ST-1100 News - February 2011

Welcome to the February edition of the ST-1100 News.
In this issue:
The long-awaited spare parts section is finally ready!

The difference between driving a car and climbing onto a motorcycle is the difference between watching TV and actually living your life. - Dave Karlotski

Spare Parts and where to get them

Make no mistake, genuine parts are expensive. However, it is worth bearing in mind that some parts can be sourced much more cheaply from alternative suppliers.

Brake pads can be bought online - I get mine from EBC.
Bearings are worth obtaining from a bearing stockist - the number which is normally displayed on the sidewall of the old bearing will be useful here. Of course, don't forget to make sure that your new bearing is fully greased as described here!
Further savings can be obtained by fitting a lifetime air filter like the K&N
You will also note that tyres are listed on the Honda parts diagrams - I would not suggest buying these from Honda!
Battery - different part numbers are shown for the same battery. As long as it's the equivalent to the original Yuasa YTX14-BS you may wish to source it elsewhere. It's worth double-checking the orientation of the polarity though, as I discovered.

Genuine parts can of course be obtained from your local Honda dealer (if you have one). New on ST-1100.com is a complete parts listing for all models of the ST-1100. This section took me several months to compile, using (at last count) 12 different sources. I've personally checked every single part's accuracy and model applicability (Even the official Honda parts catalogue had glaring errors!).

Many parts are interchangeable - not being used purely for the ST1100. And that makes sense if you consider the costs of tooling up a production line to make one specific part; you'd want that part to fit more than one bike!

Of course if you don't have a local Honda dealer, at least by using these pages you will be able to find the Honda part number for the part you require. If you're in the USA, click on the US flag at the bottom of the relevant page. Otherwise, click the EU flag.

Is it necessary to buy new? Not really. Other sources can be breaker yards (if you're lucky enough to have one fairly close by) - or online auctions. Everyone knows about Ebay, but sometimes bargains can be had on smaller sites - occasionally ST1100 parts come up on sites like Ebid (it's free to join by the way). And don't forget Amazon for things like K&N filters or braided brakelines.

Also new on ST-1100.com is a complete listing of Colour codes for the ST1100, detailing each colour by year for each country. Unfortunately I had to use the abbreviated Honda country codes as this was the only way I could get the table to fit on one page!

February Tip:

Remember to keep one eye on your speedometer. I received a compliment in the post from the police the other day. It said "Speeding Fine."
So that was nice.
(Apologies to Tommy Cooper)
(And I wasn't even on my bike - it was the Mrs' car.)

Keep the shiny side up.

Rob

In the next issue: A list of ST1100 clubs around the world.

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