2012 HONDA ST1300 ABS

A Motorcycle, in the hands of a responsible operator can offer a lot of fun and thrills.
In more recent times, technological advances in braking, handling, comfort and general design, have given rise to machines that deliver dramatically improved power, speed, agility, comfort and safety.
Manufacturers have designed and offered us - the riding public - models through which they have helped us to define varied segments of the riding market, allowing one to find a motorcycle to closely suit their style of riding, as compared to our riding days of old. (Back then, you bought and rode a bike more by brand and engine size, than by type or kind.
Bikes were bikes, period!)
Although, with such variety of styles and types, it has been impossible so far, for the manufacturers to design and satisfy every segment of the riding market.
If they designed all bikes to be sport bikes, we the long distance riders would endlessly complain about greasy, oily, dirty chains and the lack of stowage space.
Had they designed all bikes to be touring bikes, the “ninja guys” would complain of excessive weight, bulk and noticeably less power-to-weight-ratio performance.
Life in most cases is a compromise. So as life will have it, my designers at Honda, in one particular case came up with a couple of very fine examples of such.

28th July, 2012 ……………..
My youngest daughter had recently bought herself a new car and was anxious to “cruise” with me in it.
I suggested a trip to Bandera, TX.
I was sure she would enjoy the big Texas style breakfast offered at the Old Spanish Trail Restaurant (O.S.T Restaurant).
Pancakes bigger than your head, is how they are advertised and indeed they are - along with syrup, sausages and coffee, that filled our bellies to the brim!
My riding buddy, “Buster”, his wife Marilyn and friend Denise, opted to join us for the day, but insisted on riding their Silver 2004 BMW R1150 motorcycle, whilst Denise rode her new bike. They were not “wasting the road” sitting in a car!
The Hill Country of Texas, as this area is otherwise known as, has been and continues to be a source of such wonderful memories, personal joy and riding experiences.
My quiet hope was to introduce her to that, in the hope of kindling or evoking that same sense of pleasure that I I deride from immersing myself in and exposing myself to this area I have come to love so much.
So the need to “walk off” the fully loaded breakfast bellies was in order.
We were stuffed.
So my daughter and I strolled down and popped into pretty much all the bordering business establishments that lined Bandera’s main street on both sides.
Buster and Marilyn opted to drop into a cafe/pub on the east side of the street and held places for us whilst we continued ambling around.
Wanting to rest her now weary feet, my daughter opted to go join them, leaving me to wander the rest of Main Street and get closer to another pub/saloon across the street.
I think I would classify this place in the context of a real western saloon as of the days of the old west, where patrons actually rode their horses up to, for indeed many of patrons here had arrived on their horses and had them tied up right up front - and I wanted to see them close up - through the lens of my camera. This tradition, among others, gave this town such an authentic feel of the old west.
The town was pretty crowded on this day. All the establishments were full, doing good business.
Lots of people in town.
Many more on their horses.
It was quite an experience.
A far cry from the typical inner city life of big town America.
So, I looked left, looked right, looked left again and it floated by me, coming to a stop behind the line of cars that had stopped for the lights.
I seemed to freeze in time.
Everything seemed to be in slow motion.
I felt isolated in time.
A shiny, black Honda ST1300 had passed by me with a whisper, and purred ever so sweetly as it sat in the line of cars as the lights turned red.
I was mesmerized. I was drooling. What a lovely bike.
The shape, the sound of it, the flowing lines of it’s body panels …………… all commanded my attention!
I was hooked!
“Wow, I’d love to ride one of those”, I thought quietly to myself.
Actually not - I’d prefer to own and ride one of those!
So the lights turned green and the cars, and the bike of my now-present dreams, moved on.
It was gone.
But I could still see it in my mind’s eye.
Crossing the road and meeting up with my daughter and friends, I was aloof in my thoughts.
All the way back home as my daughter drove, all I could think about was what it would feel like on this road, on that sleek machine in my mind.

