Morrissey
Well-known member
About 2 weeks ago I bought a new (to me) 2005 Honda ST1300! I am super pumped! I have been in love with big, shaft driven sport touring bikes since the ST1300 and FJR 1300 came out back in 2003 but I'd never had the money for one. Around 3 weeks ago my Wife came home from a trip to Home Depot with our oldest daughter and wanted a giant spider decoration. I'd been wanting a new bike for a year or more and my recent Iron Butt SS1000 ride (approval pending) really put the new bike bug in me and I figured this was my shot! I told her I'd buy her the spider ($300) if she'd let me get a new bike. We crunched the numbers and set a budget of what I could spend. The plan was almost derailed when I went to HD to buy the spider and it was sold out from Scarborough to Kingston! Luckily for me, my Wife is very crafty and decided she'd rather build her own out of pvc pipes and great stuff foam! I gave her the $300 and she went shopping for supplies and I began shopping for a new bike.
I didn't think I'd be buying anything until spring, but headed out one Saturday just to take a look at a few bikes and get an idea about financing rates available. I headed over to HB Cycle as I wanted to see a new Vstrom 650. I had been considering the Wee as it would be more comfortable than my Bandit on LD rides and had plenty of farkles and would still fit my budget. Sadly after throwing a leg over one (and not being able to reach the ground) I was turned off by the bike. They didn't have anything else that interested me so I rode on. I headed over to Lindsay Cycle as I knew they had a 2010 Concours. I took a look at it and wasn't happy with the condition of the paint and didn't like the way it felt under me. The owner then stated that they had just got an '05 ST1300 in on trade and hadn't even had time to prep it yet.......
So the service guy rolled it out of the service bay so I could look at it and I was immediately impressed! The bike was in showroom condition, not a scratch or spot of dirt despite having 35,000km on it. It was completely stock. It was a one owner bike that had been sold and serviced at Lindsay Cycle and the owner had been meticulous in his maintenance, record keeping and cleaning of the bike. I was really impressed and the bike fit me like a glove. After learning the price I was even more impressed. I told the owner I'd think about it and rode home. By the time I got home I called him back and told him I'd take it. I knew the used prices for these used ST's and his price was fair, especially given it is a one owner bike and the condition of the bike. A week later I picked it up and brought it home.
So far I've put 1000km on it over 2 rides and I am in love with it! I definitely could not afford one of these bikes when they were new but this one was well under my max budget, so my Wife is thrilled! It is super smooth, has tons of power, will go well over 400km on a tank and I love the adjustable windscreen! It is warmer than my Bandit, but given that it has twice the motor and lower fairings and a fan blowing the heat back it's not surprising nor is it uncomfortable.... at least until it hits 30c out, but then I find all bikes uncomfortable at 30c. Other than the heat I haven't found a complaint yet. One thing that I'm very excited about is having shaft drive again! I know for a lot of riders a chain is a non-issue, but I HATE them! I had shaft drive from '98 to '10 and got so spoiled by it that having to clean, lube and adjust the chain on my Bandit was a constant irk for me. Now it's even simpler than changing my oil to keep the bike's final drive in top shape and I only have to once a season. Twice if I'm being anal. lol
One thing occurred to me after I bought this bike. I've never bought the same engine configuration twice! I started on a parallel twin, then a V-twin, an inline four, a single and now a V4! I guess my next bike will have to be either a triple or a boxer twin. Although given the arc of my last couple of bikes, going from a Bandit to an ST1300 my next bike will probably be a flat 6 in a Goldwing! lol!
https://imgur.com/Wr5Bj3l
https://imgur.com/swDj2DH
I didn't think I'd be buying anything until spring, but headed out one Saturday just to take a look at a few bikes and get an idea about financing rates available. I headed over to HB Cycle as I wanted to see a new Vstrom 650. I had been considering the Wee as it would be more comfortable than my Bandit on LD rides and had plenty of farkles and would still fit my budget. Sadly after throwing a leg over one (and not being able to reach the ground) I was turned off by the bike. They didn't have anything else that interested me so I rode on. I headed over to Lindsay Cycle as I knew they had a 2010 Concours. I took a look at it and wasn't happy with the condition of the paint and didn't like the way it felt under me. The owner then stated that they had just got an '05 ST1300 in on trade and hadn't even had time to prep it yet.......
So the service guy rolled it out of the service bay so I could look at it and I was immediately impressed! The bike was in showroom condition, not a scratch or spot of dirt despite having 35,000km on it. It was completely stock. It was a one owner bike that had been sold and serviced at Lindsay Cycle and the owner had been meticulous in his maintenance, record keeping and cleaning of the bike. I was really impressed and the bike fit me like a glove. After learning the price I was even more impressed. I told the owner I'd think about it and rode home. By the time I got home I called him back and told him I'd take it. I knew the used prices for these used ST's and his price was fair, especially given it is a one owner bike and the condition of the bike. A week later I picked it up and brought it home.
So far I've put 1000km on it over 2 rides and I am in love with it! I definitely could not afford one of these bikes when they were new but this one was well under my max budget, so my Wife is thrilled! It is super smooth, has tons of power, will go well over 400km on a tank and I love the adjustable windscreen! It is warmer than my Bandit, but given that it has twice the motor and lower fairings and a fan blowing the heat back it's not surprising nor is it uncomfortable.... at least until it hits 30c out, but then I find all bikes uncomfortable at 30c. Other than the heat I haven't found a complaint yet. One thing that I'm very excited about is having shaft drive again! I know for a lot of riders a chain is a non-issue, but I HATE them! I had shaft drive from '98 to '10 and got so spoiled by it that having to clean, lube and adjust the chain on my Bandit was a constant irk for me. Now it's even simpler than changing my oil to keep the bike's final drive in top shape and I only have to once a season. Twice if I'm being anal. lol
One thing occurred to me after I bought this bike. I've never bought the same engine configuration twice! I started on a parallel twin, then a V-twin, an inline four, a single and now a V4! I guess my next bike will have to be either a triple or a boxer twin. Although given the arc of my last couple of bikes, going from a Bandit to an ST1300 my next bike will probably be a flat 6 in a Goldwing! lol!
https://imgur.com/Wr5Bj3l
https://imgur.com/swDj2DH