The following questions are from 2010.
From: D.C., USA
Q:
I was wondering if there was anything to be done on the heat that the bike puts out on your legs. It makes it very uncomfortable to ride on the 90degree days with high humidity. And I'm wearing jeans. I have double sided foil insulation under the seat which helps a lot. But i get a lot of heat from the fairings. any ideas. email me back if you could.
A:
I have heard the heat issue mentioned before, although it always seemed to be more of a problem on the ST1300 than the ST1100.
Some people have considered it may be down to an individual's heat tolerance i.e. some find it a problem, others don't notice it. Others have said that it's a design problem with the ST. It's generally accepted that water-cooled bikes do tend to run a bit hotter than air-cooled ones.
My own opinion is that a good pair of boots and riding trousers (pants to you!) make all the difference.
I've never found my legs or ankles getting too hot, BUT I always ride with fairly thick leather trousers and full motorcycle boots (even in mid-summer). In my view jeans offer very little protection in the event of a spill. Yes my legs do sweat a bit in the leathers, but because of the padding I can't say I've noticed any engine heat.
I don't think insulation is the way to go, but I found something in the US that may be of interest: Fiberfrax. It's used for aircraft firewalls which have to withstand quite a lot of heat.
You could possibly glue this inside the fairing panels - you'd probably only need a few feet of it. But if the heat remains a problem, you may have to face the choice of getting a different bike.
Sorry I couldn't provide an instant fix!
From: J.C, Brazil
Q:
i am in the market for a motorcycle. I found one here on our version of ebay, mercadolivre.com.br, and am very interested in trading for it. I would like some info from who ownes one of these bikes for some time to make a decision. Here in Brazil itsw the only one i have seen, but there are parts stores that sell the mantence parts etc..but id like to here from other st 100 owners their opinions about the bike.
thannk ou and good looking bike!! Happy riding
A:
It depends on the price and condition of course (e.g. has it been in an accident or not), and without seeing the bike it is difficult to give any advice!
But generally the ST1100 is a great motorcycle, so I don't think you'll be disappointed.
See if you can take it for a test ride first though to make sure you like it!
From: M.Y., China
Q:
We have learned from Internet that you are a distributor of motorcycle parts. In the hope of setting up good relationship with you, we take the liberty of sending you this email with complex mood.
A:
Your Internet must be a different model to mine. I'm sorry to hear you have a complex mood, and would like to wish you a speedy recovery.
From: K.F., UK
Q:
wonder if you can help, my st1100 is losing charge overnight, not alot but enough not to start it. its got a meta system alarm on it, everyone says its the alarm but i dont think it is, i've ordered a starter relay, seeing your pics i did notice wear on my red connector, not severe like yours ! also where can i obtain another red connector for relay ? since sunday battery has lost charge from 12.49 to just over 9 volt checking it tonight. would be grateful if you have any thoughts on it.
A:
The only reason for the battery to be losing charge overnight is a current drain from somewhere. It's normal for a battery to lose charge over a period of time, but not overnight!
The best thing to do is make a list of any electrical stuff you've added to the bike, then systematically go through the list, disconnecting one thing at a time. For me I found it was my GPS power supply - even though the GPS was not attached to the bike, it was still drawing current and discharging the battery. If the alarm is the only accessory you have, then I'm afraid it does rather look like being the culprit!
Is the bike left outside? If so it may not be a good idea to disconnect the alarm for one night - unless you have a whacking great padlock and chain... ;)
As regards the red connector to the relay, I seem to recall that it is actually part of the wiring loom - in other words, you can't just buy the connector. What I did was just cut the wires and then soldered on new blade connectors (they're a standard size). I'm pretty sure it's not sold separately.
From: R.Q., Spain
Q:
Hola,un saludo desde España.
Solamente queria comentarte que me gusta mucho tu Blog, tambien yo tengo una HONDA ST1100 de 1992 y me encanta por lo que creo que me vendra muy bien todos los articulos que escribes para conocer un poco mas mi moto y saber mantenerla en buenas condiciones durante mucho tiempo.
A:
Gracias por tu mensaje.
Me alegro de que encontrar el sitio útil!
From: D.G., UK
Q:
HI , I HAVE JUST STUMBLED ACROSS YOUR WEB SITE AND WAS WELL IMPRESSED. VERY WELL PUT TOGETHER AND THERE IS A WEALTH OF INFORMATION. AS A FAIRLY NEW ST 1100 OWNER VERY HELPFUL.
I HAVE OWNED MY PAN FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS IT IS A 2002 NON ABS WITH AROUND 29K ON THE CLOCK. I HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH A VIBRATION PROBLEM THROUGH THE PEGS AND BARS AT SPEEDS OVER 75 AND AROUND 4000 REVS PLUS.
