Advice on purchase of 2016 ST 1300

Has anyone experienced the dreaded wobble with these bikes or is it a myth.
 
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.
 
I own an NC and have owned an ST1300. At first the ST will feel a lot bigger and a little more top heavy but that feeling will go away by the second or third ride. The ST will have the same Honda quality feel but overall it will feel more solid. For the price of bikes today you really can't go wrong with it. Start it up do a walk around make sure lights, horn, electric windshield, and turn signals work, take it for a test drive and if all is good bring it home. Almost a no brainer it's a good bike for the money and should serve you well. Or you can spend 3 times the money for something newer and be taking the same chances.
 
The bike is ten years old I bought a ten year old bike that sat [back after one year] in a crate for eight years, wasn't a big deal since the brake and hydraulic systems were relatively [I mean compared to the ST] simple but given the complexity and availability and cost of parts with the ST I'd have to verify that everything was in good shape and even then
[edit] agree entirely with later post 46, the comparison becomes 4,000 plus tires plus battery plus.. I'd rather put that $6,000 and required learning toward a newer model especially if you're more interested in riding than everything else
On the other hand, If you've had one and understand all of it's unique complexities [for lack of a better phrase] it would be great
 
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I would buy it unseen at that price, without haggling. Brand new. Only likely issues are old tyres, and if the system is full of old brake fluid. Fresh oil. Relatively easy fixes.

The number of people who have got one for the first time after many other bikes and wondered why they hadn’t already tried one. They were chosen as a police bike with good reason. The weave put paid to that but it was an assembly issue mainly which was ‘solved’ around 2004. Usually seen on bikes being ridden at very high speeds.
I’ve never had it, but I’ve only taken it up to 100 once on the German motorways. Things happen far too quickly for me at that speed!

Top box and airflow can be an issue. But not at legal speeds.
 
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It is a PA, so it is limited to 120mph, which should help limit the possibility of the "pan weave". I have touched 120mph twice, and rarely cross 100. It does start to feel light in triple digits, but I have never experienced pan weave or instability. You do get buffeted behind semi-trucks, but no worse than anything else I have ridden. I generally have my windshield half way up and no top box.

To echo everyone else. If you are at all interested in this type of bike, that is a heck of a price. I would change tires, fluids and probably the secondary master cylinder just for peace of mind. Ride it for a few months and if you decide it is not for you, post it for sale on here and pass on the deal.

The real issue is you will love it, and then you will start tweaking everything slightly to get "just perfect". That is where the real money comes in. :roflmao:

Ryan
 
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