Rewind even further to 5th November, 2011 ………….
On this day, as we did on a lot of other weekends, my riding buddies and I would ride out to Bandera for breakfast at the O.S.T. restaurant and then spend the whole day riding the hill country.
On this day, we routed through San Antonio on our return trip to Corpus Christi, where we all lived.
Being familiar with “The Three Sisters” ( TX FM335, FM336 and FM337) routes, we were comfortably able to “hustle” over these routes at a much spirited pace.
So we made good time as we enjoyed these great motorcycling roads, and we opted to use the rest of the time we had to visit The Alamo Cycleplex in San Antonio, the largest motorcycle dealer in this part of the country.
We wanted to “check out” what new bikes would have been put out on the showroom floor for the coming year’s models.
As my buddies rushed around the showroom floor “ooh-ing” and “aah-ing” at all the shiny display models, my attention was drawn to and locked on a shiny black Honda ST1300.
It did not take long for a salesman to approach me, obviously wanting and hoping to make a sale.
“You could take it home today” he said.
In my thoughts I could not for the life of me, see myself parting with or giving up my beloved ST1100.
My creed: “Never forsake the old for the new”.
But something about this machine was tugging at me.
“May I sit on it, I asked”?
“Yes, go ahead” he responded.
It did not take long for my buddies to see what was going on and they all sauntered over, egging me on, tempting me to get it.
I was very tempted!
I needed to find the strength to say no. As much as I would like to have it, I just was not ready for the financial commitment.
“Does it have ABS”?
“No Sir”.
“Well I must have ABS. Do you have an ABS model in stock”?
“No Sir”.
“Well, I’ll check in with you again one of these days and then if you do, we can talk business”.
How great was that? I found a reason to not commit to buying it.
I was still drooling!
Forward to 9th August, 2012 ………………..
In all actuality, I was in the midst of looking for a car to buy for my wife to replace the existing gas-guzzling SUV that she currently drove.
Paying for the gas was not too much of a drain because the SUV was paid for, but I was hoping to get a much more economical vehicle for her to get around in.
She loved her SUV.
I think I was fighting a losing battle to get her a replacement, but I was trying hard. Really hard.
Around this time, I came across a good candidate of a vehicle for her.
Sitting across the salesman’s desk I called her to share the news with her and get her OK to proceed with finalizing purchase details.
Well, cut a long story short, she decided not to go that route, opting to keep her beloved SUV.
So guess what? I affirmed to her then that if she did not want a replacement vehicle I would then need her blessing for me to use my commitment to get a new bike I so much desired.
Green Light!
So before leaving the car lot I phoned Alamo Cycleplex, asked for the salesman I had dealt with earlier, who incidentally remembered me after I identified myself on the phone. And before I could ask, he retorted: “Yes, I’ve got one with ABS now”!
So off to the bank I drove immediately to request pre-approval.
Green Light!
Banker called the bike salesman and took care of the fine details and I was clear to get my new toy!

8:00 a.m. - 11th August 2012.
So my son-in-law, after prior arrangements we had made, arrived on his red 1996 ST1100 (he had an identically colored one to mine. His being a one year newer model) to pick me up and ride to San Antonio to go take delivery of my new bike.
This had to have been the longest trip to San Antonio that I had ever embarked on.
I just couldn’t seem to arrive quickly enough.
The 2 hour preparation period it took to deliver the bike into my hands seemed like forever.
Every 20 minutes or so, they would come and ask for my signature on a document. Again and again.
I began to get impatient and for want of not disgracing myself with uncultured behavior, I walked the showroom floor over and over again to pass the time.
On this day, I could have doubled up as a salesman for them.
I got to know every placement and location of every piece of equipment and accessory in their inventory on the showroom floor!
Finally when it was all said and done I was hailed from the sales floor and ushered into the Customer Service Manager’s office for the final signing of more paperwork which preceded my being given my new owner’s manual and an almost empty plastic tool bag for the bike.
Almost empty because all it contained was a single 5mm Allen Key (Hex Key).
I asked what it was for and was told it was the tool needed to work on the bike with.
Hello?
What about wrenches (spanners), screw drivers and a plug wrench (Plug Socket)? I asked.
Oh, this is all you need. I was told.
For real? I asked. How can that be?
Well that’s all it comes with.
I was unpleasantly surprised and despite all my arguing to prove that as a technical fallacy, with no success, I began to feel that my intelligence, as a mechanically adept person, had been challenged.
This bike is designed for long distance touring. How can it not have a toolkit?
Besides, which or why would/do the modern manufacturers offer their machines for sale and not include a toolkit?
My arguments fell on indifferent ears!
Seemingly frustrated I completed the formalities and walked out following the salesman towards the workshop entrance and took delivery my new machine.
At this time, with key in my hand and bike before me, nothing else mattered.
So after the preliminary inspection and slight familiarity with the parked bike, I suited up, fired her up and my son-in-law and I rolled out of the parking lot together, with only 2 “dealer’s test miles” showing on the odometer.
The obvious thing to do was to head south towards Corpus Christi, but somehow or other, I made a left turn and began heading north into the hill country for a jaunt on this fine new machine.
It was still early enough in the day to steal a ride in the hill country and make it back home with more than enough daylight remaining from here/there.
And what a pleasure it was.
This bike was so quiet and smooth.
The gearbox action and gear ratios were just right.
Right enough to give a foreseeable thrilling experience. It made me anticipate post engine break-in time.
I began to fumble with the unfamiliar placement of control switches and found the windshield switch. Raising the shield gave the machine such an unfamiliar feel. It felt odd, madking for an eerily silent ride experience due to the cocoon of still air that it created and encapsulated me in.
“Wow, this is really nice”, I mused.
The low end power delivery from the engine was so smooth and on-tap. So much that even at these slow break-in period speeds I had no need to shift down into a higher gear. 5th gear pulled the machine up from any speed, it seemed.
We rode the hill country for the whole afternoon, arriving home just before dark well after 7 p.m.
The day ended with 317 miles on the odometer! another 283 miles and she would be ready for her first oil change!
At time of this 1st service, I had spoken with the service manager at the dealership and was able to strike a deal with him since I was carrying it out myself.
To compensate me, he offered to give me all the individual O.E.M. (Original Equipment Manufacturer) tools necessary to work on the bike.
They arrived towards the end of the following week.
Needless to mention, I was a “happy camper”.
I now felt the bike was in a much better stage of preparedness for long drawn out rides, ‘cos I’d have sufficient tools to attempt certain roadside repairs when and if the need should arise.
Honda “got it” so right with the all-round design of the ST1100’s V4 engine platform that from model year to year there were practically no major changes except for the introduction of the newly designed motor and frame in 2002 for the ST1300, when it was introduced to the world.
Over its 12-year run the ST1100 more than proved itself to be the “King of the Sport Tourers”. It has justifiably gained a solid reputation of being an extremely reliable machine that just quietly gets on with its business at hand – a trademark of Honda that the world has come to know of it’s machines and a reputation that they still enjoy to this day. This same reputation has been handed down to its very capable successor.
They “upped their game” with the upgrade to the ST1300, much to the surprise of the dedicated ST owners and followers (myself included) who did not, in my wildest imagination, think that the ST1100, needed or would ever see as much dramatic change.
ST owners such as myself are a very dedicated and loyal group to this machine for very specific reasons.

