Hi from WA

[Biggus]

Greetings from the SW of WA.

I just bought a '95 ST1100 for $500 with the aim of doing a fairly thorough restoration on it. The cosmetic side of the bike needs a little TLC but there's enough paperwork with the bike to suggest the chances are it's been well maintained. There's 100,000 on the clock and it hasn't run in five years. At the moment there isn't room in the workshop for it but once the woodworking project I'm working on atm is finished I'll get it in there and find out exactly what I have on my hands.

So here I am, ready to head down the rabbit hole of ST renovation and ownership, come what may.

I have a couple of other bikes too.

[Wild Rose]

Hi Biggus from Toowoomba Queensland
Welcome to OzSTOC 
Enjoy your ST1100  Enjoy the Forum 
 

[Gerard & Sandra]

Welcome Biggus from near Toowoomba Qld
Rgds
GB

[Bodø]

Hello and a warm welcome from Radelaide. 

[ruSTynutz]

A biggus welcome from South Gippsland, Victoria! 

Good luck with the restoration! 

[Williamson]

Welcome from Greensborough VIC.   

Sounds like you have some work ahead of you, but there's plenty of time until the 2024 NatRally in Mansfield VIC in March '24, and the big ride from West to East, the ST1100 is nearly perfect for a big ride.

[Jdbiker]

Hi Biggus, a big welcome from Lynbrook, Victoria  :hatwav. Couple of nice Royal Enfield’s you have there 👍

[StinkyPete]

Hi Biggus and another welcome to OzSTOC from SA   

[Mitch]

Hi Biggus and a Warm Welcome from Lakelands
                   

[Kev Murphy]

A warm welcome to you Biggus, welcome to the forum. 

[Shiney]

G'day Biggus, welcome to the forum
The ST looks good, hopefully you'll have an enjoyable time doing the restoration

[West Aussie Glen]

Welcome Biggus, there are few members in Perth with a wealth of ST1100 experience and bits and pieces. Had to look Kendenup up in Google maps, I will have past through it a few times, a nice area. Love your shed.

[DaleAP]

Welcome to the fun house, from Northern Brissy!

I have the same model (1995 ABS/TCS) and had to do some restoration and repair work when I bought it a year and a half ago. It's well worth it as they're a fantastic beast. Mine actually had a compliment from the guy replacing the tyres today that said he hasn't had an ST1100 that easy to work on for a while (Everything came apart and went back together smoothly).

Do you know if yours still has the oil-cooled alternator, or has it been upgraded? 1995 was the last year before they had the larger air-cooled one.

[Biggus]

Haven't got around to looking at anything much yet Dale. I got it into the workshop a couple of days ago and at this point all I've done is take the fairings off. At this point apart from the fork seals being clearly gone it doesn't look too bad. The previous owner bought it in 2007 with 96,000Ks on it and atm it has 102 thousand, so in 16 years it's done 6,000Ks. I have servicing receipts back to 2007 and he did have it worked on twice in that 16 years/6,000ks. It's possible the alternator was changed prior to 2007 but it hasn't since. That's all I know atm. In a couple of weeks I'll have a better idea exactly what I have on my hands.

[DaleAP]

You have the original oil-cooled alternator. The external reg/rec is still in place and plugged in (to the left of the battery). That gets removed when the alternator is upgraded as the air-cooled one has a built in reg/rec.

No big deal, just be aware that the alternator can be prone to leaking if/when the o-rings deteriorate.

[Biggus]

You have the original oil-cooled alternator. The external reg/rec is still in place and plugged in (to the left of the battery). That gets removed when the alternator is upgraded as the air-cooled one has a built in reg/rec.

No big deal, just be aware that the alternator can be prone to leaking if/when the o-rings deteriorate.

Thanks for the tip mate, that's exactly what I was hoping for when I signed up. I'm no mechanic but I can read a manual and hold a spanner. This little puppy is far more complex than any other bike I've fiddled with however. It's going to take a while and the aim is to get it looking as close to showroom condition as I can, so I have a serious project on my hands, but the bike has such a stellar reputation it seems worth it.

Then once I have it looking absolutely spiffing and I've taken some photos it's time to get it out on the road and make it all dirty again.

[Brock]

There is a link to the manual in the 1100 section..

[Biggus]

There is a link to the manual in the 1100 section..

Found that already mate, thanks anyway. I've been picking my way through the relevant sections of the forum trying my best to prime myself appropriately for this, looking at what oils, filters etc. everybody is using, that the Gates T325 is a whole lot cheaper than OEM, all that stuff. Without this forum I'm not sure I'd have any confidence I could pull this restoration off, now I feel I'm in with a chance at least.

[Biggus]

Well yesterday was the big day. After taking out the fuel tank and cleaning that, changing the oil and filter and the coolant, and the timing belt since it had been sitting idle for so long (original still on it and 28 years old) I whacked a new battery in the old girl and spun her over. Well bugger me, 15 seconds of cranking and off she goes, ticking over like a Swiss watch, so I have a runner, I was pleased to put it mildly.

Since the idea is to do a full restoration I have plenty to do from here on, I'll be respraying all the tupperware and sandblasting and repainting other bits like the rocker covers. At least I know she's alive. I'm sooo tempted to put the seat back on and ride it around the paddock for a while in its undressed form but I'd best behave myself.

In the end the timing belt looked just fine, but the $54.62 delivered I paid for the new one was worth it so as not to have to worry about the old one.

I was so so chuffed I declared yesterday afternoon a public holiday at my place and went inside for a cold one. Honda, you've done it again, they really are the gold standard in motorcycles, the Lexus of bikes IMHO.

[Kev Murphy]

 

[ruSTynutz]

Congrats, Biggus! 

[Biggus]

Congrats, Biggus! 

That emoji made me laugh because that's exactly how I was, dancing around the workshop chanting, "Ooga chaka ooga ooga ooga chaka" like in that old '70s song. And then I stopped and summoned my best mad scientist voice and shouted, "It's alive.........muhahaha".

[Brock]

Sorry, I had to do it..

I am Admin, so no penalty...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aglG5xAJB30

[Shiney]

Awesome news Biggus, congrats on getting it running

[Biggus]

Awesome news Biggus, congrats on getting it running

Much obliged mate but I reckon it's more to do with Honda than myself, I just did the obvious things to do with a bike that's been sitting for a while and as I noted I was overcautious with the timing belt. That looked pretty much spot on, no obvious wear and it was still pliable which was what I was concerned about. I knew 102 thousand Ks wouldn't have killed it, I just had worries a 28 year old belt might have lost its ability to flex and straighten as it had been living in Kalgoorlie for 16 years and it can get pretty hot out there.

Most likely this project will go on the back burner for a little while, we're heading into primo riding weather soon and I'd like to get to know the bike better at my leisure so I can figure out how I want to proceed, do I strip the bike right back and do a bolt by bolt resto or just make sure it's mechanically good and pretty up the bits you can see.......all that stuff. I've tentatively set myself an 18 month timeline to get it back on the road which probably seems a lot but I have two bikes already that I love riding and there's always plenty to do around here, we shall see......