The Rookie Reviews: 1995 Honda ST1100

Thar she blows

Her face is turning red and her eyes are watering as I straighten up with the shattered nylon bolts and nuts that her husband just broke from the ST1100. She stretches her hand out and I hand them to her. Sixty thousand miles and two decades of riding all over the country by the couple. Memories upon memories all about to roll away from their rearview mirror.

"Why are you selling the bike?"

“Getting old; had knee surgery and I just can’t ride it for long any more.” He motions with his leg to show the knee bend from the rider triangle that he is unable to sustain.

Everything is in decent shape and he rode the bike in; there’s a service manual, a manila folder filled with decades of parts buys and maintenance records. Fairing damage from a strike on the bottom, another small crack, evidence of a tip over, and a pannier whose key doesn’t match the rest of the machine.

The money is transmitted over the aether, the title is signed over and a bill of sale filled out. 84,209 on the clock at the time of sale. I ride it back home a cool 40 miles from where it was purchased without a hitch. Kill the engine in the driveway before pulling it into the garage where the other bike is in the way.

The engine won’t start - the LCD clock is on so there’s power somewhere, switch key to ignition, everything dies¹. I’m glad I’m home instead of on the side of a highway.

We’re at 85,150 and climbing after six weeks with some time on hold due to a weeping fork seal. Oil on one’s brakes or tires makes for an unhappy ride, and I always try to ride happy.²

Motor

All the time I find myself wishing there were another fifty horsepower instead of the ~95HP, less at a mile high, the engine outputs. Adequate, quicker than most cars, and lacking for a motorcycle which breaks the 1000cc mark. Perhaps there is something to this because plenty of these will run north of 150,000 miles.

The motor needs to be above 2000RPM or it gives a sense of being lugged. The torque is mostly available starting closer to 3000RPM. Peak torque is 6000RPM and, when winding it out, shifts should be done fairly close to redline, though anywhere above 5.5k will leave one riding the torque wave.

Although my motor is far from fresh and I’m burning part ethanol I still get a solid 45 miles per gallon, with anything but a light hand when going up to the speed limit, and a tank range north of 300 miles. On a full tank of gas one will want to take a break well before a refill is needed.

Transmission

5-speeds. I still reach for gear six on the regular as the bike turns around 4k at an indicated 75MPH which is actually 72MPH near as I can tell. There’s enough torque from the motor that having an overdrive for highway riding would be nice.

1-2 is clunky; and 2-1 is troublesome unless one is rolling under 20MPH. This may just be an issue with this particular example. It is possible to buy an entire transmission which just bolts on for $120 - however, step one is remove the engine and I don’t see myself doing that any time soon³. The rest of the shifting is adequate, notchy, and requires being firm and committed. Light shifts will be rewarded with false neutrals or popping back into the gear one wanted to leave.

The output shaft for the final drive is capable of compressing and has a spring to reduce shock to the drive system. All that mass, though, results in a bike which is not overly eager to click through gears in a Wide Open Throttle situation as hesitance or simply getting the shift a little wrong makes it like riding a pogo stick.

I can’t imagine what abuse of the clutch and transmission it must have taken to get the recorded 5.5s 0-60 time. This is not a bike for that.

Brakes

Uninspiring is the word with initial grab front and rear being gentle as a light breeze. Squeeze a quarter of the way up front and it begins to feel like the bike might stop - half the lever provides reasonable stopping power and there’s feeling enough to modulate. I haven’t locked the front as there’s no ABS and I have no desire to suddenly slap into the pavement next to a 700lb wrecking ball.

The rear brake is necessary when hauling the motorcycle to a quick stop. This isn’t akin to a light and shorter wheelbase bike where 90% of the stopping power is delivered through the front brake. I’d say 70-30 or 60-40 and one needs to press the brake lever down a long way before it begins to slow the motorcycle appreciably.

If I have the time over the winter I’ll replace the brake lines with braided units and find out if that will provide better feel and power. People who are more committed to the platform put the ABSII calipers, wheel, and disc up front and a matching master cylinder up top. I’m not that committed. There are reports from magazine reviews that the brakes cook fairly quickly in repeated hard braking scenarios with minimal time to cool between stops.

All in all not an inspiring or confidence instilling experience when it comes to believing one is handily in control and won’t be careening into the back of a panic stopping car.

Handling/Ergonomics

All motorcycles feel alright once they’re rolling in a straight line. Some, like the Harley-Davidson Sportster S do not lend themselves to turning due to fat tires, geometry, narrow handlebars, or some other admixture of factors. The ST1100, in spite of its Yamato-class tonnage, is eager to turn and this is largely due to clever packaging. The motor is nestled low with the top end of the two banks below the rider’s knees; the battery is placed by the rider’s left foot, and opposite is the coolant reservoir; the fuel tank is mostly under the rider. When one removes the seat and fairings one then remove the airbox cover under which sits the filler cap for the fuel tank and the airbox in front. A low polar moment provides relative ease to change direction.

