2003 ST1300 Safety Check

Hello to All,

I bought a 2003 ST1300 ABS with 58K miles out of state and am going to pick it up tomorrow.
The seller says that it is a great runner with the only known issue to be a minor oil/fluid leak that needs monthly refills.
The seller is the second owner and says that he has performed all servicing himself since owning the bike for 5 years.

I would like to perform a safety check before starting my 450 mile trek home. I would appreciate all recommendations.

This is my first experience with the ST1300 and am not yet familiar with it's intricacies of maintenance and mechanics.

Thanks for all comments!

Jay51

After you get the bike home, let us know where the leak I'd coming from. I'm sure someone here can give advise to get the leak stopped. Welcome to the group.

Ride Safe
John ans Janis

Excellent choice!! As long as it hold fluids...Drive home and tear it apart.....All fluids, oils, check valves, tighten hose clamps.......

Welcome from WA STate!!

ToddC

Check the obvious fluid levels including hydraulic , tire condition / pressures. Take a short test ride to check handling and brakes, try sudden stop to check SMC is okay, if the bike looks right it most likely is right. Take it easy riding home and you'll be fine

Know that the engine oil, along with all the other oils, are checked with the bike upright. There is a oil check window on the ( is it left side? I'm new to ST's also) under the exhaust pipes, not a dip stick.

This would be my checks but not limited to the information below.
Tires 42 psi front and rear
On the center stand, rotate tires and check them for nails, staples nicks and cuts or bulges, tread left on them.
Check the oil, should be between the lower and upper line. (Window on the right lower side)
Check the anti freeze level in the overflow bottle. (left side)
Check the brake pads to see how much are left on them.
Check to make sure the saddle bags are locked securely in place.
If you have a top box, make sure it is securely locked in place.
Check all of your lights.
Clean your windshield with lemon pledge
Get some fresh fuel, premium is what I would use.
Your seat can be adjusted to 3 levels, find the level you like.
The owner should be able to help you with the above and then more.

More info
T-CLOCK Inspection Worksheet
http://micapeak.com/info/T-CLOCK.html

Have a safe ride home

Jay,
Oil leaks due to some kind of failure are very very rare on the ST1300. I recall reading of one alternator shaft seal that has leaked.

Chances are the valves have been checked on that bike! And when the valve covers were reinstalled, the mechanic likely pinched a rubber 'blanket' in the joint (the blanket underlying the throttle bodies), or else the mechanic didn't get the valve cover seal installed correctly. You can read about that in many threads on this forum.

Aside from the tires, brakes, and lights it would be very important to me to know where that oil leak was coming from. A monthly refill doesn't tell us much.....is the bike ridden 5 miles or 500 miles in a month? Is it at all possible the leak could suddenly get worse and spray the rear tire with oil or pump out enough oil to damage the motor before you know it?

I have only trashed one engine in my life and it was in a Honda Harmony riding mower. It leaked a little from the oil pan gasket for for a couple of years. I kept a piece of cardboard under it to keep an eye on the leak and it never grew and wasn't enough to top off between oil changes. One Saturday picking up leaves with it the leak opened up and the first warning I got was the fatal sound of the piston rod knocking on the big end from lack of oil.

PS If the seller doesn't know where the leak is coming from he hasn't removed the fairing which might indicate he wasn't as diligent about services as you might think he was.

BakerBoy said:

Jay,
Oil leaks due to some kind of failure are very very rare on the ST1300. I recall reading of one alternator shaft seal that has leaked.

Chances are the valves have been checked on that bike! And when the valve covers were reinstalled, the mechanic likely pinched a rubber 'blanket' in the joint (the blanket underlying the throttle bodies), or else the mechanic didn't get the valve cover seal installed correctly. You can read about that in many threads on this forum.

Click to expand...

+1, that's the only scenario that makes sense for having to refill monthly unless a bad oil filter gasket. These bikes just don't leak much other than the occasional coolant due to ambient temperature changes.

There are a few places where oil can leak.

I think the number one spot is you'll see oil coming down from what looks like the head gasket. But it's actually the valve cover gasket leaking. (I've had on on several of my ST1300s) Right at the heads, there is a little tiny gap for oil to run out from the sparkplug area. So if the valve cover is leaking around the sparkplugs, it will seep out at the head and make it look like the head gasket is leaking.

Another place is the starter motor. If the o-ring there is bad, it will seep out on the back of the engine.

Another area that I've had trouble with is the air cleaner sucking up oil from the left head. The tube that runs between the left head and under the front of the airbox has a tendency to suck in oil. When you open up the top half of the airbox, you see where the tube is connected, it can be very oily!

