Honda ST1300 vs. Yamaha FJR1300

[GreyGoose]

I have not ridden the ST. But don't y'all think the higher heat is because 2 of the 4 jugs are nearly between your legs, whereas all cylinders on the FJR are further forward, and downward?

no,

I think the higher heat is from poor design and improper pre testing. that thing should have never made to full production putting out that kind of heat without the proper air management to disperse it. It was simply a honda blunder. yamaha did the same blunder, then corrected it. If honda cant jump on board, then they deserve to loose the market share. 10 to 1 odds the gen II st1300 tauts "a new air management system that increases rider comfort". Sound familiar?

GreyGoose

 

[garywayne]

Well I just traded my ST1300 for a 07 FJR (only 500 miles on it so far) but here are my thoughts. The ST is a great bike. I've owned 4 of them over the years and if it wasn't for the heat I might still be on one.

ST1100..one of the best bikes ever made. Runs forever, very stable and comfortable and while not cutting edge handles much better than I can ride.

ST1300..in some ways better than the ST11's and not in other. More power, adjustable windshield and handles a bit better.

at times I find it very good looking and at others looks to much like a big scooter.

very comfortable and almost to much weather protection.

better warranty out of the box

saddlebags seem bigger

built in tip over wings (which work)

some heaver than the FJR but not by much.

heat was the killer for me..above 80 it was just hot.

FJR........Hard to explain but looks more like a motorcycle

From everything I have read the heat pretty is pretty much cured

Not really all that much faster than the ST but feels like it is

Not all that much lighter but feels like it is and is a bit smaller (park the 2 side by side and look)

After I get more miles (heading out for a 1200 mile weekend ride) I may have more to add.

Gary

 

[madmike2]

Gary, welcome to the "joy of FJR ownership". :yahoo: Have a good trip...and now you need to change your profile information from: "Interested..." to "'07 FJR".

 

[turbodave_98]

Well I just traded my ST1300 for a 07 FJR (only 500 miles on it so far) but here are my thoughts. The ST is a great bike. I've owned 4 of them over the years and if it wasn't for the heat I might still be on one.
ST1100..one of the best bikes ever made. Runs forever, very stable and comfortable and while not cutting edge handles much better than I can ride.

ST1300..in some ways better than the ST11's and not in other. More power, adjustable windshield and handles a bit better.

at times I find it very good looking and at others looks to much like a big scooter.

very comfortable and almost to much weather protection.

better warranty out of the box

saddlebags seem bigger

built in tip over wings (which work)

some heaver than the FJR but not by much.

heat was the killer for me..above 80 it was just hot.

FJR........Hard to explain but looks more like a motorcycle

From everything I have read the heat pretty is pretty much cured

Not really all that much faster than the ST but feels like it is

Not all that much lighter but feels like it is and is a bit smaller (park the 2 side by side and look)

After I get more miles (heading out for a 1200 mile weekend ride) I may have more to add.

Gary

Gary,

I have an 05 FJR and an 06 AE. Both are great bikes. To chime in on the ST discussion, 2 years ago I bought a mint 91 ST 1100 non-ABS. I love the bike. In some ways I like it over either FJR, especially at high speed cruising in 5th gear. Overall, I am really lucky to have scored the incredible enjoyable ST 1100.

 

[DaveT]

Just spent a day in WV riding a friend's 07 ST1300 last month. Definitely what I have heard others say. ST is a touring-sport and the FJR is a sport-tourer. Very similar, but enough difference to make me agree with this assessment. It was a cool day on the St, so the heat was not an issue, but I definitely noted that it could be on a hot day. Likes -- the engine seemed very quick at bringing the ST up to speed, but not as much as the FJR. Like the FJR, the ST prefers to be at higher RPMs (especially compared to my Gold Wing). Really, really liked the mirrors on the ST. They give a great view of this behind and they put my 06 FJR mirrors to shame. Seat on the ST really sucks after a few miles! Throttle lock needed (as it was on my FJR).

Overall, a very nice bike that I could enjoy owning. However, since I have a Gold Wing for my big trips, I really like the FJR for my days rides and shorter tours.

Photo of my friend's ST on 21 October on my ride in the WV mountains:

 

[squeezer]

Got a new Rider magazine in the mail today. They do a ST1300, FJR1300, Connie 14, K1200GT comparo. The like all of them (who wouldn't?), but surprisingly ranked the ST first. The rap against the FJR (it was second) was the tight and touchy throttle.

I'm not trading.

 

[RC51 Hammer]

Is any one bike better than another? I still haven't figured that out yet. I have an 06 FJR with a number of goodies on it. I bought it about a year ago now and have put about 9500 miles on it. The first week that I had it I realized that the suspension needed to be worked over in a big way. I put a Wilbers Shock,with the adjustable high and low compression dampening,new fork springs and 7.5 weight fork oil. It was a painful month of waiting for the goods to show up having to ride a stock bike. While I was waiting for these items,I bought a full Muzzy exhust system and a power commander. I blocked off the air injection intake port,put a plug in the O2 sensor hole,and added a K/N air filter while I was on my money spending rampage. After all these mods I had it dyno tuned and let me tell ya,this bike kicks ass. 141 hp and 94 ft.lbs at the rear wheel. Just this week I put a Cee Baileys windscreen,2" taller and wider,and the headlight guards too. I should have done this when I did all the other mods,oh well. This bike is fairly easy to work on also,but I work on cars and trucks for a living,so I guess I shouldn't talk! This bike isn't much slower than my RC51 with a whole lotta mods either. I got the suspension dialed in,and I'll tell ya this bike's an animal. I don't race on the street but this thing will stay with just about any crotch rocket out there within reason! The bike dropped about 25 lbs with the exhaust,(4 into 1),and with the bags and my other half on the back it does it ALL really well. This is my take on this whole comparsion thing. Ride all you can and then decide. :assassin:

 

[JohnTC40]

I rode several STs before pulling the trigger on my '06 FJR last week. They are both great bikes, but I decided on the FJR because it fit me better: the riding position, the handling (it feels lighter than it is), and the overall feel of the bike. The ST felt wider, heavier, and my wife hated the passenger seat layout (there was too much space between us and she was sliding around too much). I put about 350 miles on the bike over this past weekend and am very happy with my decision. I'm looking forward to a long relationship with my FJR.

 

[kansas transit]

In the end of course it all comes down to rider preference, and everone has made good points, but for someone coming off a zzR1200 I would think you would find the FJR a better fit. JMHO. Stan

 

[rocketmantim]

This is to funny

I just traded my 05 1200 lt bmw for an 04 fjr 1300 abs and right next to the fjr on the showroom floor was a honda st 1300

i rode both and i have to say it was not even close ..the fjr was so much more bike

but then again after riding that bmw anything lighter would be fun.. the fjr is like riding a razor blade...i love it

and its so true i can hit triple digits and not even realize it....i love my decision......

besides the fjr looks good bags on or off...and the honda well not so good

and the honda was much hotter