Advice on purchase of 2016 ST 1300

Mellow said:
I've gotten it on all my bikes. Wind and a top box plusa weak rear preload will do it.
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I rarely run a top box and have the rear shock preloaded quite a bit and I've never had it happen to me. Only seems to be an issue if you're running the bike like Mellow says.
 
I went from older Guizzis to a 2010 ST1300. I loved that bike, sooo smoooooooth, the engine sings to you and seems like it will run forever. Since there are a few here topping 200k miles, if you take care of it, it probably will run forever. These are complex bikes, but easy to maintain if you are willing to put some time in and learn them. If you don't maintain the bike, expensive things will eventually cry out for attention. This is pretty much true for most bikes, but as said, the ST is a complex bike that is very reliable when regularly maintained.

I had a bigger aftermarket windshield and a top box and decided to improve the handling. After dialing back the rear shock damping and preload, the bike did NOT like turbulence behind big trucks. Restoring the settings to factory defaults cured that. I eventually put Gold Valves on my forks and rear shock. That improved the already good handling significantly. I had the heat problem only once - a very hot day, riding hard behind a bunch of good riders for a couple of hours, followed by sitting on the bike idling while we waited for something. Otherwise, no heat problem at all.
 
I'm still trying to make up my mind, but yeah I'll share it if I don't take it.
Thanks everyone for your comments and advice. Thank you
 
For that price, that's a question I'd be asking myself AFTER I got it home. My only question would be titling a "new" old bike not from a dealer.
 
omidathari said:
The bike has been issued a title already in Arizons in Feb of 2026, And it shows 2 actual miles on the title.
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Yeah, I'd say pull the trigger on it, unless all the maintenance work is a little much for you. You'll end up with a fairly unique bike in pristine condition.
 
Be careful. If it's not a 50-state smog bike, the bike can't be registered in California if it has less that 7,500 miles on it.

I learned the hard way back in 2011 after purchasing a 2001 49-state bike in Oregon with low miles. The solution involved putting a thousand miles on it (with the OR plate), then registering in CA.

With 6,800 miles on this ST, hitting 7,500 wouldn't take that long.
 
One thing is certain... even with all the plastics off, this is a very rare find.
And it's getting rarer every day.
My opinion.... if you bought this bike, had the fluids and tires replaced -- you should be able to easily get all your money out of it if you don't like it after a few thousand miles.
I've seen many older, higher- mileage bikes sell for this price and more, on this forum and elsewhere.
I'll admit, I'm very high on this bike, and I have a lot of experience with big bikes.
As mentioned, many of us here would jump on it if it is as you describe.
 
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