Living With Honda's St1100
LIVING WITH HONDA'S ST1100
15,000 miles on a bike that’s got legs and knows how to use them
LIVING WITH A MOTORCYCLE during the typical Cycle World road test always is enlightening. The road test time-frame surely is sufficient to learn what we need to know—and tell you—about a bike. But it isn’t sufficient time to learn all we need to know.
A bike we definitely wanted to know more about was the Honda ST ll 00, originally showcased in Cycle Worlds June, 1990, edition. We liked the bike immensely, and it went on to win our sport-touring shootout. But the question remained: J ust how long could a buyer expect to remain impressed with his new ST? How long would it take for the “new” to wear off? How long would it take for mechanical gremlins to begin eroding the joys of ownership?
Now, nearly 18 months and l 5,000 miles after our first exposure to the bike, we can answer those questions: The STI l is still a blast to ride, and we're still impressed. Our experience with the bike hasn't been all chocolates and roses, but it's been close enough. Our long-term ST l 100 has proven itself one of the most useful and satisfying all-around motorcycles we've ridden.
In CW's original test on the ST, we said it was “More than an RC30 built for two, more than a Euro-Wing.” A year-and-a-half's worth of experience hasn't changed our feeling that this is a wonderful mix of sport and two-up tourability. Though the bike's fork springs have sacked to the point where they need replacement, the ST still handles riding at a crisp, sporttouring pace better than any bike its size has a right to.
At 15,000 miles, the ST’s rear shock remains tight and sharp, though its rebound adjustment—the only adjustment the shock has—is a bit odd. The range of adjustment is slightly less than two full turns of a screw head located near the top of the shock body. The effective adjustment range, though, is in the first three-quarters of a turn from fullhard. We’ve left ours at about a halfturn out for most uses. Though the majority of the bike is well thoughtout. whoever designed this adjustment wasn't thinking about actually using it: The adjuster is hidden behind the bike's right sidepanel. To get to it, the bike’s seat, its right saddlebag, and that sidepanel, held on by two screws, must be removed. Be easier to bore an unobtrusive hole in the sidepanel immediately above the screw adjuster, wouldn’t it? That’s just what we did.
Tire wear has been about as expected, given the ST’s weight (658 pounds dry) and the hard use the bike has seen. The rear Dunlop 505 lasts about 6000 miles, the front goes about 1500 miles more. We’ve run through two sets of Dunlops—the originals and an identical replacement set. which cost $284. including mounting and balancing. The ST now rides on a pair of Metzelers, an ME55A Me tronie rear and an ME33 Laser front, at a cost of $323, including mounting and balancing. We like the Metzelers a lot. They make the bike feel even more secure than it was while wearing the stock tires, especially at extreme lean angles.
Irving to find any brand replacement rear tire when we needed one out on the road, by the way, proved to be an exercise in frustration. We inquired at a number of shops, including five Honda dealerships, and never did find the right size. So we limped home—from Utah, no lesson a rapidiv balding tire. Shame on anv dealer who doesn't stock tires for the bikes he sells.
We replaced the front brake pads with Ferodos ($35 for four pads, from Performance Research Organization, 1 194 Shetland Wav, El Dorado Hills, C'A 95630; 916/9334166) at 12,000 miles, and found a distinct improvement in lever feel. At I 5,000 miles, the rear pads have gotten thin, and will be replaced at the 16,000-mile major service.
Normal service, after the first break-in service, came at 8000 miles, and entailed a tune-up and a change of oil and filter. This cost $111. On the advice of the unfailingly reliable service manager at our local Honda agency, we have postponed the 1 2,000-mile service until the 16.000mile major service. That intermediate service would have involved only a change of air filter, brake and clutch fluid —this at an estimated cost of $65.
The only pure failure we experienced with the ST involved its clutch. This began slipping on brisk upshifts at about 8500 miles. By 10,500 miles, it was toast. A new clutch pack cost $200, of which $60 was for labor. kkHey, it's warranteed," we exclaimed., Well, no. If our problem had been the result of a manufacturing defect, it would have been covered by the bike’s inclusive, 36.000mile warranty. But the clutch expired merely from hard use. claimed Honda. So it was fixed on our nickel.
In response to complaints about windshield buffeting from some of our taller riders, we added a 22-inch Rifle windscreen ($129 from Rifle Fairings, 3140 E:1 Camino Real, Atascadero, CA 91301; 805/4665880). This smoothed the flow of air over the helmets of those taller riders. but none of our riders, tall or short, eared for the screen's grav tint, which made it difficult to read the pavement. Next time, we'll go with the clear windscreen.
Something else we'd do, if we were going to keep the bike any longer. would be to add an aftermarket seat. For most of us, the ST's stock seat is excellent. But for our heavier riders, especially during hot weather, the collapse of the by-now very well-used seat foam led to complaints of an uncomfortable ride.
No one complained about the ST 1 100’s fuel economy. Over the course of this evaluation, the bike averaged 42.1 mpg, with a high of 5 1.6 and a low of 33.1. This means that with the bike's 7.4-gallon fuel tank, we could travel more than 300 miles before we ran dry, giving an effective range of about 250 miles. Except during hot weather, when the seat foam went into hiding, the bike’s comfort levels supported those kinds of long-distance, non-stop blitzes.
Long-distance blitzes are what this bike is about; that's why it has integrated luggage, and why it has foldout bungee hooks hidden under its seat. The hooks we liked. The hard bags were useful, too, especially when used with the fabric liners ($52 through Hondaline) pirated from the luggage section of a Honda Pacific Coast.
So. the bike in general? A very good job indeed. Over the course of 18 months, through all kinds of use. with all sorts of riders aboard, the Honda ST l 100 proved to be a reliable, comfortable, useful all-rounder that can be ridden with equal dollops of glee for sport riding, touring and comm uting.
The original goal of those at Honda Europe who helped design the Sill was to lure away some of BMW's loyal sport-touring customers. Whether or not the bike will do that remains to be seen. What is sure, however, is that out of the box, Honda got this one right. The ST I I might never achieve the near-cult following enjoyed by the BMW sport-touring line. But this bike is more than good enough to merit that kind of loyalty.
