Could someone enlighten a novice in the world of SportsTouring as to the positives and negatives in ownership of these models please? I really like the sound of these bikes but am a little concerned with the flaking rocker stories etc. I would like to use the bike for touring etc and although I realize that TLC ; and both preventative and regular maintenance is necessary, I cannot afford to throw large amounts of money to rectify up-coming problems. Perhaps some will say - buy a Jap bike then. I have never owned a Jap bike in the last 25 years and don't particularly want to start now. I just need to be convinced that they're a sound buy. Any advice or info would be appreciated.
Have a read of this recent thread. It might give you some idea what to expect. I personally think they are a much underrated bike.
Well, I bought my ST4S at the start of this year and am very impressed with it. Comfy, a reasonable turn of speed and surprisingly economical. I'm lucky enough to have a few bikes but find myself using the ST the most. At the price they are going for at the moment a bit of a bargain to be honest. Just check out the wiring upgrade mod and raise the rear suspension. Sure they need to be looked after correctly but a good independent wont charge the earth to carry out a service.
Sorry Wassy , the wiring upgrade ? Which is what exactly? What's particularly wrong with the rear suspension ? Apologise for the naive questions - I know very little about these bikes! Thanks , John
On a different note. Is there a big difference in the upgraded front fairing to the original one. Apart from the aesthetics of course.
If you scroll down the ST section there's a thread on upgrading the battery connections. It's a £20 fix and transformed the speed my bike started. The bike steers quicker if you raise the rear ride height. Again something you can do yourself.
If the flaking rockers worry you have you looked at the ST3? Better looking (IMO), cracking motor, very comfortable, just very hard to find red ones!
Well I am on 45000 miles on my 04 ST4S,and so far no problems,I ride it like I stole it too,get nearly 50 mpg ,put a 42 rear sprocket on,maintained by dedicated mechanics and there is nothing wrong with it,infact one of the most reliable bikes I have owned,so nothing to worry about ,and the replacement rockers are not too much anyway.So far rockers are fine,valve clearance only needed sorting once, and getting about 15000 so far from the last chain and sprocket kit,what more could you want.
Archer17 , the ST3 has a watercooled 1000ds engine - correct? Could this be the mixture I'm looking for. A sort of cross between a 1000ss and ST4. I don't know ! I read somewhere that 2006 ST3's had some very unpleasant "lumpiness" or uneveness in running due to new wiring loom or something introduced from that year. I'm probably talking through my a*&^%$ but I can only go by what I can glean from various sources. Tell me more about them if you can please. In my newbie post "Bonjour" I stated that I liked both the ST range and the ss range.
The ST3 is a water cooled 3-valve engine, not a dual spark. The early ones were known for 'lumpy' low speed running and a poor idle but this was later rectified with a different ECU and valve closing springs for which there was a recall.
Sorry, it is a dual spark engine but shouldn't be confused with the DS engine which is quite different.