'06 ST1300 with 120k miles?

Solidus

Joined
Sep 22, 2025
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US
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ST1300?
There's an ST1300, that caught my eye. I've been looking at 'wings and vaquero's and voyagers, with an occasional side glance at a Concours. I have a regular 70-ish mile commute, plus errands, I ride solo, rarely have to haul anything other than my butt and a helmet.

But this 1300 keeps coming back. The guy wants 2 grand for it, says it's in excellent condition, and from the pics, it looks good.

But 120k miles... On one hand, I could treat it like a throwaway, if it saves me wear and tear on my car, I get to have a bit of fun riding, and it dies a horrible death in 2 years, I can just dump it, and get something else. But then I keep thinking, well, stick with a 'wing, bullet proof, last forever, not a whole lot more money for the year I'm looking at....

Would you take the risk?
 
I am of two minds....one says you're right, buy it for 2 grand, ride the snot out of it, and if it dies, so what? The other side says put another 2 grand with that, and buy a low mileage bike of the same vintage, and it'll last far longer.
However, with ECM's failing on pre-2008 ST's, that's not always a good bet either. ( I have seen at least 3 pre-2008's for sale which had the code 25/26 error listed on the description)
Also, more than a few ST's of that vintage go twice that mileage , depending on the type of care they have had.

Wow, what a quandary!
 
Any used bike will need some work and money to bring it up to snuff. How old is the battery? Tires? When were all fluids changed? Brake pads? etc. I keep being amazed when a roughly 25 year old bike comes up for sale with around 30 to 50k miles on the clock. They are out there, if you think this one is too risky, keep looking.

On the other hand, if the body work is in great condition (really excellent), you could buy it, do some work ($) and have a bike that will go another 150k miles. The engines are bulletproof, it's the other stuff that wears out.
 
$2000 is not much to spend assuming overall, it’s a good (in good condition) bike- the low mileage may be due to the high mileage, the seller just wants to get it off their hands for another bike, an elderly rider getting out of motorcycling, etc. If you like it and want to roll the dice, go ahead. If it’s to be a commuter bike, just use it (and maintain it properly) and just realize it’s not a garage queen (personal opinion, nothing should be a garage queen, otherwise, in the future someone will get a mint condition vehicle you never got to enjoy)- ride on!
 
It’s a 19 year old bike, parts are obsolete, and they demand a lot of preventative maintenance to keep them working reliably.
If you are mechanically capable, and don’t mind wrenching, and flushing and bleeding things yearly (at the minimum) these bikes will Reach 150-200k miles, providing a lot of electrical stuff has not been added, or the bike has not sat for a while.
If your the type of rider who wants to buy a cheap bike to save gas money, and not spend any time learning how to work on it, there are much better choices out there.
Dealerships will not work on them over ten years old now, and even those whole will try, do not know anything about them, and often will do more damage than good.
 
Igofar said:
It’s a 19 year old bike, parts are obsolete, and they demand a lot of preventative maintenance to keep them working reliably.
If you are mechanically capable, and don’t mind wrenching, and flushing and bleeding things yearly (at the minimum) these bikes will Reach 150-200k miles, providing a lot of electrical stuff has not been added, or the bike has not sat for a while.
If your the type of rider who wants to buy a cheap bike to save gas money, and not spend any time learning how to work on it, there are much better choices out there.
Dealerships will not work on them over ten years old now, and even those whole will try, do not know anything about them, and often will do more damage than good.
Click to expand...

I recently had my 16 year old ST1300 at a dealership for an electrical problem which they fixed. Granted, it was not a specific ST1300 problem, but they never hesitated to take it on. So there's at least one out there. I suspect there's more.

If anyone is in the Glens Falls, NY area in need of service, I can highly recommend them.
 
120k miles means it was ridden! Hopefully it was also serviced! ( maintenance records?) IMHO, the ST1300 is the finest bike Honda ever produced! Mine is a 2007 with 45k miles, I hope I never have to replace it! It would be a hard bike to beat!
 
If you think your going to ride it 70 miles a day and not prepared to do any repairs, think again. Some of the newest members here post " I just bought ... and now.... any suggestions?"
 
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Of the many motorcycles out there, the ST is one of the most undervalued bikes. I say this because most ST riders are dedicated to these rides. Few that I know are ride it till it pukes and if anything over maintain them.
The more common rides get run until they start to get bored with them, then they start to ride them and quit doing the maintenance. Or never did the maintenance at all.
I have 130000 on my 04 and would not hesitate to head for Florida on it at anytime.
If you have to put a huge amount of money into it to go 70 miles a day I would be surprised, the reason people worry about high mileage I believe is not totally accurate, get the maintenance records and start there.
The STs and Goldwings of the Honda brand seem to run forever. I wouldn't worry about the mileage, I would go by what I see, hear and feel. Look in the corners and see where it has gone.
Although i know people that seem to have motor vehicle difficulties, and knowing them I sometimes do not know why- their cars breakdown. it happens.
 
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