Battleship Bray
Whatever regret I felt at trading in a 1996, 145000 mile ST1100 for a pristine six month old ST1300, merely lasted as long as it took for the 6000 mile machine to exit the dealer's driveway. On paper, the new bike had lost only 20-odd pounds, but in the reality of riding felt like it had lost a third of its mass. Still a potentially lethal 630lbs (dry, in excess of 700lbs fully tanked up...) but most of that mass subsumed by Big H's clever mass centralisation work. And it wasn't as if I had done all the 145k myself on the ST, merely adding another 15000 miles to its clock – and making a nice profit on the trade-in deal to boot.
For sure, ST's are an acquired taste in the UK, making old ones very cheap on the private secondhand market, especially on eBay. Their engines seem relentless, as bulletproof as they are complex in their ninety degree vee-four unorthodoxy – and the ST13 has the added complexity of a couple of balancers so that Mr H could make the much more compact mill a stressed part of the (alloy framed) chassis, a trick they have been using all the way back to the sixties. I am not really aware that vee-fours actually have any imbalances to sort out, but the result's silky smooth, although the veteran ST11 mill was far from rough despite its mileage and mind-bending lack of servicing (I knew the previous couple of owners). Be aware, though, that the suspension on those old ST's turns to mush after as little as 40k and seriously limits performance.
First impressions of the ST1300, of being transported to the future – light handling, amazingly stable and responsive, backed up by loads of power and a shaft drive that for all practical purposes was invisible. Okay, so she is still a big tug, needing a bit of muscle to get her off the stand, but once moving this is a ridiculously easy bike to ride. As if to test my mettle, five miles into the trek home, the heavens let loose with a torrential downpour – and I laughed out loud, more than cosy behind the screen and fairing, those big pop-out mirrors even keeping my hands dry.
Incidentally, seat and windshield are adjustable, though they do not put you far beyond a comfortable upright stance, the ergonomic potential is an encouragement to use the full range of the eight gallon tank; 250 miles and more in one sitting no problem! Fine tuning the bike to my individual requirements was a great personal joy as I do suffer from potential back problems and was able to completely remove any such worries from long distance touring. This alone made the bike worth the finance payments.
A surprising amount could be stuffed into the nooks and crannies hidden away on the bike, as well as the panniers designed as part of the machine. But beware, too much mass in the latter made the rear Dunlop very squeamish on road irregularities such as white lines - though as it's a hard wearing tyre, still there with more than 10,000 miles on the clock, some minor transgressions have to be forgiven, right?
Curiously, the fuel injected vee-four was relatively economical, more than 50mpg possible when in open road cruising mode, speeds mostly in the 70-90mph range. Town trawling could take it down (or up?) to 45mpg but that was about the worst I experienced. Even when doing German autobahns at a steady and miraculously comfy 125mph, the bike would still better 45mpg! Top speed? Don't know, all I will admit is that I chickened out at 145mph; nothing to do with the bike, just me wanting to continue my long and happy life.
After a few thousand miles of sheer elation at ownership of my new machine, I did notice that the drive-line whirled away a bit if I was particularly devious in my choice of gears at low speed and the front forks, though hugely superior to the worn ST11 kit, would go a touch vague when really motoring through high speed corners. Absolutely nothing to worry about and only worth commenting on here in the interests of sheer thoroughness.
Braking, the latest version of Honda's Linked Braking System, which apply retardation to both wheels when either handlebar lever or pedal are employed. Die-hards will scorn such advances but after a hard day in the saddle the braking's still effortless, powerful and very safe, even in diabolical riding conditions, such as summer storms which turn the road surface lethal. Now, sporting riders at the limit will probably complain about the machine turning in when they want it to do otherwise, or some such track nonsense, but for your average fast tourer the braking is as good as it gets.
BTW, the worn old ST had its whole braking system replaced with a conventional set-up so I am in no position to comment on the relative merits of Honda's latest LBS, other than, as stated, that it works jolly well for me – and most likely, you!
Town riding was easier than expected, but this is no tiny step-thru able to hurtle through fast changing gaps in the traffic – on the plus side, its appearance is so impressive that cagers often move over to give me a bit more space rather than try to knock me off into the gutter. I did manage to wedge the thing between a couple of cars and ended up leaping off as it slowly descended on to a lowly slung Mazda open top, the car's bonnet being effectively destroyed – the ST escaped with a couple of scratches!
Only after leaping on to something small and sacred – such as a CBR900 – does the sheer outrageous bulk, however well distributed, come immediately to mind. It is such an insidious beastie that the more you ride it the more likely you are to forget its excessive dimensions.
So there you go. I guess the vast majority of bikers wouldn't even bother getting their leg over one but for my mixed riding – 50 mile commutes in all kinds of weather and long, long weekend tours, the ST is pretty good stuff.
M.K.