The handlebars are set up in a true sport touring fashion and put an average height man in a forward lean. I would prefer a set of bar risers because that lean, combined with my habit of leaving two fingers up on the brake lever, and the total lack of adjustability in angle for the hand controls makes for awkward wrist angles which put half my throttle hand to sleep. Why are the hand controls not adjustable? There is a cover over the top triple clamp to make it look car-like and this big piece of plastic interferes with any rotation.

This ST1100 came with a Corbin seat and it is perfectly comfortable for hours on the road at a time. I have no complaints in that regard. The seat, and bike, are broad however and this means my 30” inseam is tippy toeing for both feet or just has one foot solidly down with a minimal wiggle to the appropriate side. The foot pegs are also mounted where the leg would naturally drop which pushes feet out wider than they otherwise would be.

Leg room is adequate for me, but I would be concerned for a taller rider as my knees almost touch the rubber pads that are in place on the fairings.

The windscreen is acceptable in clear air and this model year had the pressure relief cuts to minimize buffeting. When one is following a car or truck the dirty air will cause more buffeting and that can be resolved by either tucking behind the bubble; or, and this is also useful for summertime, removing the windscreen. An ST1100 without its windscreen still looks fairly complete, though a short one at the height of the windscreen supports would look factory and provide much needed rider cooling.

Built in panniers will barely fit an M Arai helmet. Removal of the pannier is always easy and re-install always finicky. Honda was thoughtful about the aesthetics of the motorcycle, though, and were it not for broken pivot points there would be panels that auto-hid and deployed to cover up the cuts in the tail fairing for the panniers. Slick, and it leaves the bike looking complete when the panniers are off; unlike some which are obviously missing their bags. Additionally, the width of the panniers is within the width of the mirrors and means that if one can fit one’s machine between cars then one can filter one’s way through halted traffic with ease.⁴

Engine heat is exhausted out vents in the fairing and they do an excellent job at keeping the heat off the rider’s legs. This is a boon in triple digit heat and less desirable running in light rain in the 60s.

[RED] whale - holy grail

Split your lungs with blood and thunder

When you see the [red] whale

Break your backs and crack your oars men

If you wish to prevail

Other Impressions

I didn’t expect to particularly like or enjoy the motorcycle. It’s heavy, it’s not that fast given the displacement: and yet, it has grown on me. The peak 1990s styling, the rock solid stability at 100MPH, though no confidence about stopping from that speed. The suspension is too soft and I’m not sure the anti-dive is in good shape these days.

Caveats

Buyer beware!

The newest ST1100 is 22 years old and while my 29 year old example is still ticking along there are serious concerns that await. As a 1995 model year, it does not have the 40A alternator; rather it has a 28A unit which is oil cooled and which usually don’t last the lifetime of the bike. There are instructions, tools, and a guy who machines adapter plates for the 40A to bolt up. There are no New Old Stock 40A alternators, no Nippon-Denso OE units - only Chinese knock offs which may or may not last a long time.

My Voltage Regulator Rectifier unit kicked the bucket, and I hadn’t jumped on putting a voltmeter up where I could see one to monitor the charging system. The bikes are old, and their charging system on the 28A is suspect at all times at these ages. Thankfully, the alternator is still putting amperage out and has no open windings: however, it has a leaking o-ring seal which makes it something of a ticking time bomb. I’ve already been towed home once thanks to the VRR failure.

Parts aren’t always available, not even used ones on EBay depending on the part.

Mine was the cheapest example available and I have put another ~$300 into it after the initial $2000 expense - not including maintenance items such as air, oil, and fuel filters filters; oil; shock oil; brake fluid; & etc. Replacement used mufflers were ~$150, replacing a pair of cracked belly pan fairings $80, VRR $30 (Chinese Caltric unit; OEM NOS is ~$350), and that little tipover cover winglet was $40 or thereabouts.

If a buyer could find one 1996+ and with relatively low miles (50k) I have to say they’re a bargain and Big Red has got its tenterhooks into me.

1. It was a loose battery terminal connection of all things

2. Untrue, I always ride paranoid

3. Unless the 28A alternator blows up in which case I decide between junking the bike and removing the swingarm from which it is only a hop, skip, and jump to dropping the motor out of the frame

4. Legal now in my residential state and I am the only person I have seen do it since it was legalized. No one has so much as honked at me yet which is better than expected