Thankyou OzSTOC members

[Calsonic]

Hello all,

I have been a member here for all of about 2 days and already I feel like I have learned so much by reading posts on pretty much every topic you could think of concerning the ST. Having not owned a bike for a good 30 years, this users group is the perfect thing to help me make many decisions and put any fears to rest.

My last bike was a Suzuki GT750. Lets just say we both left that relationship a little broken. Then of course, life and kids took over and even though I have ridden other bikes, I have not owned another since.

I made the decision about a week ago that it was time to fulfil my desire to get myself a touring bike. I have always been in love with the Goldwing, but never looked any further since I was not in the market. Being a professional musician and sound engineer, I have always had to pour my money into expensive musical and sound gear to ensure an ongoing income.

This year I finally have the opportunity to take some money from an upcoming tour and invest it into my own personal happiness. And that happiness will be back on two wheels.

So, like I do with any substantial purchase, I started to research. First the usual google search to see what bikes would fit my desire. The Goldwing is still more than I can happily part with so i needed to look at sports tourers. I narrowed it down to Yamaha, BMW, Triumph and Honda. 

I then hit Youtube. I could not believe the plethora of information and personal videos on just about any bike you like. After watching many videos by people all over the world, it was apparent that the clear front runner was the Honda ST. So that sealed the deal. Now to learn all I can before the inevitable purchase.

Thats where you guys come in. I found this group and signed up immediately. Once into the forums I was just blown away at the plethora of information available. And everyone seems very friendly and approachable which is simply fantastic. With each post I read I find myself feeling more excited about owning one of these magnificent machines and being part of this great community.

I know I will likely ask many stupid questions along the way, but I'm confident that the people in this group will help me get the answers I need.
Although I have already started to scour the country side to see whats on the market, I won't actually be in a position to make a purchase until after my mid year tour that finishes in September.

I will certainly not be in a hurry to throw my money at the first thing I see, and that's where I will be relying on the expertise from this group.

What should I be looking at carefully when I inspect these bikes apart from the visually obvious. I'll be looking at an ST1100. Late 90's - early 2000's model I believe will be where I'll be looking. I live in QLD but will happily travel for the right bike.

I sure would appreciate any advice anyone could offer that may help in my searching.

Thank you all for providing such a wealth of information that helps everyone who needs it.
I look forward to meeting many of you in person one day and I am so looking forward to my first ride with any of you.

Cheers

Geoff

[Wild Rose]

Welcome Calsonic to OzSTOC from Toowoomba 
Hope you find a great ST1100  Enjoy the Forum 
 

[DavidP]

Welcome, also from Toowoomba area (st13 daily rider).  Did up a gt750 water bottle 25 odd years ago, "intresting" to ride at speed to say the vey least.... my first honda 250 had a stringer frame than the gt :-)

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[Shillas]

Hi Geoff,

We are certainly a band of brothers when it comes to this marque. Hope you find what you're looking for after your own touting band.

May well have a relatively low km, late model ST1100 coming up in the future 

[johnnyYTED]

 
Geoff I may a well loved and riden 1998 ST1100 that has many Farkles to go with STranger. as I bought a Sport Daytona Can Am, STranger has 2 new PR4's I'll do the timing belt soon b4 selling a well known xpolice bike, with a reputation.

[Calsonic]

Geoff I may a well loved and riden 1998 ST1100 that has many Farkles to go with STranger. as I bought a Sport Daytona Can Am, STranger has 2 new PR4's I'll do the timing belt soon b4 selling a well known xpolice bike, with a reputation.

That is certainly something I would be interested in looking at. Keep me posted.

Regards

Geoff

[Calsonic]

Hi Geoff,

We are certainly a band of brothers when it comes to this marque. Hope you find what you're looking for after your own touting band.

May well have a relatively low km, late model ST1100 coming up in the future 

Please keep me apprised if you are selling. I’ll be in the market mid to late September when I should actually have a little time off to shop around a little.

Regards

Geoff

[StinkyPete]

Hi Geoff,
We are certainly a band of brothers when it comes to this marque. Hope you find what you're looking for after your own touting band.
May well have a relatively low km, late model ST1100 coming up in the future 

Watch this space...   Its a good one.   
You can be assured that wherever you find a bike that you are interested in, an OzSTOC member would be happy to go and check it out for you. 

[Biggles]

Welcome to the fray.  You've read the vibe correctly- people are very willing to help around here.  When you're feeling like writing a short essay you might like to give your findings regarding other bikes that led you to settle on the ST1100.  I did a similar process back in 2006 and bought an ex-Police ST1100.  No regrets!  Now on my third ST1300.  As of yesterday I've accumulated 305500 kays on STs.

[Gerard & Sandra]

Geoff - Welcome aboard from near Toowoomba
Rgds
GB

[Shiney]

G'day Calsonic,
When looking at an ST1100 you could check the following:

* Ask if the timing belt and/or coolant hoses have been changed (coolant hoses can deteriorate even if it takes a long time).

