Lonely ST1100 down (pics) - rebuild vs naked vs scrap?

As promised on a recent thread, here are the pics of my first spill in 40yrs.

Left side:

OUCH! looks like she took a beating, are you ok?

Right side (note bent right handlebar):











Wrist fracture (not able to type much). Assorted road rash. Looking for a source for second hand mirror covers and turn signals (trashed beyond repair). EBay not good. All else seems repairable pending confirmation. Thanks for asking, Jethro.

That is some serious road rash. Did you have full gear on and was your helmet damaged ?

WOW Mauricio! Looks like it took a barrel roll down the road! Hope the wrist heals well. From the looks of the mirror, and fairing damage around them, it's a safe bet to say that the "antlers" inside will be bent and they are very difficult to straighten back to OEM spec. Look for one of those as well.

I was wearing gloves and full face helmet which was unscratched. The visor broke down the middle in two pieces. T-shirt and a long sleeve sweater on top. Jeans. Got slight rashes on my right elbow and both knees. All considered, I was pretty lucky.

the left mirror base is still bolted in place. The bolts on the right mirror were severed and the whole thing came off in one piece. As you can probably see, the fairing had been previously repaired on the right side. I'm hoping there is no major frame damage but if there is, I may have to go with a naked transformation. On a positive note, I did ride the bike home around 20 blocks and aside from not being able to shift because of the piece of fairing wedged between the side stand and the gear pedal (and the left wrist fracture), it ran straight and fine.

Bad News, but glad you're going to be OK! Poor bike, did she bounce side to side or tumble? When mine went down (ST1300), last year I just bit the bullet and bought replacement parts because it was a lot cheaper than a new motorcycle ($875). But looking at Hondaparts-Direct.com I noticed just the ST1100 cowl stay was $212, while mine was about $67; ouch. Seems these parts take on more value the longer they are in stock. Also, some parts just weren't available for the cowl at this site, which means you'll have to search and maybe repaint found parts.

Think you'll have to answer the rebuild vs scrap based on what the bike means to you.

Poor bike needs help.
You can get most the plastic on Ebay if you are prepared to repaint. It could end up looking new. Some bits would have to come from Bike Bandit, Ron Ayers, Partzilla, Honda, etc.
While I was refurbishing mine, I took all the plastic work off. I was struck by how much it could be made to very closely resemble a Motus. Crazy thoughts, I know.
Yes...parting it out will get you a down payment for a replacement bike.
If you are persistent and decent with a set of wrenches, either solution could be workable.

Thanks guys. I can only guess the bike's trajectory as I was in the middle of my own intimacy with the tarmac. Was doing somewhere around 40-50mph when I was expelled from the bike thanks to this:


"Hueco" is Spanish for "hole". Note deep ridges on the tarmac from multiple previous hits.

Here you can see how the asphalt sinks from the position of the taxi cab and my SUV. Also how useless the "hueco" markings really are when coming fast and from a distance:



The bike probably flew off and fell on the left bag first, separating it. Afterwards it hit all remaining three corners: both mirrors and the remaining bag. Upon closer inspection, the mounting screws for the right mirror were not severed. As can be seen in the next picture, the mirror is still attached to the base containing the screws. The base broke from the "antler" altogether, taking part of the fairing with it:



This is the current status of both mirror covers:





I'm also missing the bolt and spring of the left mirror. Right side seems to be complete:



As many of you know, I am in Colombia, as in South America. I've been monitoring eBay for used mirrors, covers and turn signals but no cigar. The only couple of covers for sale are brand new and go for around $130 each incl shipping within the US. Add two turn signals and the replacement left side mirror and I could be looking at somewhere around $500. Ouch!

If I could get info on alternate sources for used second hand plastic, specially mirrors, covers and signals, I would really appreciate it. Maybe a local scrap yard? Anyone?

Since I am going to have the rest of the Tupperware rebuilt from fiberglass, another option would be to just level out the side cowls leaving only the screws for aftermarket mirrors such as these:



Or maybe even these $8.00 cheapos that somewhat match my paint job (no turn signals though):



A last resource would be to just do the transformation. These look pretty promising:





Finally, the apocalyptic solution:



Turbo or not turbo?

Sorry about you crash, wouldn't you think they'd fix the road rather than writing on it to warn you of a hole?
I think you should make her into a streetfighter, as in the first 2 pics,could be a lot of fixing points etc. bent if you try and refit all the oem plastics.
If you'd have been wearing a proper leather bike jackets and pants with knee pads etc you might have faired better in the road rash dept but I suppose it's not easy in such a hot climate, have to wear the gear here as much for weather protection as anything else most of the time.

I like that first transformation, except it might have to be red or burgundy.

Don B said:

I like that first transformation, except it might have to be red or burgundy.

Click to expand...

I'm attracted to the first and second. I like the ease of maintenance both provide, not to mention the rush of cooling air the open front end will provide.
Another up side is it's easier to clean and water drips are quickly noticeable.