by March I'll bite the bullet and spend money for a new bike with cruise control and lower center of gravity and hopefully lighter. Thinking of the R1200RT. I'll also require a better suspension setup, don't want to have to upgrade that. Not sure it's possible to get a really good seat on a new bike since everyone's butt is different. Not going to miss another riding season due to my inability to keep up with age related issues, yeah I missed every long ride I planned last year. I got distracted by the electrical issue and low sided the bike, my fault but it wouldn't have happened if I wasn't messing with the Garmin. After I got the wreak fixed, my front SMC failed causing me to miss another LD ride. And my electrical issue remains.

If you enjoy working on machines or have enough money to pay someone to do it as it ages, the ST is a fantastic touring machine. If I were a belter mechanic I wouldn't be considering a new bike.