Seeking Out Servicing Support

[jt8277]

Hey Everyone,

It has been so long since I have been on this Forum, and glad to see it still going strong.  This one is going to be wordy, so sorry...

This might be the wrong place to post this, and administrator I am happy for you to move it accordingly!!.

Anyway, I have not ridden my ST1100 at all this season, and when I did get it out, I found some disturbing finds... I thought it was about time I got the Oil Leak fixed that has been present for a number of years, that my mechanic has been begging me to get sorted.

Only to find that my mechanic no longer services anything older than 2010 any more, so I am stuck finding a new one.

Long story short...

I finally got round to fixing up the coolant system that was causing it to overheat on my road trip earlier in 2025, only to

Find:

• Oil all over my Front Wheel and Brake Discs - which turns out to be leaking Forks
• Oil leak is quite a major issue

I spent all weekend fixing the coolant, swapping it over to Nulon Red, and then contacted a new mechanic, he advised me not to ride it, but where I live makes it very difficult to get it anywhere, so I washed it thoroughly to get the oil off the front wheel and brakes, and rode it to the guy in Sunbury, only to be told it is going tak $4,000+ to fix.

Approximately $600 - $700 for replacing the Front Forks
Approximately $2,000 - $3,000 to fix the Oil leak which he thinks is right in the middle of the bike, and check on the pistons.

Money is extremely tight as you can quite imagine, and unfortunately I don't have access to a lift (if I did - I might have a go myself).

What I am looking for...

Either...

• A recommendation for a Service Center that is close to Woodend (remember I don't have access to a trailer) that might be a little cheaper
• An enthusiast that likes taking these things apart that would help me fix it - Show me how to do it (me paying for parts of course) that has access to a lift

I am reluctant to sell her, because she is 25 years old and not worth much, and love the bike....

  

[Williamson]

Second time this week that I've heard of bike shops not wanting to work on bikes 10 years or older.   Must be doing okay to knock back business.

I have a guy (Dave) in Thomastown VIC (used to work on Police ST's in the UK).
https://www.facebook.com/www.hayesmc.com.au  Dave does a good job servicing and some minor repairs (fork seals) on my ST1300.  Was in his workshop a month or so back, had his ST1300 stripped to the bones, doing some pretty serious reconditioning, not sure if he'd be interested in working on an ST1100 but can't see why not - business is business.

He has picked-up / dropped-off bikes for me in his monster Mercedes van, small cost St Helena to Thomastown, will be a different matter to / from Woodend.   (Woodend aye!  Was up there this morning picking-up my caravan from storage, on a property off Andrew Avenue.)

There is a member just out of Bendigo with a trailer or two for transporting motorcycles - I'll leave it to him to let you know if a loan trailer is available.

Sunbury - there is a member in Sunbury who's very knowledgeable and handy re. ST1100's - I'll leave it to him to let you know if he is available to provide some advice and / or guidance.  He's not on the Forum very often, so don't hold your breath waiting for a response.

[jt8277]

Thank you so much for the response.  This is awesome information, and welcome more suggestions.

Dave - if you're on the forums and see this, I would like to have a chat... my bike is feeling a bit sad not being ridden for so long, I just need to keep the cost down as much as possible, and guess what it is a ST1100 Police Model.

I think I visited the guy in Sunbury when I first joined, at a get-together, would be great if he was around, he knew his stuff.

Thanks

[Williamson]

Dave is not on the Forum, his contact details are in the link I posted.

JD (member) is on good terms with our Sunbury member, he might reach out to him.