I just love my ST

[Smokeguy]

Well the trip if finally over and again I apolagise for not getting to see more of you on the way around.

The bike; well what can I say; it purred from here and back doing approx 8k in distance and never hiccuped, burped or farted once. Either doing 40 kph or 110 kph she just kept on performing.
The first major problem I had was getting my mind around that I was riding a tourer not a sports bike. Took awhile to realize I didn't have to lean forward all the time, just sit up and hang on :)  Once that was out of the way it was smooth riding all the way.  Either on the straights or going up the Parmerston Hwy or down the Rex range above Cairns I cannot fault the bike for either power or handling; it just leads the way and is very forgiving if you hit a corner a wee bit too fast :)
Speaking of fast - its kinda scary when you pass a few semi's on the hwy. You really get to know where the S comes from (ST1300)- when she wants to the sports side of it really hits you and anyone else around you in the face.

From the time I left home till I got back I found that every bit of road I was on had some sort of roadworks going
on - you can definitely see where your tax dollar is going :P. The Hwy 1 especially had a lot of road works going so I
would advise anyone contemplating a trip up north to go inland. Somehow I don't think you would fair any better tho.
It was a nice pleasant drive tho' and its good to see main roads workers still know which end of a shovel to lean on :)

Beautiful weather in north QLD. wish I could have spent more time just riding for the thrill of it.

Well I'm not much of a writer as such so I'll finnish with the good and the bad:

Pros:
1. Excellent handling especally on windies (winedy's ??),
2. Great breaking when needed, Just have to get used to abs,
3. Nice smooth power all round the gear spectrum (keep the revs up)

Cons:
1. Thank you Streak for showing me the one big failing - the seat, great for short runs, but for 6 - 12 hour
stretches - its a bitch. Thats the first mod I'm makeing. If it wasnt for an Airhawke bladder loaned from my
brother in Townsville - My ass would have fallen off by the time i got back.
2. Yeah the dash is great when you can see it. Honda really need to work on that one.
3. The standard windscreen has a tendency for wind to push you forward at the top. It became a bother after awile
and I stopped putting it to the top unless it was raining.

Thats about it guys as I said I'm not one for doing this. I do have two points I would really like to highlight though.

First is I'm running on a Dunlop Roadsmart on the rear (approx $250) and at present I have done 10k on it and it still looks
like it would do another 5 ?? Is this normal ? not being a tyre man
it still has a lot of meat on it with a deep tread pattern still. This is Dunlop's new bike tyre with a harder rubber compound
in the center.
For those that wish to look at it - http://www.dunloptyres.com.au/dotCMS/TyreDetailAction?website=DUN&mtpcode=80188&from=nPerPage

Second one is does ANYONE in QLD or NSW stick to the speed limit ???? Am I the only silly one sitting on the speed limit and being passed by granny's waving their fists at me ??.
Not once did I have to stick on the speed limit - I just followed the flow of traffic which my daddy always said to do :) Every one seems to sit 10 - 20 klm above the indicated speed limit without fail.
If the police set up a high speed camera on some of those roads they could pay of the national dept within 6 months for sure. Unbelievable it was.

[alans1100]

Glad you had a good run.

Had a similar thought when I passed my first B double a few K's this side of Keith, SA. six years ago. 100kph, down to 4th and up to 140 before I got level with the front of the cab, also towing my trailer as we were on our way to Stawell.

Wish they'd put some of that cash onto doing National One from between Port Augusta and the border.

I checked the tyres out, I tried the earlier version and found them lacking in the km range compared to their previous D205 tyres. Not many rear tyres to suit standard 1100's these days so I'm stuck with Bridgestones and the more expensive Avons.

Heather and I planned a ride to Silverton in September and decided to it post under SA Rides for anyone who wants to attend.

[STeveo]

Sounds like you had a good trip Bob. I always have to adjust my speedo up by at least 10km/h when I cross the border into QLD. Must be something to do with daylight saving? They gotta go faster to keep up with the sun!   

[Skip]

Good to hear you had a safe trip. Regarding the seat, make sure you make that adjustment with the locating lugs before you mess with the seat.
Secondly, I think we've all found the 1300's speedo is out by 7 or 8 k's at 100 k/hr. 110 on the speedo is about on the money without having to worry about paying 'excess taxes'.
Any photo's ?

