Honda St 1300 VS Silverwing

Who in the past owned a Honda St 1300? Why did you trade it in for a S/W
And in your onion, did you make a mistake.
The reason I am asking is because, even though I love my scooter, now with 35,00 miles on it, I believe I would be happer on the bigger bike.
I have not put numbers to paper yet and understand that the ST needs valve adjustment. ($300.00 every 8000 miles? where as the S/W never does.
Also I will miss the amazing amount of storage space.
Going on a 1300 miler with big bikes in two weeks and will make up my mind soon after.

John,

I hear the 1300 is a great bike and very smooth. As for valve adjustments it seems they always say they are needed. The 1300 may be like the SWing, where they say you should adjust them but really just need to check them. Do you know of a ST1300 site you can go to? If you think you would be happier on the ST than I would say go for it. I think they have sidecases that are stock and you can get a top case to be just about the same as the SWings storage. How many miles does the ST have?

It is a different tool for a different job. The ST1300 is a sport touring motorcycle. The SW is a maxi scooter with no shifting and emphasis on ease of use.

Nothing wrong with having one of each. Many people have a Goldwing and a Silverwing.... or another popular sport touring motorcycle is the Kawasaki Concours.

I have a friend that has an ST1100 and he has well over 100,000 miles on it and it still runs and looks good.

Physically larger bike with a taller seat height.
Make sure you can maneuver it comfortably.
Flat foot the bike, Have no problem swinging your leg over, etc.

We get so comfortable with our step-thru twist-and-go that we take it for granted.

Think engine heat on your legs-----bike is really heavy---cams need to come out to change valve clearance=$$

Adding to above---if you never have had anything like the ST.....then at least you can say you had one----I am lucky I was able to buy everything for new Harley factory sidecar out fit on down=fun but blew the engine twice---they had a hard time getting rid of heat.

Bought a new Kawasaki Concours as spare as the price was right----overweight/bear to work on/buffeting king.....but reliable as anvil----got rid of at 56,000 miles and it cooked you and yours in hot weather.

Nice to get experience....and then make up mind on what you like/want to ride----and you never learn it seems---I bought TU250, can handle the open chain and the oil mess-----but do not enjoy NO CENTERSTAND!! TU has been parked 6 months.

SilverWing I enjoy and will ride the new one 50,000 miles....as at present there is nothing better/cheaper to replace it with.

john grinsel wrote:

cams need to come out to change valve clearance=$$

As they do on the Silverwing. It's probably cheaper to do a valve clearance on an ST1300 than on a Swing, as there is way less tupperware to come off. Also, the cylinders are canted out away from the frame, very easy to access the valve covers.
The last thing I would worry about with an ST1300 would be valve clearances. Hondas are known to very rarely to never require shim changes, even at very high mileages.

My only concern, as others have stated, is that the ST1300 is very top heavy with a high C of G. The Goldwing and Silverwing engines are mounted very low to the ground. I've driven all 3, and at low speeds or not moving at all, you've got to be very careful with the ST1300. The Goldwing is even more stable than a Silverwing at low speeds IMHO.

Haven't ridden one, but at 730 lbs with a 31.1" seat height I'd imagine it'd be a night and day difference from the scoot.

The Honda ST 1300 has a dry weight of 607lbs, and 623lbs wet weight.

Meldrew wrote:

The Honda ST 1300 has a dry weight of 607lbs, and 623lbs wet weight.

Only 16 lbs difference sounds like a few stone are missing.

Thank you all for your thoughts.
I am looking for one around 07 with around 30,000 miles. ABS with side bags and a removable rear case.
I prefer the red but silver would work.
The extra weight is not an issue, yet, as I still work out and am quite strong for my age. :lol!: 
For a while I was contemplating a white police unit but I am thinking they are pretty beat up by the time they get sold.
And no I do not know of a good ST forum as of yet but looking.

Honda claims the following weight for the ST1300:

Curb Weight
730 pounds (Includes all standard equipment, required fluids and full tank of fuel ready to ride.

Gasoline weighs about 6.5 lbs/gallon. The ST1300 has a 7+ gallon fuel tank. The wet to dry difference will be >45lbs.

