ST1300 is my reintroduction to biking. 20 years away from it. My last bike was a Yamaha 650 Seca with all of 50 horsepower so the ST is a pretty big upgrade.
Bought a 2006 with a only 4,500 miles on it. 3rd owner.
Really amazed how light it handles...quick steering, low Cg, smooth power...tons of torque.
Having said that the suspension seems horribly unbalanced. The front end feels way too soft. Touch the brake and the nose dives. Meanwhile the rear feels way to stiff and overdamped. It bounces over bumps. The rear tire chatters over uneven surfaces. The bike is downright scary in turns, the slightest imperfection unsettles it. I find myself constantly readjusting...compensating...countersteering to keep the tires under the bike.
I just drove the bike for the first 1,500 miles to get comfortable with it...which never happened. Now it's time to sort things out. The only thing I've done so far was back the preload off. I need to play with the suspension rebound damping...which is set way too high right now.
Anyway, lots to read and learn. Any tips would much be appreciated. Not much riding season left here in Michigan.
Bought a 2006 with a only 4,500 miles on it. 3rd owner.
Really amazed how light it handles...quick steering, low Cg, smooth power...tons of torque.
Having said that the suspension seems horribly unbalanced. The front end feels way too soft. Touch the brake and the nose dives. Meanwhile the rear feels way to stiff and overdamped. It bounces over bumps. The rear tire chatters over uneven surfaces. The bike is downright scary in turns, the slightest imperfection unsettles it. I find myself constantly readjusting...compensating...countersteering to keep the tires under the bike.
I just drove the bike for the first 1,500 miles to get comfortable with it...which never happened. Now it's time to sort things out. The only thing I've done so far was back the preload off. I need to play with the suspension rebound damping...which is set way too high right now.
Anyway, lots to read and learn. Any tips would much be appreciated. Not much riding season left here in Michigan.