Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 20??

[Blue One]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

http://solomoto.es/1/desvelamos-la-honda-paneuropean-2015#.U6QqF3ObsdV

What a bunch of totally useless misinformed crap that is.

 

[Sportznut]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014? A short article with responses.

Like Flyfisher, I moved on and bought a 14 FJR ES at the end of Jan. Just got back from a 2-week trip to the western states- 4900mi in 13 days. Agree with everything Flyfisher says but want to add one thing: Finally got to ride the FJR in hot weather- high 90s. Took my gloves off for a short time to ride & feel the heat from the bike in various places. Tank doesn't get warm, much less hot. No hot air around my crotch. The only warm air is just above the ankle on my boots- not hot, just warm. I can even avoid most of that by moving my feet out on the pegs, but I don't bother- it's not that hot. I had my 03 ST for 7 years & 100k miles. The inner fairing panels were cut away for improved air flow and it was considerably cooler than my friend's 06. Still, my 03 was sweltering to ride in conditions where I don't notice any heat at all on the FJR.

On long hauls through IA, SD, WY, KS etc. The cruise control allowed me to relax. Putting the suspension on the Soft damping setting smooths out the expansion joints & ripples on long, straight roads. My longest day was 784mi in 13-1/2 hrs including stops. I finished the day relaxed and didn't feel tired.

As much as I loved my ST, I would have been pooped after that ride- the stiff damping of the front forks would have pounded me, my right arm would hurt from the constant attention to the throttle and my crotch & legs would be baked after that ride.

The FJR now has 12.5k miles. Buying it was the best decision I have made in a long time. 2nd best decision is getting a Russell Day-Long seat for the FJR. (Had one on the ST too)

Can I ask you 2014 FJR owners to expand a little bit regarding the weather protection on the FJR?

I really like the weather protection of the ST 1300, especially against the rain and how smooth the air is. I do have an aftermarket windshield so that will have a bearing on my results.

Just curious because the FJR windshield appears so much smaller than the factory ST 1300. Seems like you would get a lot more buffeting around the shoulders and arms?

How big are you guys? I am 6 foot 2 and 200 pounds. The FJR seemed pretty small to me but just like the ST1300 it may just be a matter of riding it for a longer length of time to get a better feel for it. The lighter weight seemed to make the FJR a little bouncy too but I was riding a 2013 not a 2014. But again I did not mess with any adjustments or ride it very long.... about 20 minutes.

I know it took me about a week to really appreciate all the great things about the ST 1300.... So maybe it is the same with the FJR?

I was not even thinking about a new FJR, but I saw the pretty red one at the dealer and it has me to thinking.

It would be hard for me to give up the ST1300..... I love so much about it.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[Blue One]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

No way would I consider the FJR as a replacement for my ST1300.

I made a trip of 6000 kilometers and two days after I got home I took the FJR out from the dealer for a 2 hour ride.

It was fast and sporty, way too much towards the sport side of the equation to me.

I found myself thankful that I had not just spent 6000 kilometers on the FJR.

If I had I would not be so eager to continue riding a couple days later and would not have wanted to plan another trip as quickly.

I got back on the ST and smiled all the way home.

 

[ST Gui]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

What a bunch of totally useless misinformed crap that is.

How so?

What I got out of it is that the ST replacement will be/is called the STX1300, and will be redesigned based on the CTX1300 and come in two versions, as do a few of the other Honda models. There is also a mule of the STX running around SoCal according to that article.

I don't know how much of that is true or rumor or misinformation. I am intrigued.

 

[HejDuke]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

My replacement for the ST, in 2014, was the purchase of a new (out of inventory) 2013 FJR1300 in April. Had only 26 miles on it. As an aside, I've been enjoying my ST for nearly 5 years and I'd still be riding it if my wife didn't insist on me getting a brand new bike for my 50th B-Day this year. Wow, am I ever glad she did; what-a-machine! I'll try to answer Sportznut below. No disrepect to Blue One's opinion but I am very happy with the ride, comfort, and level of weather protection in my experience with my gen III FJR.

For those interested in my short comparison review on some the observed differences between the ST and FJR, keep reading. Though the FJR is a little smaller it doesn't feel that way in the rider-triangle. I do noticed the FJR's dash sits lower whereas the ST's rises up in front of you. The ST cockpit area is wider and taller by comparison but I do not feel ripped off or denied on the FJR.