Hi johnd,

Try this site, very informative, Trish

http://www.ozstoc.com.au

I have a friend with a ST1300; nice bike. Personally I don't like the styling and the high c of g. The 1300 appears to be more of a handful than even my nearly 900 pound Goldwing! He has dropped his twice in 3 months... But to be honest he is in late 70's and should not be driving anything!!! LOL

If you are still strong and want to go bigger, at least consider the big Wing. I took my daughter on a 60 mile ride yesterday up and down some mountains with lots of twisties. The GW didn't even notice a passenger, I had to check and make sure she was still aboard...   . Up hill and down it was effortless so if you ever ride two-up at least think about it... The accessories available for the Goldwing are endless too.

For single-up riding the Silver Wing does all I could ask; quietly and easily.

Good luck and be happy with what ever you decide!!!

Thanks Glenn, You are correct. I have ridden a G/W and it is fantastic but a little out of my price range and don't have any one to be my partner. Have wife will travel solo.  

This is the link to the ST forum.
I own a 2010 NT700 which is middle weight version of the ST and the wife owns the SW. I take my NT exclusively on cross country tours and it is a very nice alternative to the larger ST. The NT will cruise at 75-80 all day long with a full load of gear and sips fuel at 50+ mpg. Maybe thats an option.

Link to ST Forum
http://www.st-owners.com/forums/

also the NT Forum
http://www.nt-owners.org/

Meldrew wrote:

The Honda ST 1300 has a dry weight of 607lbs, and 623lbs wet weight.

Like I said 730 lbs....
I get my info straight from Honda's website ST1300 specifications list where ya getting yours?

Give or take 100 lbs. So who is counting ?  :lol!: 

som2002 wrote:

Meldrew wrote:

The Honda ST 1300 has a dry weight of 607lbs, and 623lbs wet weight.

Like I said 730 lbs....
I get my info straight from Honda's website ST1300 specifications list where ya getting yours?

Where I'd always look www.honda.uk and it gives the weight in kilograms, and 283 kg is 623 lbs. Even if that's the dry weight I doubt very much the added weight of oil, water, and fuel would another 107 lbs to the weight to make 730 lbs


As for johnd's comments about give or take 100 lbs, who's counting? I've read some posts on here about members who struggle to put the much lighter 247 kg/544 lbs Silver Wing onto it's centre stand.

Curb Weight: 730 pounds (Includes all standard equipment, required fluids and full tank of fuel ready to ride.

7.7 gallons of fuel = 61.6 lbs.

4 quarts of oil  = 9 lbs of oil?

Not sure how much coolant it uses....  a gallon?  8 lbs.  

Rear end oil?  1/2 quart?  Another 1 lb.

Could that change things?  How about those factory saddle bags?  Are they an option?

How about the anti puncture in the tires?

How about that cup holder?  

Thank you much, for your wonderful comments and inspirational thoughts Meldrew.
But guess what? I do not not appreciate them and I am tired of you cutting down any one that disagrees with the way you think, regardless of how many miles you have driven on a scooter or any other type of bike.

johnd wrote:

Going on a 1300 miler with big bikes in two weeks and will make up my mind soon after.

On your trip with the other big bikes.....  take note that many of your riding partners will have gear stacked on the rear seat and so they have to mount the bike by stepping back and kicking their leg up and over the seat / gas tank.  The SW is a simple step through.  The other riders of your group will note your ease of mounting the bike.  

A throttle lock or Crampbuster will make your trip pleasurable.  Like this:



I use these saddlebags and run the velcro straps under the seat and across the top of the storage container.  Gear that is not immediately necessary should be stored in the under seat storage as access would be limited by the straps of the saddle bags.  



Then you can strap this type of bag on the rear of your seat and this setup should provide you enough space to moto-camp. Your bike will then provide probably more storage capacity than they do.



The point of my post is we often take for granted the plus features of our bikes when we compare ours with other bikes.  

The 1300 is built for long distance touring.  You SW is built for ease of use and being practical in town and can tour, but not designed for it.  

Having one bike, then there will always be a compromise.  If you had both bikes.... you would have to decide which bike you would like to ride for the day.  Not a bad choice between the SW and ST1300 each and every morning.  That is what I like about garage parking spots..... they hold two bikes.  

For me, I loved the Goldwing / Silverwing combination but the SW and the ST1300 would be a good combo too.

Keep the faith and keep coming back here as I have always enjoyed your posts.

johnd wrote:

Thank you much, for your wonderful comments and inspirational thoughts Meldrew.
But guess what? I do not not appreciate them and I am tired of you cutting down any one that disagrees with the way you think, regardless of how many miles you have driven on a scooter or any other type of bike.

