Honda ST1300 ABS reviews

After almost 27000 miles, I still can't get enough of this bike. It is fun, fast, comfortable, and handles like a dream. The most I have ridden in a day is 700 miles, but I could have gone farther if I had not pulled into my garage in pouring down rain at 10:30 at night. My knees did get stiff due to too many days on the tennis court when I was younger, but they do make aftermarket pegs, which I will have soon. This motorcycle eats up the superslab and twistie backroads with ease. Heated grips and an aftermarket seat help the comfort issue go from great to wonderful. One downfall is the slow turning maneuvers if one puts a bar riser plate on the ST. It still handles great on all kinds of roads and is much more comfortable on long rides, but I have a tendency to accidentally give it too much gas in taking off with a turn, but it is getting better with practice. The stock bars still do better in that regard, but once rolling my hands do not go numb and handling is maybe even better than stock. I would not trade my ST for another bike. It has everything all rolled into one. Show less

I have owned many bikes over the years and call myself an avid rider. I enjoy 500 mile days and put in at least one 1000 mile day per year, just for fun! My typical mileage is 15,000 to 20,000 per year. The only reason I put this info in is so you can compare your riding habits with mine to see if the ST is right for you. I spent about a year trying to decide between the BMW 1150 RT and the ST-1300. I was looking for a used BMW, as the new RT's were out of my budget, and most of the good used ones were out of state. I settled on a new 2007 ST and have not regretted the decision. I picked it up the end of March and already have over 12,000 miles on it, end of August. I have been very pleased with gas mileage, 50 mpg, during commuting. I typically travel 70 to 75 mph, interstate, and gas mileage stays very consistent. During recreational riding when speeds are kept 60 and below I have had as good as 53 mpg, makes a big difference with gas prices around $3 per gallon. Everything about this bike has exceeding my expectations except for the saddle. This is a showroom saddle, not one that you want to be in for long tours. I will remedy that this winter with an aftermarket saddle, still doing my homework on that to pick a good one. The engine is very smooth at all speeds. This bike will flat out get up and haul the mail. I have had the bike to 150 mph and still did not hit the red-line limiter, it gets there quickly too. I did not buy the bike for pure sport, but it is nice to know that you can twist the throttle and get around a semi in very little time. It carries two-up with hardly even noticing and I'm sure will have plenty of power for a pull trailer. I have been very satisfied with this years color, titan silver, looks clean all the time. I have also been very impressed with Honda's pick for tires on this machine, Bridgestones. I still have my original tires and would estimate to have a couple thousand miles left on them, that is with dealer recommendation also. 15,000 miles especially on the rear tire is exceptional, however, the majority of my miles are commuting at constant speeds, although I'm sure wear is dependant on driving habits. If you are debating between sport touring bikes, you will not go wrong if you pick the ST. One other thing that made me choose this bike was very low maintenance outside of fluid changes, which I do myself. BMW recommends valve adjustments every 8,000 miles, the ST's first scheduled valve adjustment is at 40,000. Show less

After 18500 miles, I can say that this is one sweet machine. The biggest drawback is the heat on the legs and ankles. It runs strong and smooth with plenty of power at speed. It does great on the interstate and in the twisties. I am very pleased with every aspect of this bike. It has been ridden in every kind of weather except for snow and had 16000 miles put on it the first year. It is so much fun to take it to the Smokey Mountains, which for me is a 5 hour trip up the interstate. I also commute 42 miles to work on it 2-4 days a week and it seems like such a short ride. I have never ridden an FJR or BMW, but after reading and comparing, I am happy with the ST. Sport touring bikes rule for all around comfort, fun, speed, and durability. Time to ride. Show less

I rode a CBR600F2 and a Suzuki GSXR750 (nice bike) over the last 13 years and a finally found a bike that can do it all. I immediately found the bike flickable and fast on the highway. I get about 40mpg which is good for the heavy NYC traffic. The seat sucks so I am searching the net for options. But this bike is truly gorgeous. NO B.S. I get giddy at the fact I have saddle bags. Nothing out there can hang with Honda quality too. Will update with more miles. Show less

Last year I upgraded from a 2004 VTX1800N Spec 3. I was looking for a nimble but comfortable bike to do some 300-400 mile days on. The St1300 did not fail me. I have ridden many 300+ days in the saddle in complete comfort. That is with the exception of the seat. Honda's stock seat is too soft and gave me some tail bone pain. This why I gave it a 4 for comfort. A custom seat by Rich's solved this and made the bike extremely comfortable. Out side of the seat no lower back or lower arm discomfort. With the windshield up the ride is amazingly quiet at 75 mph. Great gas mileage (43 mpg) with a long cruising range of over 300 miles on a tank. At low speeds the bike feels as if it weighs far less then it does. In the twisties this bike is extremely nimble. Braking is very good. I own the 2006 non-ABS model. In one incident I was rounding a turn to find a deer crossing the road. The brakes did an exceptional job. Show less

