New owner 2010 st1300 first hway ride

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burgman 650/2010 st
Did Hway today first time not a happy camper. Found the tracking to be bad. Bike was unsteady. Speeds up to 85mph. Not sure how to describe the ride. Tires are good 40lbs air ride was smooth but a little wobbly.
Seems to me front is too soft. Need new front springs. And possibly a fork brace. Any thoughts???
 

dduelin

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The ST1300 has 'happy feet' and changes direction easily. It's undersprung for riders over 165 lbs but even with the suspension setup properly for weight of rider(s) it's not ever going to track like a long wheel based bike with lots of rake and trail. That's ok with me because it handles so good in the twisters. Some easy things to check are tire pressures and a rear shock preloader that works and has sufficient preload for your weight.

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?479-ST1300-Suspension
 

STumped

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Did Hway today first time not a happy camper. Found the tracking to be bad. Bike was unsteady. Speeds up to 85mph. Not sure how to describe the ride. Tires are good 40lbs air ride was smooth but a little wobbly.
Seems to me front is too soft. Need new front springs. And possibly a fork brace. Any thoughts???

I changed the fork springs to 1.2 kg/mm (I'm 225lbs) and it made a world of difference for me. MUCH more stable and planted, especially when turning. I went with Sonic Springs but there are other choices too. If you are curious, start here to see what you need for your weight:

http://sonicsprings.com/catalog/calculate_spring_rate.php#calculate
 

okckeith

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I changed the fork springs to 1.2 kg/mm (I'm 225lbs) and it made a world of difference for me. MUCH more stable and planted, especially when turning. I went with Sonic Springs but there are other choices too. If you are curious, start here to see what you need for your weight:

http://sonicsprings.com/catalog/calculate_spring_rate.php#calculate
I did the same as you. Much better. Also set your rebound and preload. Try 42 psi front and rear also. I've found PR4GT tires helped a bunch also. Mine is very stable.
 
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Another area of consideration is setting the rear sag or ride height of your bikes suspension. This makes a world of difference in the handling of your bike. Ken
 
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burgman 650/2010 st
Rode today no hway all back roads bike rode great I guess at 250lbs with gear I should change fork springs. To much brake dive. I used Sonic on my Vstom so I will look into sonic for the st. Rear seems ok. Even the stock seat was ok for the 5 hrs I did today.
 
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I'm close to 240 with gear, and use the sonic 1.1 springs, 7 wt. oil @ 125 mm down, and a 140 mm spacer, and it works great for me and my wife.
However, before you start throwing money at your new toy, you may want to research the preload adjuster service and make sure that is not an issue .02
 
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Did Hway today first time not a happy camper. Found the tracking to be bad. Bike was unsteady. Speeds up to 85mph. Not sure how to describe the ride. Tires are good 40lbs air ride was smooth but a little wobbly.
Seems to me front is too soft. Need new front springs. And possibly a fork brace. Any thoughts???
I guess it all depends on your reference point. Compared to a "American" cruiser, these things are positively squirrelly. You mentioned a VStrom which is also fairly sedate in the geometry too cuz, ya know they might just get in a little dirty. My VFR was a little bit more stable but would cut the twisty WAY better. Fresh tires and maintenance before you play with bigger stuff. .02
 
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Any thoughts???
I'm close to 240 with gear, and use the sonic 1.1 springs, 7 wt. oil @ 125 mm down, and a 140 mm spacer, and it works great for me and my wife.
This is my prescription also, only I went with Race Tech 1.0 springs. Wife and I loaded out to travel, push the 410 limit, yet the ride becomes softer and controllable. Solo the ride is firm and much less diving while braking. As said before the ST has "happy feet". A change in rubber and my ST no longer found every track,crack,rut to follow. I like my Angel GTs.
 
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Did Hway today first time not a happy camper. Found the tracking to be bad. Bike was unsteady. Speeds up to 85mph. Not sure how to describe the ride. Tires are good 40lbs air ride was smooth but a little wobbly.
Seems to me front is too soft. Need new front springs. And possibly a fork brace. Any thoughts???
Look at the easy stuff first. Tires should be at 42 psi F&R. How old are they? Are they out of balance or out of round? Check the steering head bearings and wheel bearings.
What do you weigh? I am 180 and run stock springs and 10w at stock level with stock spacer, all is good.
Follow Igofar's advice about the preload adjuster on the rear shock. Chances are it will be low of fluid. My friend's new to him 2010 was empty at the reservoir. Once you get that fixed, set up your rear suspension properly.
 

DavidR8

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I don't believe a fork brace will make any difference on an ST1300. The earlier V-Stroms were reputed to have undersized fork stanchions so fork braces were a common upgrade.
 
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will a fork brace help?? I installed on a suz v strom and it was a great improvemant
IMHO a fork brake may cause more issues than help!
I've seen several members bikes have issues due to the front ends not being plunged correctly, miss aligned, crooked etc.
Start with the Easy/Free stuff first, Service your preload adjuster, adjust the damping screw to 1.5 turns out from fully seated (clockwise) then start with your preload knob at around 3 full turns in from fully open (6) clicks.
Of course this is after checking tire pressure, Front fork Plunging, and correct front wheel assembly.
 

DavidR8

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what is this??
I believe it is when the pinch bolts securing the front axle to the fork are loosened then the fork is compressed so it can 'self-align' to the axle.

Note: Indication of “Left” is if you were sitting on bike
1. Tighten the left axle pinch bolts to 22 N-m (2.2 kgf-m, 16 lbf-ft)
2. Tighten Axle Bolt to 79 N-m (8.1 kgf-m, 58 lbf-ft)
3. Tighten the right axle pinch bolts to 22 N-m (2.2 kgf-m, 16 lbf-ft)
4. Now loosen the left axle pinch bolts
5. Set the bike down where the bike's weight is on the wheels. Lock the front brake and push the suspension up and down several times.
6. Tighten the left axle pinch bolts to 22 N-m (2.2 kgf-m, 16 lbf-ft)

Experts may want to weigh in here!
 
Last edited:
Joined
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2007 Honda ST1300A
I believe it is when the pinch bolts securing the front axle to the fork are loosened then the fork is compressed so it can 'self-align' to the axle.

Note: Indication of “Left” is if you were sitting on bike
1. Tighten the left axle pinch bolts to 22 N-m (2.2 kgf-m, 16 lbf-ft)
2. Tighten Axle Bolt to 79 N-m (8.1 kgf-m, 58 lbf-ft)
3. Tighten the right axle pinch bolts to 22 N-m (2.2 kgf-m, 16 lbf-ft)
4. Now loosen the left axle pinch bolts
5. Set the bike down where the bike's weight is on the wheels. Lock the front brake and push the suspension up and down several times.
6. Tighten the left axle pinch bolts to 22 N-m (2.2 kgf-m, 16 lbf-ft)

Experts may want to weigh in here!
Wrong answer...but thanks for playing :rofl1:
This is what I was suggesting:
https://youtu.be/vSunBRB6-r8
Pay close attention to the direction of the downward push, its not holding the handlebars/brake lever and pushing forward, but rather down, that settles everything.
This is the reason Fork braces cause more problems than they solve, its because nobody aligns their forks when installing the brace and cause binding or misalignment.
This is the #1 thing I find wrong on just about every bike that comes through the garage.
This is often caused by folks adding risers plates on to their bike, and not following this procedure etc.
 
Last edited:
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Always keep trying! Just trying to share more knowledge to help folks, this is how we learn :)
 

dduelin

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It is perfectly OK to use the front brake to pump the forks up and down when aligning them. As in many things there is more than one way to do it and achieve the desired results.
 
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