Guess what mate, I thought this forum was all about the Silver Wing and I'm tired of some members constantly referring to their Gold Wing or what bike they're thinking of buying next, but hey that's me.

But like you I have the choice of not reading or responding to some of these posts, and if I do I certainly don't throw my toys out of the pram/stroller if someone has a different opinion.

As for the miles I've 'driven', it's ridden mate, you don't drive a bike you ride it,   I've never posted anything about my mileage on here as I've no idea what the total is, so where you getting that from? Similarly with the bikes and scooters I've had in the last 40 years, I think I've only mentioned the Helix, Burgman, BMW, and MZ.

Since your 'riding season' hasn't started yet, you can of course sift through all my 1527 posts and contradict me.

Have a nice day.

This was posted in General Chat. And it was partly about Silverwing's. There has been lots of talk about people switching bikes, selling SW's or whatever but who cares? I have two big bikes and two Trail 90's but I still have a Silver Wing. Meldrew if you don't want to hear about ALL my bikes then don't read the posts...

C'mon guys this is the BEST SW forum lets just try and get along.   

Now returning to regular programming...

GHM-PM wrote:

This was posted in General Chat.  And it was partly about Silverwing's.  There has been lots of talk about people switching bikes, selling SW's or whatever but who cares?  I have two big bikes and two Trail 90's but I still have a Silver Wing.  Meldrew if you don't want to hear about ALL my bikes then don't read the posts...  

C'mon guys this is the BEST SW forum lets just try and get along.     

Now returning to regular programming...

+1 on what Glen said.  

Not every SW owner has all of their motorcycle endeavors in one basket..... and usually join forums for their particular type of motorcycles.  I have belonged to many different forums and I just don't witness this "don't talk about other motorcycles" on those forums.

I get crap for talking about towing a trailer with the SW or the GW or towing my SW on a trailer.  I quote the forum mission statement:

"Welcome to the home for Honda SilverWing and everyone interested. This is a place to ask questions, share, and learn about the SilverWing and its dedicated riders."  

NOTE:  it's dedicated riders.  It does not ask to eliminate any type of other motorcycling experiences.  Believe it or not, most of the SW owners have owned other models and or will after the SW.  Some even during.  That experience is valuable to discuss with whoever is interested in that discussion.  

It does not say..... and only discuss the Silverwing and only as it is sold stock and lets not talk about how others have adapted it for their own specific purpose.  

Why not listen to others experiences, let them express their questions or share their plans without viciously attacking the poster?  

That is what I don't understand.  I wouldn't question this if I didn't have positive experiences on other motorcycle forums.  

I posted this without mentioning any member's name. I attack no one in this post. It is the culture of this forum that should change by each member making an effort to be accepting of others and not condemning of those that think differently.

Now I am getting off my preaching post going to go duck behind some cover.

I think you're having a go at Meldrew here simply because he sussed you out long ago and you don't like it. He's helped and given me a lot of good advice since I took up maxi scootering and unlike you I know the man behind the avatar. I'm still pissed off at you sending me a PM a few weeks ago too.

Brubaker wrote:

unlike you I know the man behind the avatar. I'm still pissed off at you sending me a PM a few weeks ago too.

As I said in my PM to you: I asked you if you had any difficulty with me that it be done in PM's. You were rude in your original post and in your PM response. I would have answered this post in private, but you rudely asked me not to PM you any more.

In retrospect, I am sorry that I burdened your inbox.

This is not a UK Silverwing Forum. See mission statement.

No trees were hurt in the transmission, but some electrons were inconvenienced.

I've hand ENOUGH of the bitching and sniping that goes on between a few of the members. If it continues, I will ban people forthwith.

You may as well ban me now then, and from that dull as ditch water X9 Forum you're a Moderator on too.

"Brubaker has left the building!"   

If the silverwing and the ST 1300 were parked side by side and i were givin the choice of owning just one it would be the ST 1300, no brainer. The ST is the big brawny brother of a dainty little sister called silverwing!! I dont think comparing the two should be in the same topic. The ST is designed for long distance (world) travel, while the silverwing, like it or not, is a 582cc scooter meant to go around the corner to get milk or maybe even picking up tampons for the bickering few here .      

I am locking this thread for now. It may be opened later.

johnd,

Sorry it went in this direction and I hope you got some of the answers you were looking for. But some of the comments just weren't needed, by others, on your topic.

Thanks,

Jeff