OVERVIEW.
The ST1300 at first sight, can be a very intimidating bike.
It’s sheer height and girth are enough to put off the least bit apprehensive rider.
The Honda ST models are definitely the best at what they were designed to do.
Bar none!
That is – to transport you, the rider, at sustained high speeds over long distances in relative comfort with good protection from the elements, effortlessly, economically, safely and reliably!
With a good comfortable riding position, an electrically operated windshield, a very powerful and low-revving quiet motor, smooth shaft-driven power output that eliminates the characteristic driveline-lash and noise of messy chain-drives, impeccable handling, anti-lock linked brakes with superior braking power, removable, built-in saddlebags that provide ample luggage space – a necessity for out of town journeying into the tightest, highest or lowest canyons, this Honda can and will, in the hands of a competent rider, surely keep the rest of the pack in its wake.
These are just some of the things that all add up and set this machine in a class of its own.
This Sport-tourer is like no other machine out there.
It is what a lot of the other brands and designs aspire to.
It is easily a “1000 mile a day” machine if you so desire.
So welcome to the world of a Sport-touring motorbike.
The ability and ease with which it is able to travel to places far-removed from the urban sprawl, combined with the personal passion for motorcycling in quality and style, is just part of what defines us and sets us apart from the rest.
We and machine are one!
Long before this “label” appeared in our motorcycling lingo (language) of today’s world, I was already a Sport Tourer/Long Rider – at heart.
My inclination was and is towards a bike with the afore-mentioned qualities and characteristics.
Honda’s ST1300 model, like its predecessor, the ST1100, enjoyed a long run of production through the year 2012.
I happen to own one of the very last ones ever produced (as per my VIN).

SPECIFICATIONS.

Make & Model: 2012 Honda ST1300 ABS
Type: Sport Tourer
Production Years: 2002 to 2012
Engine /Capacity: Liquid cooled, 4 cylinder V4 configuration, Transversely mounted as a stressed frame member, 1261cc displacement.
Final Drive: Shaft
Frame: Triple box spar Aluminum (Aluminium) frame.
Brake Horsepower: 135bhp@?rpm
Torque: - 84lb.ft@6200rpm
Weight: 335kg/740lbs. (wet)
Fuel Capacity: 29 liters/7.7 US Gal.
Top Speed: I don’t know, I don’t care to know, but its definitely way more than I care to attain!
Tank Range: Average 300 to 320 miles/480 to 512 km. on a full tank at an average speed of 65 m.p.h. (104 km/h) and little to no headwind.
Front Brakes: Nissin Twin discs. 310mm dia. ea. Triple-piston Calipers. Hydraulically operated with Anti-lock and Combined braking system.
Rear Brakes: Nissin single disc. 316mm. dia. Triple-piston Caliper. Hydraulically operated with Anti-lock and Combined braking system.
My Choice and Size of Front Tire (at time of writing this article): Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT (PR4 GT) 120/70 ZR18 58W rating.
My Choice and Size of Rear Tire (at time of writing this article): Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT(PR4 GT) 170/60 ZR17 72W rating.
Alternator/Charging System: 550 Watts. Enough to handle a plethora of electrical/electronic accessories and gear.
Lighting: Twin halogen beam headlights. 55/45Watts hi/lo beam.