Looks like I'm joining the club!

So I finally decided it's time to get a new bike. I had a budget and was considering a new 2017 Vstrom 650. Went to a local dealer and they didn't have one. Rode on to the next dealer, a Honda only dealer I knew had a used Concours. Sat on it, didn't like it. Owner mentioned he just got an ST1300 in and they hadn't even had time to prep it......

It was a 2005 with 35km. One owner who clearly had OCD as the bike is nearly showroom condition! Totally stock. All fluids changed and it's getting a new rear tire. $6400 Canadian. No wiggle on the price. Shop owner knew it'd be an easy sell (he's owned his Honda dealership for 30+ years). I told him I'd think about it. By the time I rode home I phoned him back and said I'd take it!

I really didn't plan on buying a bike until spring, this was just supposed to be an info mission! I definitely didn't plan on buying a 12 year old bike but then again I've always wanted a big, shaft driven ST bike. I had shaft drive for 12 years on my Virago and have really missed it. I hate having to service a chain. The ST1300 has always been a bike I've liked but when I last shopping for a bike in 2010 I just couldn't afford one. I still can't afford a new one seeing as I have two kids under 4. Condition is everything with these big ST bikes and I think I've found a fantastic example at a price I can actually afford! I'm sure I'll be keeping it a long time and hopefully packing the miles on it! I still see lots of late 90's ST100s here going strong with well over 100,000km on them so I'm sure I have nothing to worry about.

I go back tomorrow morning and do the paper work and pick it up Friday. I'll be heading out today for one last ride on my Bandit. I'll be hanging on to my Bandit until spring to sell it so I can get a better price. I'm thinking about keeping my Givi V46 top box from my Bandit for the ST.

Congratulations!!! What a great and exciting time. Nothing like getting to know it when you plan for a long term ownership. It makes taking the time to make it perfect absolutely worth while.

I think if you read through a bit, you'll find the majority of us have some form of OCD... and many much worse.

Congrats and welcome to the site. So many OCD folks on here, but more importantly so much shared knowledge and willingness to help out a fellow motorcycle enthusiast.

Ya hooo!! Congrats!!

ToddC

Now that is the way to get it done!! Enjoy your new ride.

Darn right!
Way to go. Welcome to the community.
We bought our 2005 last Saturday after much investigation and many questions asked here!
This is a fantastic community which seems always ready and willing to pitch in and help.

Where in Canada are you located?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the

So it's all done! Went and signed the paper work and gave them my license plate this morning. Friday I will pick her up and bring her home! She will be fully serviced and have a brand new rear tire ready to gobble up some miles. I'm really hoping for an extended fall or else I'm probably only looking at another 4 weeks of riding weather. Usually mid October is when I tap out and put the bikes away. I don't enjoy riding in single digit temps! Who knows, maybe with the increased weather protection of the ST I won't mind as much.

Apparently my pic is too big so I'll upload some to Imgur soon and share.

Cheers!

Congrats!

Heated gear will get you more time in the saddle! Even here in SoCal, I pull out the heated gear around the middle of November, and use it until around April or so. Some mornings get down to 32F.

Congrats on the ST! I would certainly keep the Givi 46 box and put it on the ST. I purchased the color matching lid on Ebay for my 05 ST and I think it looks great. I also added LED's behind the red lenses on the Givi which gave me a lot more visibility from the rear (running lights and brake lights).

Sweet ride! (from one '05 owner to another )

bddo said:

Congrats on the ST! I would certainly keep the Givi 46 box and put it on the ST. I purchased the color matching lid on Ebay for my 05 ST and I think it looks great.

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How close does the lid match the bike? I was going to get mine (gloss black) painted to match.

Congrats on the bike and welcome to the forum.

Congrats on the 05.

There are many good forums out there for your ST1300 ownership. This one is awesome. There are many owners on this site with over 300k km's.

bddo said:

Congrats on the ST! I would certainly keep the Givi 46 box and put it on the ST. I purchased the color matching lid on Ebay for my 05 ST and I think it looks great. I also added LED's behind the red lenses on the Givi which gave me a lot more visibility from the rear (running lights and brake lights).

