New (to me) ST1300 replacing ST1100 I shoulda never sold

KCJones99

KCJones99

Joined
Jun 9, 2025
Messages
2
Age
55
Location
York County, PA
Bike
ST1300
Just brought home my '04 ST1300 yesterday. ONLY managed to put 80 miles on it so far, but grinning ear to ear. Pretty much stock except for Sergeant seat.

Had a '91 ST1100 for years and loved it. OG alternator finally blew out circa 2020 and I foolishly sold the thing rather than fix. Missed it ever since.

So far I've added the GIVI 'blade' top box (which I already had from the 1100) and a RAM mount for the phone/nav. Thankfully, PO had a GIVI 'E52' box on it, so the bike-specific adapter for the mount plate was already in place and fit mine - and I already had the mount-plate and box from the 1100. I know the E52 is actually a 'better' box, but didn't like the look of it. Only other thing I'm really looking to do is get some 'highway wings'.

Got it from my local Honda dealer who was 'on alert' that I wanted a 1300 if one showed up. He took this one in on trade & immediately called me. 75K miles, but one-owner who bought it new from him, and full/complete maintenance records from the near-obsessive PO. Nearly pristine other than the bird-splatter on the saddlebag I got earlier today.

Looking forward to compare/contrast between the two as I get more miles in.

IMG_20250611_173144021.jpg
 
That looks smart. I like the blue model.

I really liked and still miss my ST1100s. I had two, one after the other. I'm on my second 1300 - put 70,000 miles on my first A6 from new and have 75000 on my current A9 from new. My brother has an 1100A and I still roll up on my 1300 and drool over his.

But then I remember the 2 yearly removal of the swinging arm to get rid of rust and re-paint it.
The new silencers required every 30,000 miles.
The heavier steering which proved too uncomfortable after a problem with my elbow.
The barn door streamlining when wind is from the side.
The non adjustable screen.

But ohhhh. The smooth power of that V4 engine.

I think if I went back to the 1100, I'd miss my 1300 more.

Footnote. You may find the 1300 a little twitchy compared to the 1100. I did when I first switched. Try a couple of things
i. Remove the top box - or fit a pillion. Both stop the eddy of the airflow behind you from hitting the top box from alternate sides.
ii. Lower the preload on the rear suspension a tad. It reduces the rake of the front forks which helps.

Both are things that you get used to and don't notice - but at first I found them quite unnerving and the above helped. Now I never notice the behaviour that un-nerved me when I first got it. My top box is always on, with or without a pillion. I often forget to reduce the rear preload when I go out solo. I don't notice.
 
Last edited:
jfheath said:
That looks smart. I like the blue model.

I really liked and still miss my ST1100s. I had two, one after the other. I'm on my second 1300 - put 70,000 miles on my first A6 from new and have 75000 on my current A9 from new. My brother has an 1100A and I still roll up on my 1300 and drool over his.

But then I remember the 2 yearly removal of the swinging arm to get rid of rust and re-paint it.
The new silencers required every 30,000 miles.
The heavier steering which proved too uncomfortable after a problem with my elbow.
The barn door streamlining when wind is from the side.
The non adjustable screen.

But ohhhh. The smooth power of that V4 engine.

I think if I went back to the 1100, I'd miss my 1300 more.

Footnote. You may find the 1300 a little twitchy compared to the 1100. I did when I first switched. Try a couple of things
i. Remove the top box - or fit a pillion. Both stop the eddy of the airflow behind you from hitting the top box from alternate sides.
ii. Lower the preload on the rear suspension a tad. It reduces the rake of the front forks which helps.

Both are things that you get used to and don't notice - but at first I found them quite unnerving and the above helped. Now I never notice the behaviour that un-nerved me when I first got it. My top box is always on, with or without a pillion. I often forget to reduce the rear preload when I go out solo. I don't notice.
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Thanks for the comments, esp the 'footnote' stuff.

I actually really wanted the blue, though I hadn't even specified color with my 'source'. It was just a bonus. The 1100 was silver.

Riding thing I've most noticed with this one vs. the 1100 is it seems more sensitive to 'big truck wake' turbulence. Doesn't feel a bit unstable or scary, but definitely feels like it gets 'moved around' by wake more than the 1100 did. Most likely b/c I been riding mostly with the windscreen full-up, and not a 'concern'... just an observation.

FTR I love the adjustable windscreen. I have been 'playing' with it, but for most of the now-about-200 miles I've done, about 75% at full height.

Gotta go look at the preload now. I honestly didn't even check it for my few initial rides the last couple days. Might serve me well to dial it down (I -always- ride solo, Mrs. doesn't like being passenger) if it's cranked up to 'passenger' levels. OTOH, haven't noticed the bike feeling like preload too high.
 
I'll echo the comments around the "nervousness" of the 1300 whenever there is turbulence from other vehicles. I own a number of different bikes and it always seems obvious whenever I get back on the 1300, but it has never been anything more than a sense of instability; I suspect it is the tradeoff for the agility of the bike and also the great wind protection from all of that plastic, which are two fine assets. Great looking bike by the way, love the colour (I may be biased)!IMG_5266.JPG
 
KCJones99 said:
FTR I love the adjustable windscreen. I have been 'playing' with it, but for most of the now-about-200 miles I've done, about 75% at full height.
Click to expand...
Don't play with it to much at speed or you may render it inoperarive. Wind force exerts higher stress on the drive gear at higher speeds. Play with it at red lights.
 
TerryS said:
I'll echo the comments around the "nervousness" of the 1300 whenever there is turbulence from other vehicles.
Click to expand...

A tip about passing high sided vehicles in srong wind. Like a boat, they have a 'bow wave' and that is sometimes insignificant, but if the wind is on the front, or you are passing on the sheltered side of the vehicle, you will have to punch through that bow wave (I don't mean extra speed). It will attempt to push you away from the vehicle, or topple you to the right.

So ride as far away from the vehicle as you can, and when you get level with the cab door, countersteer so that you are aiming to meet the lane divider somewhere up ahead. All you need is a little bit of pressure on the bar closest to the vehicle to unduce a small amount of lean-in to the vehicle. So when you pass through the bow wave, you are in the centre of your lane with a slight lean to the inside and the bow wave cannot throw you off balance, all it can do is blow you upright !

Again - its something that I used to do a lot. Now I couldn't honestly say whether I do it or not. I've just got used to how the bike feels. I suppose it is a bit like learning to stand on a sail-board, or a skateboard. Once you have the reflex actions / muscle memory, you can just do it (apparently). But that trick helped me a lot in the early days.

But it is still less dramatic than the 1100.
 
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