I owned a 2006 Honda Silverwing Scooter and I loved it, just turn and go, nice. I took a long trip on it and I had thoughts about if it could hold up for a really long tour (not that I plan one, but if I wanted to). The ST1300 was one of three Honda bikes that I looked at, along with Scootie, I also looked at the VTX1300C - three totally different bikes, that I loved for three different reasons - any of which would be enough to buy any of the three... long story short, I now have the ST1300. The power, comfort, build quality and everything about the bike that I can think of is wonderful. The dealer let me take one for a test drive, the ABS model, I was ready to buy it right then and there, but as I did not want the ABS version, I ordered the non ABS one - which is what I bought. I had to wait for a few days until they uncrated it. When I picked mine up, another customer had also purchased one as it was next to mine awaiting pick up. I basically love everything about the bike except my shortness. I have about a 29 inch inseam, and the bike is about 31 inches high, so I cannot sit flat footed. While the bike is indeed heavy, it rides like everyone says, light and nimble. The gas mileage is wonderful and I love the big tanks. My mileage for now is avg. around 38 MPG. I think it will avg out better over time and after break in, but Scootie got 42 mpg, so this is awesome so far! The other thing I have concern about is passenger comfort. My wife is slim and about the same height as me, when we rode the other day to see how we feel about it two up, she was sliding all over the darn place, slick seat, light wife, shifting and braking make for a lot of movement for my little girl back there. I looked at some after market seats, but am not convinced that a new one would be prudent as neither of us wants to break the sexy look of this bike, so I will continue to look around at everything and look over rider reviews too. I'll come back on the site and update this review after I break in the bike and get a couple hundred or so miles on it. Oh, a cool thing about the Silverwing trade in, it worked out pretty fairly, almost as if it cost me just a few dollars to try out the scooter for a year. That made the whole thing very nice... I got a lot of interesting looks whilst riding the scooter - it is huge, the looks I get on this bike are from thumbs up to a lot of folks just kind of admiring it in a lot more friendly way. It is not a crotch rocket and I am thankful abut that, but it is also not the ultra laid back Lazy Boy all day cruiser that the Gold Wing is. I did actually look over the Gold Wing this time around, but that bike is just way too big for me... more to follow shortly, I expect to put a LOT of fun miles on this bike! Show less

This bike handles like it's on rails. It saved me a bundle of money since I don't need a sport, or sport-touring bike to satisfy my twisty fix. The only problem is keeping foot pegs on it. They keep getting ground into the road. It's the perfect bike if you like taking the superslab to your favorite canyon carving mountains. It's both comfortable and capable. I'm so glad I got the 05. The only way to get ABS on the 06, 07's is with the GPS package. Much $$$! Besides that, I have my own GPS that I take with me in the cage, motel, home, etc. I hope Honda changes that before I'm ready for my next one. Show less

Over the years I've ridden five different motorcycles (2 cruisers, 1 standard, a sports bike, and the ST) for long distance interstate riding or cold/wet weather commuting. Now, with my 2006 ST1300, I have my Goldilocks bike: it's just right. The difference between riding the ST or a cruiser 3500 miles in a week or on a driving rain freeway commute (no matter how accessorized, and I tried everything) is the difference between a 1976 VW Bug and a new Lexus SC430. Still, if you just gotta have a touring bike with a lotta chrome, loose front end, uncertain handling, sparking pegs, painful ergonomics, no rain protection, a steady gale-force wind, and soft suspension, buy a cruiser. (I like cruisers but let's be honest.) And if you want 21st century engineering, near-complete weather protection, flawless gearbox, a smooth 100 horses with lots of torque and a totally forgiving power curve, 300 miles between gas stops, and like to be able to walk after 600 miles in the saddle, consider the ST. Alas, the ST is not a sportbike, although it handles somewhat like one once you get used to throwing 700 pounds around. But if you need a sport bike--and you know who you are--look elsewhere--you ain't going X-country on it anyway. (Hey, I keep a 919 in the garage, too. But I sure ain't gonna take it down the highway.) Someone I trust recently told me the V-Strom 650 is the best all-around plus touring bike ever made. Maybe. If so, the Honda ST1300 comes in 2nd. Show less

Bought non-ABS 2006 model new in June '06. I've ridden in all weather and everything from gravel to interstate. Suspension is a little too soft for my weight and riding style. Have upgraded the suspension with aftermarket parts. Superior motor and brakes. Seat is ok. Could be a little firmer as it breaks down on long rides. By end of 400 mile day your sitting on the hard seat pan. Adjustable windshield is the bomb. I am very satified with this bike. Show less

What can I say? This bike makes me want to ride PERIOD. I've been through or to 13 states. I have ridden in 14 degree weather and 104 degree weather and have been fine. I have done 720 miles in a single stint. I am very happy with my purchase and would do it again in a heartbeat. I downgraded the comfort one level because I added handlbar risers and an aftermarket seat and windshield. Things I felt needed to make it tailored to me. Everything else has been great. Did I say this bike makes me want to ride..and ride..and ride? Show less