What needed to be changed or caused problems?
Probably the greatest single contibutor to any idea that the ST1300 machine suffered a fundamental flaw of any sort was the now infamous, 'Pan Weave' which became recognised during the mid 2000's
Sadly a number of UK Police personnel were either injured or indeed died as a result of an uncontrollable wobble that developed in their machines
Other UK 'Category One' responders also utilised the machine in large numbers and indeed some still do despite the earlier problems
It may be of interest to note that in the U.S, many State Highway Patrol organisations did not relinquish their use of the machine and indeed some are returning to it having found the replacement arrangements to be less than satisfactory
Earlier versions were recalled for changes to the oil sump because the occasional one grounded on a speed bump or the like and was shattered. The electrical earthing arrangements under the fuel tank which had become susceptible to chaffing causing the bike to suddenly stop were modified also. From 2003 the machines have remained substantially unchanged
This is a link to a page giving a list of the model changes up to fairly recently -
http://stwiki.notonthe.net/twiki/bin/view/ST13/ModelYearChanges
Invariably the weave occurred at speeds that a normal or right minded rider might consider excessive. Category One responders occasionally need to get to places quickly and so the use of high speeds is sometimes unavoidable. It is interesting to note the view being expressed in some quarters that the weave is not confined to the ST1300 but that some of the machines with which it was replaced suffer the same phenomenon
No clearly identifiable single cause of the instability at varying - but always high - speeds was ever found though Honda did recall earlier versions for modifications to some features of their design and of course the additional weight and placement of the responders' additional equipment was always suspected of being one of the responsible factors
As a result and in the view of many of the riding responders regrettably, the ST1300 began in places to be replaced with other machines and mainly ones from the BMW stable, hereinafter referred to where necessary as, 'TDS'
Actual hardware problems with the machine are few - the throttle is renowned for being touchy at low speeds, the front brakes are sometimes accused of being a bit sharp and the seats aren't really all that comfy on a long ride
Sadly a number of UK Police personnel were either injured or indeed died as a result of an uncontrollable wobble that developed in their machines
Other UK 'Category One' responders also utilised the machine in large numbers and indeed some still do despite the earlier problems
It may be of interest to note that in the U.S, many State Highway Patrol organisations did not relinquish their use of the machine and indeed some are returning to it having found the replacement arrangements to be less than satisfactory
Earlier versions were recalled for changes to the oil sump because the occasional one grounded on a speed bump or the like and was shattered. The electrical earthing arrangements under the fuel tank which had become susceptible to chaffing causing the bike to suddenly stop were modified also. From 2003 the machines have remained substantially unchanged
This is a link to a page giving a list of the model changes up to fairly recently -
http://stwiki.notonthe.net/twiki/bin/view/ST13/ModelYearChanges
Invariably the weave occurred at speeds that a normal or right minded rider might consider excessive. Category One responders occasionally need to get to places quickly and so the use of high speeds is sometimes unavoidable. It is interesting to note the view being expressed in some quarters that the weave is not confined to the ST1300 but that some of the machines with which it was replaced suffer the same phenomenon
No clearly identifiable single cause of the instability at varying - but always high - speeds was ever found though Honda did recall earlier versions for modifications to some features of their design and of course the additional weight and placement of the responders' additional equipment was always suspected of being one of the responsible factors
As a result and in the view of many of the riding responders regrettably, the ST1300 began in places to be replaced with other machines and mainly ones from the BMW stable, hereinafter referred to where necessary as, 'TDS'
Actual hardware problems with the machine are few - the throttle is renowned for being touchy at low speeds, the front brakes are sometimes accused of being a bit sharp and the seats aren't really all that comfy on a long ride