None of these will cause the bike any problems as long as you watch your oil level. also, if the level is at the bottom mark, don't put in more than 4 to 5 ounces. Otherwise you will over fill it.

Good luck on your fly N ride! Get back before the rain hits on Friday!

Lots of good advice here. I would add with the bike on the center stand and in neutral, be sure the rear wheel rotates easily. If not could be secondary master cylinder problems. Check all three sets of the brake pads to be sure they have plenty of meat left to get you home safely.

Dave.David said:

Know that the engine oil, along with all the other oils, are checked with the bike upright. There is a oil check window on the ( is it left side? I'm new to ST's also) under the exhaust pipes, not a dip stick.

Click to expand...

Right-hand side from the driving position. Check with it near cold and on the centre stand. Should be between the two lines.

Another possible source of oil leakage is one that I'm not sure applies to the ST1300; on some engines, if the old oil filter gasket sticks to the block when the filter is removed and the person doing the oil change doesn't notice it and installs the new filter with gasket with the old filter still in place on the engine block, it's a given that it will leak. Not sure if this can be done on the ST engine. The extra thickness of the second filter may be enough to prevent thread make-up.

There's also a design change on a lot of oil filters that people use on STs......search here for concave versus convex oil filter faces....good luck with the purchase...ride safe......ff

How do you adjust the seat levels? I rode the bike home yesterday and put 400 miles on it. My knees felt cramped. I am 6''2". Especially right knee. I also didn't like the way that I slid forward on the seat. I had to keep pushing myself back on the seat. Today, I saw that Sargent has a seat that keeps you back and more upright, which I like. So, If I can adjust the seat up, it may give me more leg room

Pop the seat off and you can see the back portion of the seat rests on a metal tube.You can move the tube to the upper groove and try that. The stock seat is not the best. I just ordered a Russel Day Long seat and that should take care of any seat discomfort that I had.
Something else that may give you more leg room is to change your foot peg brackets. I thought I read here that you can get ones that are lower, or farther away for the tall guys.....

Thanks Kevin,

I'll take a look at the seat tube and see where it currently is set. If it is raised, does that affect the slope of the seat? The stock seat is slippery and I slide forward. I'll try to info on lower foot pegs too... - Jay

I'm more than a little confused here. The seat height on my 2010 - and I believe most earlier bikes (but I've not verified the older ones) - is controlled by the front AND rear. Once you remove the seat, the bracket just above the lower gas tank and behind the upper (painted) gas tank will slide forward and back. You will see the groves in the bracket and you can move the sliding portion to a low, medium, or high position. Then replace the seat and now the rear of the driver's seat will mate with the appropriate level. I've read some guys can adjust the tilt by, say, putting the front on mid and the rear on high, but I've never done that.

My bike came with a Sargent seat - the former owner was 6'3". This seat was surprisingly hard and comfortable for me - but i ended up selling it because it is wider than the OEM and I'm one short fella. Couldn't reach the ground except on tippy toe, which made stops (esp on off camber turns) a bit exciting. I believe the Sargent is 1" higher in every position than a stock seat. Try before you buy - all bottoms are different. As they say here, YBMV....

Kevcules said:

Pop the seat off and you can see the back portion of the seat rests on a metal tube.

Click to expand...

The front part of the rider's seat fits into an adjustable bracket not the back part. It has three riding positions. Raise it up to the top to make the seat level and should keep you from sliding forward. It may also relieve some of the strain on your knees.

SMSW said:

is controlled by the front AND rear.

Click to expand...

According to the manual the seat height is controlled by the front adjustment. The rear positioning is incidental to one of the three front positions. This diagram from p.85 of the owner's manual shows the positioning of the rear of the rider's seat in relation to the front adjustment positioning.Several people have mentioned that they can MAKE the rear part of the rider's seat fit lower by forcing it to fit onto a different portion of the bike. I tried it and was warned that it would damage the plastic. It started to wear so I keep it as shown in the manual. YMMV.

You basically have 9 combinations of setting for the driver portion of the seat, 3 in the front and 3 in the rear part of the seat. It's not easy to get the extreme settings - lowest front and highest rear or visa versa but many prefer that as it will reduce the slide towards the tank. A tall person may decide to stay with the highest of the 3 settings for both ends.

I would not suggest peg lowers as it lowers the point at which your pegs touch. I would opt for one of the seat pads first that may add an inch to seat height as well as some comfort. For me, the Sargent seat and gen III risers was the perfect setup for 1000 mile days but I'm 5'8". Usually, the first thing that starts to hurt on me is my knees.