I keep seeing all of these cheap STs and think at times that I might need a good winter bike. Honda or Russellville has a 2010 with 6800 miles on it that is bone stock except for a RAM mount on the handle bar. I stopped by there today and gave it spin since I haven't ridden one in quite a while, especially a stock one. I traded mine in in March of 2012 so I have pretty much forgotten what it is like.
Obvious things first:
It's heavy....really heavy. And yes, most of the weight disappears when rolling until you want to throw it into a corner then it gets heavy again.
Motor is terrific. Roll on throttle is nice and smooth and powerful. Forgot how well I liked that motor
Smooth rolling down the interstate.
Now the surprises or things that I didn't remember:
Wind management sucks. The wind screen was stock just like mine on my 07 but I don't remember it being that loud. My RT, Tenere and Versys had/have quieter wind screens than that.
Felt cumbersome in the twisties. I guess I'm used to tossing around the little Versys which is effortless. I'm pretty sure I move through corners much faster on the 650 than I ever did on the ST.
Gets blown around on the interstate more than any other bike I've owned. It was fairly windy here today and I could tell it more than usual.
The dash sucks. I had forgotten how difficult the display is to read, especially when wearing a hi-vis jacket on a bright sunny day.
I was having a good ride until an old man started to pull out in front of me and I used both brakes.......after which I couldn't move because the rear brake was dragging. I came to a stop and rolled backwards and it freed up. I rode back to the dealership without using the rear pedal and I didn't have any more problems. I really wanted to ride it more but didn't want the risk. I informed my salesman about the problem and he pushed it to the garage.
Ultimately, I was left with a blah feeling after riding the bike. Don't get me wrong, I still think it is a good bike but the thought of getting one comfortable to tour on again seems too daunting of a challenge. It seems really, really dated after owning four new bikes after I owned the ST.
I don't have a need for a sport-touring bike as my Versys is serving me quite well and is much more fun on twisty roads......... and quite comfortable on the interstate too. Just thought I'd give an ST a try again. I will admit that by riding it makes me wish even more that Honda hadn't ignored this segment of motorcycling. The ST is still not bad for a 14 year old bike......just think of what it could be if we were on our third generation of ST 1300s right now........kinda sad.
Just ramblings of a previous ST owner four years removed from ownership.
Mike
Obvious things first:
It's heavy....really heavy. And yes, most of the weight disappears when rolling until you want to throw it into a corner then it gets heavy again.
Motor is terrific. Roll on throttle is nice and smooth and powerful. Forgot how well I liked that motor
Smooth rolling down the interstate.
Now the surprises or things that I didn't remember:
Wind management sucks. The wind screen was stock just like mine on my 07 but I don't remember it being that loud. My RT, Tenere and Versys had/have quieter wind screens than that.
Felt cumbersome in the twisties. I guess I'm used to tossing around the little Versys which is effortless. I'm pretty sure I move through corners much faster on the 650 than I ever did on the ST.
Gets blown around on the interstate more than any other bike I've owned. It was fairly windy here today and I could tell it more than usual.
The dash sucks. I had forgotten how difficult the display is to read, especially when wearing a hi-vis jacket on a bright sunny day.
I was having a good ride until an old man started to pull out in front of me and I used both brakes.......after which I couldn't move because the rear brake was dragging. I came to a stop and rolled backwards and it freed up. I rode back to the dealership without using the rear pedal and I didn't have any more problems. I really wanted to ride it more but didn't want the risk. I informed my salesman about the problem and he pushed it to the garage.
Ultimately, I was left with a blah feeling after riding the bike. Don't get me wrong, I still think it is a good bike but the thought of getting one comfortable to tour on again seems too daunting of a challenge. It seems really, really dated after owning four new bikes after I owned the ST.
I don't have a need for a sport-touring bike as my Versys is serving me quite well and is much more fun on twisty roads......... and quite comfortable on the interstate too. Just thought I'd give an ST a try again. I will admit that by riding it makes me wish even more that Honda hadn't ignored this segment of motorcycling. The ST is still not bad for a 14 year old bike......just think of what it could be if we were on our third generation of ST 1300s right now........kinda sad.
Just ramblings of a previous ST owner four years removed from ownership.
Mike