Opinions on ST1300 vs FJR

[yellowmagnaman]

I think the high speed problem would kill the ST 1300 for me!

 

[dhalen32]

LDR:

I bought an ST1300 in 2003 because I didn't want to give Yamaha $500 in March and wait for delivery in the Fall when they finished their production run. I ride an '06A as of August of this year. The ST was uncomfortably hot whenever ambient exceeded 70 degrees and I had a problem with the rear caliper locking up that took 8 weeks for the dealer and Honda to cure. Honda would never admit to the heat issue. I never experienced the high speed weave but it did seem more nervous behind large trucks than the FJR is. I consider the bikes to be equivalents but the FJR is certainly the sportier of the two due to it's lighter weight and higher horsepower.

I did have a clutch issue with the FJR that took awhile to get the dealer to acknowledge. Once they admitted that I could be right they got Yamaha to authorize some "exploratory surgery", worked on it about a week and a half and it now works perfectly.

Dave

 

[tripletango]

There were some reports of ST-1300s having high-speed weave (above 100 mph with a topcase installed) that I don't know were resolved. Some Gen I FJRs had excessive heat in the cockpit (literal and figurative) but so did the ST.
The Honda has a slightly better weather protection package. The Yamaha windshield just isn't right for some (including me).

warsw said correctly in that both bikes do the same job but approach the solution from differing starting points.

Rode my buddies 1300. The weave is there with the top box at anything over a ton! Didn't like that one bit. Kind of a nambi pambi bike compared to the FJR.

 

[FJRMGM]

for a view from the "other side" please go and check out www.st-owners.com website.

Both are fine bikes - the FJR was just more of what I was looking for in a motorcycle.

 

[Fencer]

PM Motoswatcop. He has both and both are 06s. get his opinion.

 

[Bounce]

The ST1300 is, what, an 8-9 year old design?

you may be confusing the st1300 with the st1100. the st1100 was replaced by the st1300 the same year that the fjr was introduced to the usa. since the fjr was in it's 2nd year of distrubution everywhere else when they brought it to the US, that would mean the st is the "newer" design. 2003 was "year 1" for the st but the fjr was already a proven platform. as of 2006, the fjr went through some major design changes/improvements while the st is still undergoing the usual incremental updates that are common to most platforms.

 

[keithaba]

To me the FJR is hands down the better looking bike.

Both are great bikes, but I think if you are into any spirited riding, you should opt for the FJR.

 

[djsmith1000]

My dad has an 06 st that i have put about 2K on. My impressions.... Fast, but still could be a lot faster. Heavy, to the point where it gets annoying to move around, especially with a pillion. Oh, and its FUGLY compared to the FJR. The wind protection is decent, but some buffeting depending on windscreen position. However, IT WILL ROAST YOU on hot summer days. I sat on an FJR. Feels much lighter, better seat position, although the seat feels smaller, yet, i think the FJR is more comfortable. The st is more of a Lazy-Boy compared to the FJR. Its a great bike for my dad though. The looks even grew on him. Nevertheless, it is still a very nice, quiet bike, and i enjoy riding it.

The fjr just seems like twice the bike to me.... of course the new kawi concours14 is coming out too... thats high on my list. Im waiting to see what that runs for, weight, reviews. Sorry to run off topic, but definitely a bike to be considered.

 

[NSFJR]

I had a test ride on an 03 FJR one evening and another test ride on an 03 ST1300 the next morning in early September 2003. In October 2003, I took delivery of an 04 ABS FJR. I was a solid Honda fan for over 30 years, and if the ST1300 had of been a "7" to Yamaha's FJR's "10", I would have gone with the Honda. It wasn't.

 

[06INDIXIE]

LDR,

The only way to tell is to go ride both of them. Ride the ST when your "friend " takes delivery of his. Then go to a Yamaha dealer that has a left over FJR and ride it. There is no way to convey to you with words the difference between the bikes. You can read bike comparisons till you are blue in the face and when your done 10 riders like the FJR and 10 riders like the ST. There is very little difference between the two and thats what the expert riders will tell you in these ride comparisons. It's just going to be a matter of personal taste and what your looking for.

What did it for me was the extra $1000 Honda wanted for the ABS not because the FJR was one millionth of a second quicker in the quarter mile. Both bikes will have to be farkled to make them the bike you really want them to be like a new seat, windshield, grips, get the idea? neither is perfect off the floor. Make your decision based on your research and test rides of both not from one opionated site or the other.

 

[rockmurf]

Plus if I might add at least Yamaha listened to its customers. People complained about the heat from the engine and it might have taken 4 years but they intro'd the gen 2 with a new air management system that works. A couple little things, along with the saddlebags you also get the liners included and Yamaha includes a third lock for the trunk if you decide to buy one so the bags and trunk are on one key. I had an st1300 and the heat drove me off. It is ridiculously simple it is to change oil and filter and gear oil on the yamaha. My wife and I hated having her on the back of the honda and we both like her on the back of the fjr. But you need to make your decision based on what you like, need, want. Good luck and ride safe. Everett

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

His point is that the Honda is a more dependable bike than the Yamaha. I have been reading about the FJR for some time and I haven't seen anything that would indicate any problems with the bike.