Cheers.
Skip.

[Down Under]

First is I'm running on a Dunlop Roadsmart on the rear (approx $250) and at present I have done 10k on it and it still looks
like it would do another 5 ?? Is this normal ? not being a tyre man
it still has a lot of meat on it with a deep tread pattern still. This is Dunlop's new bike tyre with a harder rubber compound
in the center.

Good to hear your enjoying your ST.  Out of all the tyres I've tried on my ST I still like the Dunlop Roadsmarts the best.  I only stopped using them when it was reported that some of their front tyres were delaminating......mainly O/S.  It appears that this problem has been sorted as I haven't read any adverse reports on these tyres for some time.  I can't say I got much more life out of the RS's compared to the BT 020's or PR2's, but I loved their handling characteristics and the level of ride comfort with RS's is the best I've experienced so far on my ST.  I'm coming up for a new set of tyres and it's going to be a toss up between the new RSII's or the Pirelli Angel ST's.

Cheers,

Tony   

[Couch]

I've found the Dunlop Roadsmart to be excellent.........17,000kls of my last rear tyre and currently over 12.000 on my front tyre with heaps left in it. 6,000 currently on the rear with little sign of wear. I've found them to be great on the road, either on dry or wet roads, I always feel confident on the bike!! I've previously ridden on a slightly icy road where a couple of mates said they could feel their tyres slipping but I never had that problem with the Dunlops!!

[Biggles]

It's rare to read a positive comment on Dunlop bike tyres.
Interesting that you've found them to be good in all the parameters that matter.

[Brian]

Back on Topic...lmao... I Loved my ST too

[Down Under]

It's rare to read a positive comment on Dunlop bike tyres.
Interesting that you've found them to be good in all the parameters that matter.

Ironically, after posting my thoughts on the Dunlop Roadsmarts I noticed an article in the latest edition of the Australian Road Rider magazine under "Tyre Reviews."  They got a pretty good rap.  I have used Dunlops in the past, in particular on my old GSF1200 and never liked them but I find they really suit the ST1300.   
 
Sorry to hijack thread.

Cheers,

Tony

[Dennisgw]

First is I'm running on a Dunlop Roadsmart on the rear (approx $250) and at present I have done 10k on it and it still looks
like it would do another 5 ?? Is this normal ? not being a tyre man
it still has a lot of meat on it with a deep tread pattern still. This is Dunlop's new bike tyre with a harder rubber compound
in the center.

Good to hear your enjoying your ST.  Out of all the tyres I've tried on my ST I still like the Dunlop Roadsmarts the best.  I only stopped using them when it was reported that some of their front tyres were delaminating......mainly O/S.  It appears that this problem has been sorted as I haven't read any adverse reports on these tyres for some time.  I can't say I got much more life out of the RS's compared to the BT 020's or PR2's, but I loved their handling characteristics and the level of ride comfort with RS's is the best I've experienced so far on my ST.  I'm coming up for a new set of tyres and it's going to be a toss up between the new RSII's or the Pirelli Angel ST's.

Cheers,

Tony   

I have been asking a few questions about the Dunlop tyres and checked with a friend who have a delamination experience on a Dunlop tyre recently. ....... It was the Dunlop Roadsmart and fitted to an FJR1300. It had an oval bubble on the edge of the tyre about 100 mm long and 75mm wide. Was not a good sight!!

It also seems that the delamination problem is limited to Dunlop fronts made in France.
Cheers
Dennis

[STeveo]

I'm running the Dunlops too and find them quite ok. Have done nearly 10,000km on them and looks to be a few thousand left. Have had no problems with delaminating or sidewall bubbles, though they have 'scolloped' pretty well and now have a 'rumble' noise on smooth tar when leaning into a corner (eg the putty road) but still grip well. Will be checking thier prices when I come to replacement.

 

[Down Under]

First is I'm running on a Dunlop Roadsmart on the rear (approx $250) and at present I have done 10k on it and it still looks
like it would do another 5 ?? Is this normal ? not being a tyre man
it still has a lot of meat on it with a deep tread pattern still. This is Dunlop's new bike tyre with a harder rubber compound
in the center.