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+1 on keeping the box and adding the lights under the lenses.

Also on the color, though do not tell my '04 that... I also color matched the GIVI lid to my bike (bought pre colored replacement panel; easier than paint) and it looks great.

So I picked her up this past Friday just before noon and put 430km on her before I got home! So here are my impressions, rambling as they may be!

First thing I noted was the power, specifically the torque! I could literally just ride the clutch and have the bike pull me around the parking lot without any throttle. My old Virago would do that but not my Bandit. When I first pulled out of the dealership I was cautious about the throttle as I was in town and didn't want any problems. After a few minutes down the road and into the country I found myself on a deserted straight and gave the throttle a little crack and I thought for sure my smile was wider than my helmet! I remember having that feeling when I went from my Virago (50hp) to my Bandit (80hp). It pulls like a freight train! The second thing I noticed was how smooth the bike was. It is like butter! So smooth in fact, that I found it difficult to manage my speed. I ended up riding around in 3rd gear for a while until I got some sense of it. The second thing that really struck me was how good the windscreen is. Fully down I get lots of air and it's refreshing. Fully up and it is as smooth as glass and super quiet! I actually had to crack my visor as with the windscreen fully up I got almost no air flow even at 100km/h! I can even ride comfortably with my visor fully up with the windscreen all the way up. I did notice the back pressure when the windscreen is fully up, but hey, there has to be some kind of a compromise for all that wind protection. I took it on a few of my favorite routes and even across the highway. It handled great on the twisties, you wouldn't know it is 700+lbs and on the highway north of the speed limit it just floated along. I'm happy to say that the heat (which I was very concerned about) is not a big issue. Yes, it is noticeably hotter than my Bandit, but it has double the motor and lower fairings and a fan blowing the heat away, so what could I expect? However, it was 28c plus a little humidex and though it was warm, it was not uncomfortably so, once I got over 60km/h. In town and stopped in line waiting for construction it was fairly uncomfortable, but then so is any bike I've ever ridden! When I pulled into the gas station near my house, the fuel gauge was on the last bar and flashing. I had done 430km but it only took 23.5L of fuel! I guess that the fuel gauge is a little cautious. I'm certain that had I not spent an hour riding it in 3rd gear when I first picked it up it would have gone farther than that.

I am in LOVE with this bike! I remember when it and the FJR were first released here in '03 having a huge hard on for one of these bikes! I always thought the Honda looked a little slicker, but the Yamaha was a little sportier. After a test ride on an '04 FJR back in June and now having had this bike for a day, I prefer the Honda hands down. It is everything I could ask for in a motorcycle. Power, handling, comfort, beauty and best of all SHAFT DRIVE! No more greasy chains and sprockets for me! I can't wait until I get a chance to do an Iron Butt ride on it and see just how much better it is vs my Bandit!

I ordered the mounting plate for my Givi box on Friday as well so it should be in this week. After having a full set of luggage on my Bandit for the past 8yrs I feel like a bike without a top box is like a washer without a dryer. lol

Morrissey said:

So smooth in fact, that I found it difficult to manage my speed.

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While I think this is a tendency for most people with a new or new to you bike I found this to be a much greater significant adjustment than any Honda I've ever owned.

Whether it was the different sound of the engine or lack of strong exhaust note or overall smoothness I found constantly found myself rolling a lot faster than I thought. Shortly after buying the bike I went on a long trip (MT) with two friends and kept pace with them. Occasionally checking my speedometer I didn't realize that we were moving a little more briskly than enforcement might accept.

I'm now accustomed to the vibes and audio cues so that constantly checking the speedo is no longer necessary. But it was obvious that this period of adjustment was taking longer than normal.

Welcome to the club and if the weather around Ottawa is anything to go by you'll have some great riding this fall.

Morrissey said:

How close does the lid match the bike? I was going to get mine (gloss black) painted to match.

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The lid I purchased on Ebay is an exact match as far as color/paint goes. I would assume the black would be the same.