IT DOESNT GO AWAY AND AFETR AROUND 45 MINUTES MY RIGHT HAND IS NUMB. I HAVE HAD THE CARDBS BALANCED AND GIVEN THE BIKE A GOOD COAT OF LOOKING AT BUT DONT SEE ANYTHING OBVIOUS. THE BIKE GETS REGULARY SERVICED BY ME OR A LOCAL DEALER DEPENDING UPON THE WEATHER. MY TYRES ARE ONLY ABOUT 8 MONTHS OLD. METZELERS. AND MAY HAVE IMPROVE THINGS A LITTLE, HAVE YOU COME ACROSS ANYTHING LIKE THIS WITH YOUR PAN AS IT IS SPOILING MY ENJOYMENT. I TOOK THE WIFE DOWN TO BOURNEMOUTH TO VISIT FRIENDS THE OTHER DAY AND FELT READY TO SELL MY BELOVED PAN AFTER THE JOURNEY. I DONT WANT ANY OTHER BIKE THOUGH. AROUND DOWN AT LOW SPEEDS AND SUB 70 MPH AND SUB 4000 REVS IT IS OK. I AM THINKING ABOUT REPLACING THE HEAD BEARINGS AND REPLACING ENGINE MOUNTS JUST TO TRY AND REMOVE POTENTIALS BUT IT IS AN EXPENSIVE APPROACH. SO ANY SUGGESTIONS GRATEFULLY RECEIVED. THANKS
A:
First the good news. The vibration you are experiencing is not normal!
Mine is rock steady throughout the rev range, even to speeds of 115mph (Not that I would ever do that speed on a public motorway you understand ;) ). However, I have found that on a long journey, my right hand does start to go a bit numb - but I've put that down to the fact that it's in one position for a long time rather than any vibration being present. When funds permit, I'll be fitting a cruise control so I can give my throttle hand a rest now and again.
The bad news is, the vibration could be caused by anything.
1. The first culprit is usually carburettors being unbalanced. You mentioned that you had had them synchronised - how reliable is your local dealer? (Not all dealers are good unfortunately!)
2. Another possibility could be your exhaust mounts. If the vibration starts at a certain rev range, it's usually caused by harmonics - basically the vibration from the exhaust gases is transmitted to the frame.
Take the panniers off and have a look - there should be rubber bushes which "insulate" the exhaust from the mounting bracket.
3. Windscreen - at certain speeds the airflow can cause turbulence - this seems to be a common problem for some riders depending on their height - I know I experienced this when I first got my Pan, but it was solved by installing a taller windshield. Not strictly vibration as such though.
4. Tyres out of balance - particularly the front.
5. Unless you got your Pan from new, has it ever been in an accident? Sometimes the front forks can be bent - this may not be noticeable but this could also be a cause.
6. Front fork oil levels. When was the front fork oil last changed/checked?
7. Steering head bearings - worn steering head bearings can certainly cause a vibration - if you replace these use tapered roller bearings instead of the OEM Honda rubbish.
8. Front tyre pressure - I run mine at 36psi. See what pressure Metzeler recommend for the ST1100.
9. Make of tyre. I know you said yours were only 8 months old, but certain tyre brands can be more susceptible to vibration than others.
Try the elimination method.
What I would do, is firstly try to determine whether the vibration is being caused by the engine, or something else.
Easy enough to do - keep in second gear and go over 4000 revs for a while. If you don't experience it, then you can eliminate the engine as being the cause. I doubt it's your engine mountings.
The next thing I would look at would be tyre pressures, then steering head bearings.
One final thought - is your riding position correct? I found that due to my height (6'2") I was actually putting a lot of weight on my wrists - since I installed handlebar risers I've found there's a lot less strain.
From: T.G., USA
Q:
Can you please help..point me in rught direction...my husband has a Honda ST110
1998 registration
Frame No: xxxxx
Engine No: xxxxx
Needs an alternator and has been lying in bits for months.due to his work etc.. I am trying to get it fixed as a surprise but dont know where to buy part...can you help...please
A:
The best thing I can suggest is a Honda dealership - if there is one near you. Prices would be high though.
You could also have a look at the spare parts pages on this site if there isn't a Honda bike place near you - but again a bit pricey.
Ebay is an alternative if you're not rushed for time - ST1100 parts come up on there quite regularly.
The only other alternative would be a scrapyard - they sometimes have ST1100 parts.
From: T.K., Ireland
Q:
Thanks a million for setting up such an honest and down to earth useful site. I'd be lost without it.
