Close to purchasing my ST1300, please advise

Hi all,

i am am looking at a 2007 with 57K miles and would like some advice.

While the bike was running there was a faint smell of oil burning. I did not see any obvious oil leak. Do these bikes have issues with valve cover gasket leaks?

Any advice as to what else I should pay attention to is greatly appreciated.

Perhaps recent oil change or added some and spilled some? It's not the easiest to get at and w/o a funnel it could get messy.

Valve covers are one point which can leak ( or seep), and they ARE close to the exhaust manifold. However, it would be impossible to say without taking the tupperware off and inspecting- just too many possibilities, from just a pain to " oh, boy!" bad. Sounds like you need to talk to the owner, and possibly ask to look at it closely. It might be nothing, but it might be a real problem down the road.

I think its a red flag for any purchaser, so he should work with you to alleviate your concerns. Maybe have a shop pull the tupperware off.

I've spilled oil at oil changes and it does not last that long till it burns off.

It's very easy to spill oil in the filter area during a change. Another known issue is during a valve check, some have pinched the rubber valve cover gasket when reinstalling or not seating it properly due to the tight area and would cause a minor-to-major leak but it's typically so obvious that the owner will fix before finishing the job, it just leaks that much when you do that.

I would ask when the last oil change and valve check was done, might point to the smell.

Just a thing I found over the years of changing oil in my ST1300. A bottle from Honda power steering treads right in the oil fill for a leak proof funnel. And a dustpan with a hole in it to guide the oil away from the center stand for the oil filter removal. Don't ask why it just popped into my head while reading this.

ADD is a wonderful thing, sometimes, other times not so much.

http://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=OIP.M1d5e37fdb5e9bc8a62ca9349539e5852H0&w=225&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0&r=0

Thanks for the info everyone.

I will also be looking at a 03 ABS model today. Both the 03 (64K miles) and 07 (57K miles) have the same asking price. The 07 is bone stock, while 03 has aftermarket seat/exhaust/heated grips/etc.

Are there cons for the older model year and pros for the newer?

Thank you.

Not really.. in 08 some minor changes were made. In 03 the non-abs models did not have an elec windshield.

This should help some:
http://stwiki.notonthe.net/twiki/bin/view/ST13/ModelYearChanges

cyman73 said:

Thanks for the info everyone.

I will also be looking at a 03 ABS model today. Both the 03 (64K miles) and 07 (57K miles) have the same asking price. The 07 is bone stock, while 03 has aftermarket seat/exhaust/heated grips/etc.

Are there cons for the older model year and pros for the newer?

Thank you.

Click to expand...

Some '03s had recalls of the wiring harness and PCV. Mine did. Get the VIN and check NTHA site to see if this one is effected. If so, get a dealer to check and see if the recalls are done. I think Honda will do them, even now, free of charge. Otherwise, with all things being equal, the '03 is the bike to get. You want ABS. Plus the nice accessories.

cyman73 said:

Hi all,

i am am looking at a 2007 with 57K miles and would like some advice.

While the bike was running there was a faint smell of oil burning. I did not see any obvious oil leak. Do these bikes have issues with valve cover gasket leaks?

Any advice as to what else I should pay attention to is greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

I would say check for coolant leaks or ask for any problems with the coolant system. Just a thought. These bikes are bullet proof and don't burn oil etc.

Double check to see if the 03 has the electronically adjustable windshield. I believe it was an option in 03, and became standard in 04. I love this feature and would miss if I didn't have it.

STRaider said:

Double check to see if the 03 has the electronically adjustable windshield. I believe it was an option in 03, and became standard in 04. I love this feature and would miss if I didn't have it.

Click to expand...

It was standard on the ABS version.

Could be a little oil weeping if the valves were checked and they got a little crazy with the honda bond past the half moons.

If you buy it from a dealer the dealer often takes off the farkles.

st1300r said:

It was standard on the ABS version.

Could be a little oil weeping if the valves were checked and they got a little crazy with the honda bond past the half moons.

Click to expand...

Ahhh, ok. I forgot about that. had looked at an 03, must have been a non-ABS.

I had an oil leak on my 02 model and it was the clutch opperating arm seal in the back cover, (it looked like the oil was dripping from the oil filter seal but it was not) the engine had to come out to replace it, but I have never heard of anybody else having trouble with it, so I put it down to it standing for a long while before I bought it.
Keith.

I have an awesome beautiful 2007 ST 1300 farkled to perfection so I am not in the market to buy. If I was--Honda still has several new 2012 models sitting in crates around the country. From what I hear you can get one with 3 year factory warranty at about $11,000.

jonjonboo said:

I have an awesome beautiful 2007 ST 1300 farkled to perfection so I am not in the market to buy. If I was--Honda still has several new 2012 models sitting in crates around the country. From what I hear you can get one with 3 year factory warranty at about $11,000.

Click to expand...

That sounds like a good idea. I'll check with dealers in my area.

Btw, I drove up to Phoenix to buy the 07 and the guy didn't answer the door or my messages. I'm going to try to either buy a new one or one with fewer miles. Thanks.

If the valve covers aren't leaking, there are other areas that I would suspect. First, when you pull off the fairings, you may see oil on the engine block, coming from where it looks like the head gaskets are leaking. It's not the head gaskets, it's probably the valve cover gaskets around the sparkplugs. Those long holes that the sparkplugs fit into (above the threads, have to drain someplace. There is a very small gap for them to drain, at the headgasket.

Other areas that could be leaking would be the Alternator, leaking into the Vee of the engine. If enough leaks out, it could leak out of the side port. (Vee drain) Or from the back of the engine, the starter o-ring can leak.

So yeah, first I would check the oil filter is not leaking, check the drain bolt for leaks, then start looking at these other areas.

Good luck!