haha that’s funny. No honestly he seems to not have interest anymore. He is over 80...he is in pretty good shape for now but grandma isnot allowing him to continue riding and he agreed with her. It’s the riding itself not the size of the bike that she is concerned about.
2003 ST 1300 as first bike?
- Thread starter ndylewsky
- Start date
my mistake...they are going from 4k to 5k for the same year starting at 65k miles
Condition matters and since you know the maintenance history, that makes your bike worth a lot more in my opinion.
Well maintained ST1300s often are seen with 100k miles or more. If you want to keep it, I am sure you can hit that mark without trouble.
Well maintained ST1300s often are seen with 100k miles or more. If you want to keep it, I am sure you can hit that mark without trouble.
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You'd be surprised at how often large-bike riders say they actually enjoyed riding a smaller bike for a change.
Another good mid-sized bike, if you can find a good one, is an '83-'86 Honda Nighthawk 650, or a '91-'03 Nighthawk 750.
steve3b3
Retired
Welcome!
My '04 ST was my return to riding bike, after a 20 year layoff.
It's a bit heavy, but as others have said, sheds her weight as you start moving.
I took the MSF's Advanced Rider course to practice skills, and I feel that it helped make me a more proficient rider..
Take it slow,and you'll do fine
FWIW, I moved on to a Gold Wing last year, and on one of the GW forums, someone was looking to buy a Wing as his first bike.
Steve
My '04 ST was my return to riding bike, after a 20 year layoff.
It's a bit heavy, but as others have said, sheds her weight as you start moving.
I took the MSF's Advanced Rider course to practice skills, and I feel that it helped make me a more proficient rider..
Take it slow,and you'll do fine
FWIW, I moved on to a Gold Wing last year, and on one of the GW forums, someone was looking to buy a Wing as his first bike.
Steve
STumped
Because I usually am . . . .
That's a great deal!
These bikes regularly go over 100,000 miles. There are some on the forum that have rolled over 200,000 miles! My bet is that you will tire of the bike before it gives up on you.
I think the size and weight of the bike are more important to the rider in training than the displacement of the engine although obviously a significantly smaller displacement engine would typically mean a smaller lighter bike. Being comfortable with those two metric allows you to build both skill and confidence.
You mentioned throttle control. This is a big deal for a new rider considering an ST1300. The 1300 uses fuel injection where other bikes may use carburetors. The On/Off nature of FI at low speeds gives it what some of us call "snatchy" throttle response. We don't notice this in cars because their weight and inertia smooth that out. The same may be true for a Gold Wing.
Riding the ST with that throttle at low speeds combined with the narrow friction range of a hydraulic clutch can make riding an adventure. Stall the bike while making a slow speed turn could turn into a righting-the-bike drill.
The skills and confidence gained from riding a 500-ish cc bike can be applied to the learning curve of the 1300. And there will be a learning curve. Its profile will depend on your innate skills. When transitioning to the 1300 (and probably any FI'ed bike of a similar size and weight) learning good low-speed throttle control will be important. You've ridden that ST a short time/ways so you should have an idea what's that like. You may refine that skill easily or it may take some real practice but it's important.
I am going to look at an ‘86 shadow 500vt tomorrow. It has 13k and I could acquire it for around $1500. Having a friend who is a moto mechanic come and take a look with me.That's a great deal!
These bikes regularly go over 100,000 miles. There are some on the forum that have rolled over 200,000 miles! My bet is that you will tire of the bike before it gives up on you.
this is the one I am
This is the one I am going to look at tomorrow described in the reply abovethis is the one I am
STumped
Because I usually am . . . .
That would be great first bike but you may want to negotiate the price a little. It looks to be missing the left side cover and have your mechanic friend check out the fuel valve and/or carbs. It looks to have/had a fuel leak, most likely from the petcock (brown stains around the left foot peg). Neither is a deal breaker, the cover is mostly just cosmetic and the petcock can be repaired or replaced (might just need a gasket or maybe it was just left in the wrong position for extended periods of time). The carbs will likely need to be cleaned.
I'm not telling you all this to scare you away from it, I still think it would be a good first bike. I only mention it so that you might be able to use it a bargaining tool to negotiate a lower price.