I Have a '95 ABS TCS with a few teething problems. More the TCS than anything else. I was looking at fitting an audio system into a Seat cover off an x-copper model - but would lose my top box in the process. I have read the audio farkle list but it doesn't quick do it for me. Have you had any other peoples suggestions - I also have a double seat and might prefer to keep it on.
Any how - thanks again for the invaluable information and maintenance advice.
A:
Thanks for your message - glad the site is proving helpful!
The advantage we have with owning an ST1100 is that it's a fairly big bike, so there's inevitably room somewhere to fit extra bits! With regard to fitting an audio system it does depend on what exactly this consists of, and whether you need access to the controls. For example, if it involves a tape deck or cd player, you'd need to have fairly easy access to change the tape or cd. At the same time it does need to be fairly secure from theft (in other words, preferably hidden!)
I don't quite understand why you'd need to lose the top box though.
I've seen radio/tape units fitted in the left hand fairing pocket, with a transparent plastic cover to keep the rain off - however in my view this is not very secure if you have to park your bike somewhere unattended.
Another idea was to actually dismantle the radio and mount the (removable) face plate section in the middle of the handlebars.
I've also seen the left-hand pannier used; the only problem here is that you would need some sort of easy-release connectors installed so that the pannier can still be removed from the bike.
In the tail section is another option, but it depends on the size of the radio (and whether access to it is required - it would be a bit of a pain having to remove the seat in order to change the tape or cd!)
Or how about in the top box itself like I've done - it is possible for me to remove the top box if I want
to by disconnecting the radio wiring harness (not that I've ever bothered!).
If space in the top box is an issue, a USB head unit like the Clarion FZ409E could be worth considering. (I think this model is discontinued but you may still be able to find it online. There are no moving parts, and it's fairly small.
As regards your TCS issue, I'm afraid I can't help you there - mine doesn't have this! But my experience with electrics in general has taught me that the first thing to check is whether the item in question is properly earthed (even to the extent of running a temporary wire from the earth side of the electric item directly to the negative terminal on the battery).
From: P.C., UK
Q:
has anyone tried to get any sound out of the ST1100 exhaust. It's a shame that big v4 is so muffled.I'm not talking obnoxious, just a little throaty.
A:
The sound of mine was improved slightly by installing the stainless steel pipes, but it's still nothing to write home about!
From: C.B., UK
Q:
Great advice about the Pan Euro's very stiff petrol filler cap. I tried it last night and it worked!
A:
I'm glad it was helpful.
I'll be putting more stuff on the site over the next few weeks - the projects I just completed were the installation of a Stebel and the renovation of the rear swingarm.
From: P.H. UK
Q:
wood these carb tune kits work on a honda blackbird
A:
Yes
From: P.W., UK
Q:
1998 non-ABS ST1100 - need to replace fork oil - can't find anything in workshop manual or handbook about capacities - can you help?
A:
Looks like you need a better manual!
Fork oil capacity:
Right fork standard models: 382.5 to 387.5cc
Left fork standard models: 432.5 to 437.5cc
Fork oil level (measured from the top of the tube with the fork spring removed and the leg fully compressed):
Right fork: 190mm
Left fork: 187mm
I can't remember checking the fork oil level when I did mine; I just poured in the right amount (and although the manual recommends "Pro Honda Suspension Fluid SS-7" I think I just used standard fork oil as supplied by my local motorcycle repair shop).
Whilst the forks are off you may want to think about replacing the steering head bearings with taper roller ones as detailed on this page.
From: S.H., UK
Q:
Hi, just about to create some hazard lights for my 01 st1100 and I wondered why you have only advised attaching to either front OR rear lights.. Presumably it's possible to attach all four to the flasher relay?
Many thanks for your time
A:
There's no need to connect the flasher unit to all four indicators; don't forget the front and rear indicators are connected anyway! (or you would need two indicator switches!)
So if you choose to mount the flasher unit in the tail, just use the left and right rear indicator wiring.
From: M.E., Egypt
Q:
i have problem with my honda 1100 st in abs and tcs first my abs dont work and gives me the red clor of and on and when i click in caps abs keeping lighting but the abs not working so kindly i want to know how can i fix it and from wher i can get the spare parts theanks in advance
A:
The problem you have described could be due to a failed ECU, but there may be other causes which would be very difficult to diagnose remotely - could be a short in the wiring, could be a failed pump....
My best advice would be to take the bike to your local Honda dealer - they will be able to run diagnostics on it to find the problem. (You should still be able to ride the bike as the brakes will still work!)
They should also be able to advise you regarding parts.