The FJR windshield is shorter. I did was put the taller Yamaha Touring windshield on the FJR ($125 new). Very nice. The ST still has better wind protection over all but when on the FJR, I don't feel like I'm out in the wind. Perhaps it's the new front-end design in air-flow management but I'm in relatively "still air" in the cockpit area. Next, it looked as though my hands are out in the wind but not really. My buddy has a K1600GTL and he gets huge wind on his hands and hates it. Even with his heated grips, the wind chilled-down his fingers and thumbs, which wasn't good as most of our tour was spent in the 50's. The FJR by comparison has less wind/hand protection than the ST but my hands surprisingly didn't get wind-blown at all or wet on our last tour (last 200 miles of it in the rain) unlike the hands of my K16-compadre who did. The ST is superior in wind protection but I'm quite comfortable with my experience on the FJR in this area.

Regarding the seat. I kept the new stock on for my 1800 mile "Ozarks Tour" last month. I didn't know how my posterior would hold out but felt I needed to pay my dues and test the stock seat for all it's worth. I rode the 680 miles one-way in one day, we toured for two more days, then rode the 680 back in one day. No highway pegs. The seat did an excellent job for me. The same ride on my Spencerized ST seat - the previous two years- was significantly more trying and we took two days to get there. On the ST seat, I noticed I start doing the squirmy-seat-dance before reaching the first 100 miles of any ride. I'm now thinking my ST seat is too pliable or soft where before I thought it might not have been soft enough; I was wrong. I now feel it's all of the "give" that creates hot spots. It crowns up in the center, pressing up onto my taint and junk, the FJR seat is firmer but gives just-enough and allows for a more even distribution of weight. Yamaha makes a "touring" seat but I need to investigate it's feature set first before investing. I still may go with Laam but that's now down the road.

The power plant is where the FJR really pulls away -pun intended. Without taking anything away from the smooth and very quick performance of the ST, the FJR's acceleration makes my adrenalin pump in a way I haven't experienced before. Distinctions in performance are noted in Motorcylist's 2013 sport touring comparo, where the FJR technically beat the mighty K1600GT in the quarter mile (10.82 vs. 10.86 respectively). Just behind in top gear roll-on from 60 to 80, at 3.66s vs. 3.37s respectively. The FJR's performance is on par with the best. The laundry list of standard features on the GEN III FJR's has been covered by others already. One of the best parts was that I bought this FJR for less than half the price of my buddy's K1600GTL. For those of you like me that yearn for "today's standards" in sport touring with top of the line performance, the FJR has it in spades. Maybe I'll be ready for my next ride in another 5 years. I'd like to think Honda will have refreshed the ST or the Goldwing by then. If not, I'm sure Yamaha will have continued with their level of productivity and release "gen IV" FJR! In the end, I have no regrets owning a gen III FJR, only praise!

 

[HejDuke]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014? A short article with responses.

Can I ask you 2014 FJR owners to expand a little bit regarding the weather protection on the FJR?

I address these directly as I didn't before.

I really like the weather protection of the ST 1300, especially against the rain and how smooth the air is. I do have an aftermarket windshield so that will have a bearing on my results.

For me on the FJR, I initially felt a little more exposed in ways but I do not feel "out in the wind". Yamaha did something with this latest design that simply works.[/QUOTE]

Just curious because the FJR windshield appears so much smaller than the factory ST 1300. Seems like you would get a lot more buffeting around the shoulders and arms?

I've get no buffeting but I wanted more cover like I had on the ST so I go the FJR "touring" windshield. A little wider and 4 1/2" taller ($125).

How big are you guys?I am 6 foot 2 and 200 pounds. The FJR seemed pretty small to me but just like the ST1300 it may just be a matter of riding it for a longer length of time to get a better feel for it. The lighter weight seemed to make the FJR a little bouncy too but I was riding a 2013 not a 2014. But again I did not mess with any adjustments or ride it very long.... about 20 minutes.

I'm 6' 1", 200 lbs. Your particular comments really touched on something and I think has real merit. I have to admit the "feel" was initially really different on the FJR (compared to my ST). But over these last few weeks, it's become an extension of me now. Here's something interesting as a comparison, I just put a brand new tire on the ST but I had to ride 90 miles round trip for the change. The ST, which has been my love for nearly 5 years, felt awkward and alien to me. It was so weird but I was fascinated by the experience. so there's some truth to what you say. Humans truly are incredible at adapting, it's amazing what we get used-to sometimes.

