Re: New RT

["Steve Makohin" <wateredg@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello Tom,

[...]
> The Honda ST1300 makes three mistakes.   1.  It weighs 750 pounds...nearly
> as much as the Gold Wing.   2. Too many phony "layers" created by this
> flat-grey stuff on the bodywork.  3. Linked brakes, although they work
> pretty well on a heavy bike like this one.
[...]

Re #1: According to Honda
(http://www.honda.ca/MotorcycleEng/CurrentModels/Touring/ST1300A5.htm?page=t
echspecs), the dry weight is ~650 lbs. Add ~7.5 US gallons of fuel @6
lbs/gal, and another ~20 lbs for oil, hydraulics, and rad juice, and you end
up somewhere around 715 lbs. Honda claims a dry weight of ~800 lbs for the
Wing. The ST1300 is actually closer to the weight of a R1150RT, which BMW
claims has a wet weight of 615 lbs, than it is to a Gold Wing. But granted,
the 100+ lbs difference on a ST1300 is a weight disadvantage.

Re #2: Having seen photos of the ST1300, and seeing it in person, I must
disagree with your "too many phony layers" statement. It simply looks like a
2-tone paint job where the second color is used as a tasteful accent.
Personally, I prefer solid colors, like you do, but I did not find the
1300's paint scheme to me a detriment. The thing that caught me was the
ST1300's form: The bike's style, although it had definite Asian styling
cues, looks extremely attractive to my eye (a wholly subjective assessment).

Re #3: We must remember that the R1150RT and R1200RT, like the ST1300, also
has semi-linked brakes. Add Honda's ABS (ST1300A), and according to
reviewers, you have a winning combination.

My comparison of the ST1300 to the R1200RT is one that has been made before.
It's a matter of trade offs:
 o Do I get a more attractive '04 R1150RT (I definitely dislike the new
R1200RT styling),
    or settle for a slightly less attractive (IMHO) ST1300?
 o Do I have to take ugly styling to get less weight (R1200RT vs ST1300)?
This used to be
    the Asian vs BMW argument with the R11xxRT on top.
 o Am I willing to accept another 100 lbs to get a more powerful and much
    smoother engine (balanced V4 on the ST1300 vs unbalanced boxer on
R1150RT vs
    primary-balanced boxer on R1200RT).

Factor in the price difference, and to me, the ST1300 looks like a very
attractive distance bike. If *I* was forced to decided between an R1150RT,
R1200RT, and ST1300, all things considered, I'd take the ST1300 for its
style and engine, begrudgingly sacrifice the R1150RT's style and suspension
and lower weight, and snub the "kit bike" R1200RT (which likely rides like a
charm).

- -Steve Makohin
 2001 R1100S/ABS
 Oakville, Ontario, Canada

------------------------------