Good to hear your enjoying your ST.  Out of all the tyres I've tried on my ST I still like the Dunlop Roadsmarts the best.  I only stopped using them when it was reported that some of their front tyres were delaminating......mainly O/S.  It appears that this problem has been sorted as I haven't read any adverse reports on these tyres for some time.  I can't say I got much more life out of the RS's compared to the BT 020's or PR2's, but I loved their handling characteristics and the level of ride comfort with RS's is the best I've experienced so far on my ST.  I'm coming up for a new set of tyres and it's going to be a toss up between the new RSII's or the Pirelli Angel ST's.

Cheers,

Tony   

I have been asking a few questions about the Dunlop tyres and checked with a friend who have a delamination experience on a Dunlop tyre recently. ....... It was the Dunlop Roadsmart and fitted to an FJR1300. It had an oval bubble on the edge of the tyre about 100 mm long and 75mm wide. Was not a good sight!!

It also seems that the delamination problem is limited to Dunlop fronts made in France.
Cheers
Dennis

I just fitted a set of the new Dunlop Roadsmart 2's yesterday.  The front tyres are now made in Japan and the backs in France.  There were delamination problems with a batch of tyres made in France around 2010 or earlier.....there's plenty of information on this problem at the STowners website, however it appears that there haven't been any failures reported for some time.  It would be interesting to find out how old your mate's tyres are on his FJR and where they were manufactured.

Cheers,

Tony 

[Dennisgw]

Hi Tony,
Can't give an age for them though the age of the tyre would have been months rather than years when it happened and the tyre when removed didn't have a lot of wear on them. Casting my mind back, it may have been about then. I was following hm down from Peachester into Woodford here in Qld, at one stage we were running along up to 120k so when his front wheel started bouncing, it wasn't a pretty sight.

Lucky thing was, it happened about 11:30 am on a Saturday morning. The local Mower/Bike shop in Woodford had one front tyre in stock. Just happened to be the same make and size. I mentioned Dunlop Roadsmarts to him yesterday and I think he broke out in a cold sweat ..  :) .  They aren't on the FJR anymore, he is now running Michelin R3.

I have never been too fussed about tyres before as I always stayed with Bridgestone Battleaxe. Now that I am looking for a change, it becomes an interesting and, at times, confusing subject.

Funny how people remember it as I mentioned all this to Terri last night and she wasn't feeling comfortable with having the same tyre on the ST. Have to consider the pillion as well and keep her happy.

Cheers
DG

[Down Under]

Hi Tony,
Can't give an age for them though the age of the tyre would have been months rather than years when it happened and the tyre when removed didn't have a lot of wear on them. Casting my mind back, it may have been about then. I was following hm down from Peachester into Woodford here in Qld, at one stage we were running along up to 120k so when his front wheel started bouncing, it wasn't a pretty sight.

Lucky thing was, it happened about 11:30 am on a Saturday morning. The local Mower/Bike shop in Woodford had one front tyre in stock. Just happened to be the same make and size. I mentioned Dunlop Roadsmarts to him yesterday and I think he broke out in a cold sweat ..  :) .  They aren't on the FJR anymore, he is now running Michelin R3.

I have never been too fussed about tyres before as I always stayed with Bridgestone Battleaxe. Now that I am looking for a change, it becomes an interesting and, at times, confusing subject.

Funny how people remember it as I mentioned all this to Terri last night and she wasn't feeling comfortable with having the same tyre on the ST. Have to consider the pillion as well and keep her happy.

Cheers
DG

G'day DG,

Yep....the Roadsmart is a much maligned tyre, some of the criticism is justified and some of it isn't.  It appears that the RS2 is a totally different tyre to its predecessor, perhaps lessons have been learnt and the delamination problem with the earlier generation RS has been sorted.  No doubt time will tell.  At the end of the day you have to go with a tyre that makes you feel safe and confident.  Happy tyre hunting!

Cheers,

Tony

[alans1100]

I would much prefer the Dunlop over the Bridgestone. I've had the earlier Roadsmart and had no problem other than reduced mileage (rear 10,000kms) compared to the earlier Dunlop D205 (Rear 15,000) tyre. The other issue was Dunlop dropping the 1100 OEM tyre size leaving Bridgestone (cheaper) and Avon as the only two options for OEM tyre choices.