I know it took me about a week to really appreciate all the great things about the ST 1300.... So maybe it is the same with the FJR?

AGREED!

I was not even thinking about a new FJR, but I saw the pretty red one at the dealer and it has me to thinking.

nothing wrong with that. Indulge a little.

It would be hard for me to give up the ST1300..... I love so much about it.

I thought so too.

 

[flyfisher]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

I'm a little over six foot, weight slightly more than 200 (still 20 too much) and find the seat in the low position most comfortable...with beads........touring windscreen (Yamaha), and it does a surprising job of keeping the rain off.....been running with the fairing extender things in the upper (wider) position.....supposedly the "winter" position.....but makes the fairing about a half inch wider on each side.....never thought heat was an issue on my ST, but the FJR has no heat except around the feet.........very nice......was out burning fuel today.....running it up to redline for final breakin......holy crap.......this thing moves.......the ST was no slouch but the Feej plain hauls ash in third to redline and the shift to 4th settles the rear end and just keeps hauling....not that you need that or anything, BUT adrenaline is a nice fix at my age.....................gonna change oil one more time and head west on Monday.......hope the tire mileage is reasonable..............ff........BTW it's scary fast in corners....took a few today at least 10 over what I did on my ST and there was no chicken strips on that either............

 

[Blue One]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

How so?

What I got out of it is that the ST replacement will be/is called the STX1300, and will be redesigned based on the CTX1300 and come in two versions, as do a few of the other Honda models. There is also a mule of the STX running around SoCal according to that article.

I don't know how much of that is true or rumor or misinformation. I am intrigued.

What I got from it was a huge amount of speculation and none of it is remotely true. Talk about misinformation. And it is very unlikely that there is a "mule" running around anywhere other than on official testing facilities.

 

[Norm Kern]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014? A short article with responses.

Can I ask you 2014 FJR owners to expand a little bit regarding the weather protection on the FJR?

I am 5'11" tall with a 30" inseam. Had an 03 ST1300 for 7 years, 100k miles. It had an RDL seat, MCL setback/risers, Pan european trunk. There were other mods, but they didn't affect weather/wind protection. Loved the bike.

Switched to a 14 FJR ES end of Jan. Just finished a 4900 mi trip out west, bike now has 12.5k. Here's my 2c on weather protection:

FJR has an RDL seat, Yamaha Touring windshield, MV setback/risers, Pan european trunk kept from the ST and color-matched candy-apple red. Also has V-strom hand shields over the clutch & front brake levers.

Only time the ST is quieter/less air turbulence is when the very large stock windshield is all the way up. In all other cases, there is less wind turbulence/noise on the FJR. As would be expected, the wide windshield of the ST provides more protection in crosswinds, but the ST is less stable in crosswinds than the FJR. There are wider windshields for the FJR if crosswind protection is important to you and you are willing to sacrifice some stability.

One of the things I wanted in a new bike was a smaller, lighter feel, and the FJR delivers. I also wanted more fresh air in hot weather which I can get on the FJR. The V-strom handshields come off in about a minute using only an allen wrench for really hot weather riding. OTOH, with the windshield up all the way, wind, noise, and protection from rain and cold are fine for me. (Did the first 4k miles in 30-55 degree temps.)

One thing I did not like on my ST was the heat from the engine. On hot days, the gas tank got hot and hot air poured all over me, in spite of the fact that most of the inner panels of the fairing had been removed to improve air flow. It was still much cooler than my friends' later model ST's. OTOH, the tank never gets warm on the FJR. Even in the humid mid-90 degree temps on some of the western trip, I noticed no heat from the FJR. I had to take my gloves off to determine where the air coming off the bike was warm. (I wear firstgear riding overpants over levis and Sidi boots) With my bare hands I could feel that the warmest air coming off the FJR was just above the ankle of my boots.

Finally there is the suspension. My ST had the rear shock rebuilt by Racetech with Gold valves. The rear suspension wasn't bad, but the stock ST1300 is cursed with a front fork with weak springs and stiff compression damping. After a long day on the interstate, I was often exhausted and achy from the pounding from expansion joints and the like. OTOH the FJR ES suspension damping can be changed while going down the road. I'm using factory settings for std and hard damping & -3 (the softest setting) for soft. On regular roads, I use the std setting. If I'm carving twisties, especially with ripples in the pavement, I use hard. If I'm going down a straight road for a long way and encounter expansion joints and other sharp bumps, I switch to the soft setting. I call this the 'rocking chair' mode. I also run the cruise control so I can relax on the long highway stretches.