Good luck and let us know how it works out!
yes I agree with you. My buddy already pointed out the same thing. The owner claimed that he though he was having an issue and disconnected the fuel line...he said there is no leak but that it was probably from when he disconnected the fuel line. He said thathe made a mistake and reallyhe just forgot to switch to the reserve tank but thought there was another issue and disconnected the fuel line while investigating.That would be great first bike but you may want to negotiate the price a little. It looks to be missing the left side cover and have your mechanic friend check out the fuel valve and/or carbs. It looks to have/had a fuel leak, most likely from the petcock (brown stains around the left foot peg). Neither is a deal breaker, the cover is mostly just cosmetic and the petcock can be repaired or replaced (might just need a gasket or maybe it was just left in the wrong position for extended periods of time). The carbs will likely need to be cleaned.
I'm not telling you all this to scare you away from it, I still think it would be a good first bike. I only mention it so that you might be able to use it a bargaining tool to negotiate a lower price.
Good luck and let us know how it works out!
what is the side cover you are referring to?That would be great first bike but you may want to negotiate the price a little. It looks to be missing the left side cover and have your mechanic friend check out the fuel valve and/or carbs. It looks to have/had a fuel leak, most likely from the petcock (brown stains around the left foot peg). Neither is a deal breaker, the cover is mostly just cosmetic and the petcock can be repaired or replaced (might just need a gasket or maybe it was just left in the wrong position for extended periods of time). The carbs will likely need to be cleaned.
I'm not telling you all this to scare you away from it, I still think it would be a good first bike. I only mention it so that you might be able to use it a bargaining tool to negotiate a lower price.
Good luck and let us know how it works out!
it was listed at 2k. I negotiated down to $1500 before agreeing to look at it. But I would like to get it down to $1200 if possible.
STumped
Because I usually am . . . .
The missing side cover is below the seat on the left side where the battery is exposed. Look at the right side to get an idea of what it would look like. Like I said, mostly just cosmetic and you can search ebay for a used one. If it were me, I'd live without it unless I found one cheap on ebay or at a salvage yard.
Also, to add to my previous post, take a peek inside the gas tank and look for signs of rust.
and what if there did apear to be signs of rust?
STumped
Because I usually am . . . .
he says he has the cover. He had just put a new battery in when he took the pictures but the cover is back ok now.If there is, use it to negotiate a lower price.
If there is rust, does it effect the reliability at all?
STumped
Because I usually am . . . .
It might. If the rust is really bad there might be a chance that it rusted all the way through the gas tank, in which case you will need replace it with a used tank. But that is worst case scenario.
Most likely, if there is rust you will want to remove the tank, drop the petcock, and flush out any debris (rust) from the tank. You could stop there or treat the tank with a mild acid that will neutralize the rust (google it). Either way, I would add an easily accessible in-line fuel filter and keep an eye on it. Otherwise, little flakes of rust might get into the carbs and cause fueling problems.
It's not really a huge deal unless the tank is perforated.
FWIW...you are smart to be looking at a Honda if you want a bike that old. I Admit that I am biased towards another Japanese brand (Kawasaki ,,..which I would not even think about buying with that many years on it. But a Honda...hard to go wrong. They just seem to keep on running.
So...the good news is that I negotiated the price a little bit more with the condition we take it off his hands tomorrow. My buddy will help me load it I his truck tomorrow (it is a two hour drive away so I am not going to ride it home). I basically said that since he said it has a few small dings and a small tear on the seat, I was recomended to pay no more than $1200. This was based on KBB value and looking up on some other forums what people have typically paid for the bike.
As long as everything checks out I wil have a new bike tomorrow and family is saving the ST1300 for me for now which includes two free full face helmets. they are not in a rush to sell it at all. Worse case scenario I could always change
I couldn’t be more excited and insurance is like $200 a year compared with about $1500 a year with the ST1300.
Thanks so much for all of your help.
As long as everything checks out I wil have a new bike tomorrow and family is saving the ST1300 for me for now which includes two free full face helmets. they are not in a rush to sell it at all. Worse case scenario I could always change
I couldn’t be more excited and insurance is like $200 a year compared with about $1500 a year with the ST1300.
Thanks so much for all of your help.