* Steering Head Bearings (Have the owner put the bike on the centre stand and push down on the back seat to raise the front wheel off the ground)
   - Turn the handlebars all the way left & right. (There shouldn't be any clunkiness)
   - Try to move the handlebars (without turning them) forward & backwards then left & right. (There shouldn't be any clunkiness however there may be slight movement due to rubbers that are placed to absorb shock located between the forks and the handlebars)

* Wheel bearings.
   - Spin the wheels (while on the centre stand) to check for free movement.
   - Try to lean the wheel from side to side (They shouldn't move this way at all)

* Check the brakes are working well and there is no damage to the discs (Also check if the brake pads need to be replaced).

* Check lights.
   - Headlight (Low Beam & High Beam)
   - Tail Light
   - Brake Light (Hand Brake & Foot Brake)
   - Indicators
   - Hazard Lights

That's all I can think of at the moment but I'm sure if I have missed anything or got anything wrong someone will post below

Cheers
Shiney

[STeveo]

Welcome Geoff. I also started looking for Goldwings before finding ST's, a move I didn't regret.
Also to the above check the rear hub/drive for any noises and check the backlash of the rear wheel splines.

[alans1100]

No hazard lights on the 1100 except maybe the Police ones.

Also to the above check the rear hub/drive for any noises and check the backlash of the rear wheel splines.

Final drive splines if they haven't been lubricated properly and with the right grease can be a pain.

If you're going the ABS (1100A) way then make sure the warning lights come on with they key and go out when first starting off. If they don't come on just walk away as there's a good chance the globes have been removed to stop the red warning light from flashing and it's a more serious issue like a modulator pump.

From 1996 (1100AT) combined brakes (CBS )were introduced and usually trouble free with the SMC (secondary master cylinder) having the most issues.
The only other thing is that with the CBS you don't have independent front and rear braking.

The visible coolant hoses are generally fine but there are two hoses that go in under the carbs and not easy to inspect. I was lucky with mine and they were close to bursting when I did the timing belt at 150,000 km.

[Calsonic]

Thanks for all this awesome input. I'm taking it all in and learning as much as I can. I have however decided that I will be holding out until I find an ST1300. After looking across the country I have noticed there are quite a few that already fall into my spending range of around $5k. So I think that holding out will be even more rewarding.

I've waited 30 years for this so a few more months to find the right ride will be worth it.

Cheers

Geoff

[Calsonic]

Well I truely feel like I'm on a rollercoaster ride at the moment. I spent about 3 hours last night reading reviews, opinions and watching youtube videos about the 1100 v 1300. My conclusion is that newer is not always better. The 1300 is certainly a beautiful looking machine in my opinion and a sportier looking bike compared to the 1100.

However, I have to ask myself what my goal is in this purchase. Sportie looks are not high on my list. I will need to ride both these bikes to make a real decision but at this stage a late model 1100 ABS would seem to tick all my boxes for a long haul touring bike. And I have seen some very well looked after 1100's on the market which gives me even higher confidence that I can find the right one.

All the information that you great people have provided thus far is truely invaluable. I'm making my list of things to check before buying and this will undoubtedly save me from buyers remorse afterward.

I know there are plenty of 1300 lovers out there but the one thing I have found to be fairly consistent is the number of ex 1100 owners who wished they had kept it. I have even come across a number of riders who moved to the 1300 only to go back to the 1100 afterwards.

Obviously it comes down to individual preference. The 1300 has some nice modern features, but given that you can add so much to an 1100, these modern extras don't hold much appeal.

I'll continue to spend more time watching video's, reading others experiences and taking in all the knowledge I can gather. I may be swayed yet again to take a closer look at the 1300. Who would of thought buying a MC could be such an involved process.

Thanks again to those that have been offering advice. It is all very welcome.

Cheers

Geoff

[alans1100]

A little bit of basic info.

The 1100 was designed in Germany by Honda to compete with BMW and marketed in the EU as a tourer (Pan European) though a Light Tourer would be more fitting if comparing it to a Goldwing.

Outside of the EU it was classified as sport tourer and the rest is history.

When it came time to either update or replace the 1100 Honda is rumoured to have asked 1100 owners how the bike could be improved and the 1300 was the result and all designed in Japan.

Not sure on Honda's actions but most 1100 owners decided not to upgrade.

[Biggles]

More grist for your mill- I have ridden an 1100 after owning a 1300 for a while and realised the 13 is "sportier".  Obviously Honda has tweaked the specs to make it turn in quicker.  But for normal touring through sweepers rather than twisties, there's no difference in their handling.  I prefer the pannier latching on the 1300, but that's a matter of taste- the 1100 is quite acceptable.
There are still 11s out there with less than 100,000 kays, and an increasing number of 13s with more than 100,000.  I detect a general feeling that 100K is a bit of a watershed, but that can be taken with a grain of salt since a new belt on a 100+K ST11 is almost as good as a new engine.
So for all the nit picking, the cost of purchase could quite validly be the deciding factor.

[Gadget]

I never expected to love the electrically adjustable windscreen, but I did. Perfect in any weather.

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