At the end of a long travel day, I arrive refreshed on the FJR, when the same route and pace left me pounded and tired on the ST. For me, the FJR rocks. It's the most capable, most comfortable sport-touring bike I have ever experienced. To sum up: the FJR is faster, more agile, more comfortable and more fun to ride.

That's my opinion...

 

[flyfisher]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014? A short article with responses.

Shhhh.......don't tell everyone........let's keep it a little secret for now............great write up.......I agree....although mine is stock except for beads, my old ST Givi trunk(and rack, re-engineered) and Grip Puppies.......love the bike.........ff

 

[Appalachian]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

What I got out of it is that the ST replacement will be/is called the STX1300, and will be redesigned based on the CTX1300 and come in two versions, as do a few of the other Honda models. There is also a mule of the STX running around SoCal according to that article.

As unattractive as I find this concept personally, it wouldn't surprise me if it came to fruition. It's a trend so strong that even BMW has a bike developed and cued to set loose along these lines - imagine a F6B/CTXesque variant of the GTL/GTL-E.

 

[ST Gui]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

As unattractive as I find this concept personally

I'd have to see the execution of the concept before casting any votes or aspersions. It should be no surprise to anybody by now that I like the CTX except for a couple of details: the bars and the windshield.

The fairing is styled in the H-D bagger tradition. That's fine for the CTX but I wouldn't want Honda to bring that to ST as I prefer a slightly sportier look. I have to think Honda wouldn't do that to the ST. I could live with a lower seat height and foot-forward pegs as on the CTX. Even having the same engine wouldn't bother me. It would be a huge loss of bragging rights and some performance either or both of which would bother some riders. So for me it's wait and see.

 

[minal]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014? A short article with responses.

a very important parameter to consider !!

what about the comfort of the back seat ? My wife loves the stock seat of ST 1300, any comments re FJR will be appreciated.

 

[Badger]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

I checked BMW and their 2014 model R1200RT now has liquid/oil cooled stronger engine plus integrated navigation system plus quick shifter (that they used in s1000rr earlier) new fairings plus lower seat plus electronically adjustable suspensions and maybe more pluses that i missed. How silly that BMW spends money on a dead market as some claim. Some said that they spend 36 billion dolars plus 3 tons of gold and 2 tons of platinum to lower the seat (money spent for development and testing). Only god knows how much they spent on other additions. How come they don't know that there is NO MARKET for tourers???
Go honda, please don't do any changes, don't ruin a classic. Actually st1300 is too much that they need to go back and produce the st1100's. Maybe putting a carburetor might do it just like the good old days? Who knows...

 

[NorCalBusa]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

Anybody have any updates on what Honda intends to do with ST1300 or a possible replacement?

Honda has stopped building the ST-A, only the -P is still being made.

 

[Bones]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

Anybody have any updates on what Honda intends to do with ST1300 or a possible replacement?

My source at Honda has told me we will be "waiting a long time" for a replacement for the ST.

 

[veefore]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

+1, I'm quite positive Bones has better connections than me but after my demo ride I spoke to a gentleman directly from American Honda at Americade last week..........I hope you guys like 700 pound dirt bikes......apparently it's the future. I told him I have absolutely no interest.......

 

[Mellow]

I decided to change the title of this thread since we're past 2014 and well enough into 2015 that we're pretty sure nothing is happening this year... I sure hope I don't have to change the title again...

 

[broc11]

Re: Replacement for the Honda ST1300 in 2014?

+1, I'm quite positive Bones has better connections than me but after my demo ride I spoke to a gentleman directly from American Honda at Americade last week..........I hope you guys like 700 pound dirt bikes......apparently it's the future. I told him I have absolutely no interest.......

Maybe they will bring the Crosstourer Stateside, unless the new Africa twin is a world beater the Crosstourer is very high on my list in a few years when I have a big birthday coming up, shaft drive V4,comfort and power and fine on rough mountain roads,I'd have no intention of going off road on a bike like that anyway.

 

[BakerBoy]

This thread reminds me a lot of the 'Airplane on a treadmill' thread. Yes, the airplane will take off--it's physics.

It is impossible to know whether Honda will eventually produce a new ST--it's business.