PM Warchild. He knows both bikes in and out. He rode an ST1100 and also owns a Honda CBRXX Blackbird so he isn't brand bigotted. He replaced the ST1100 with an FJR. He's got reasons, good ones. He's also head of maintenance at one of the better dealers in the West (or some other lofty position ...okay, I don't know his job title so kill me).

Nevermind, I see he responded.

 

[bramfrank]

I suppose it is all in the eyes of the beholder.

I was seriously torn between the ST1300 and FJR when it came time to replace my crashed '03 Concours earlier this year (so design age didn't bother me at all).

There were some definite positives in favour of the ST1300 from my personal perpective:

1. The Honda dealer has a loaner program and is located 2 blocks from my office. The Yamaha dealer is clear across town and doesn't are how you get home.

2. The Honda dealer seems to have parts. Yamaha? Can't even get fairing screws on a month's notice. Often I can't even get an oil filter. I've been waiting for 4 months for my factory tall windshield.

3. Up here Honda is seriously aggressive with pricing - it would have cost less for the ST1300ABS WITH a Honda top case than for a plani FJR (both '06 models).

4. Honda has a longer base warranty and it can be extended longer than the Yamaha for less money.

5. I'd never owned a Yamaha before, but I've had good experience with my old CB350F/CF550F/CB750F and my first ever motorised machine, the Sport 50, back in '67.

6. I still believed the old slogan: "You meet the nicest people on a Honda".

Then I went to the Montreal bike show and sat on both machines. The Honda's bars are simply *WIDE*, but the center of gravity of lower. So we had a plus and a minus. I wasn't looking for a rolling sofa. Honda has better weather protection out of the box (and the Concours had still better).

A negative for Honda: I like the look of the ST1300 with the bags on. HATE it with them off (and I ride bagless most of the time).

7. I borrowed an FJR from a friend and rode it and then the dealer let me test ride a brand new black (I love black bikes) ST1300,

Number 7 sealed the deal.

I paid the extra $1,000 to get my '06 FJR without a top box with a 5 year waranty.

 

[kindofblue]

I test rode a 1 year old ST 1300 and then Antonis let me ride his 03 FJR a couple days later. Let me put the difference this way:

The ST has a throttle

The FJR has a velocity selector :yahoo:

 

[donaldb]

A mechanical wizard I am not :blink: but I can perform most routine maintenance on this FJR, that was one of several selling points for me. I was also fortunate to test ride the BMW 1150RT, the Honda ST1300 and the FJR before making my decision, and for me the FJR fit my desires best.

Have you seen the V4 engine component breakdown on that motor :blink: By the looks of it to me I think it has 3 internal parts for every 1 of the FJR inline 4. I'm sure it is a reliable motor since it is a Honda, but I don't think I could do much routine work on the bike myself, besides, it looks like it would take 1 day to just get the plastic off to access the desired work area.

 

[onlyblue]

Like many of you, when I was shopping to add a second bike to the garage for extended trips, I narrowed it down to the ST1300 and the FJR. I had read virtually everything I could find on both. I spent time on this and other FJR forums and I joined the ST1300 forum. Butt still I wanted to ride them. The Honda was my initial leaning based on only my reading. I basically figured the fundamental difference between the two could be summed up by the difference in horsepower. I'm 56 and figured I wouldn't miss the little difference in power.

But then I was able to do around 4 miles on a showroom ST1300. I knew with the first mile, it wasn't for me. Though it is probably a very well engineered and refined product, I felt as though Honda had distilled it to the point of removing the "motorcycle" from it. I couldn't convince a Yamaha dealer to let me have a few miles on a FJR. But, I did find a 05' for sale with only 3000 miles on it. The owner let me take it for a spin. The FJR isn't neccessarily better than the Honda, but when I twisted the grip and put it into a corner it rewarded me with that deep down visceral feel of motorcycling nirvana.

 

[chornbe]

A friend who has a 2007 ST1300 on order has been trying to pursuade me to cancel my new FJR order for a Honda.Since I haven't owned either bike I was hoping for some input from some of you comparing the two.

Are there any major differences in the two bikes that make one stand out from the other?

I waffled on the ST1300 for almost a year. I snatched up the FJR the hour it hit the showroom floor. The St1300 is a damn fine machine. The FJR is just all around a little better (and yes, I rode some STs during my shopping). You won't be disappointed with the ST at all. I just find the FJR to be a little more [ powerful, sporty, aggressive, nicer looking ]. A skilled rider can push either bike just as far as he wants to go. The FJR is a little edgier.

$.02

 

[Flylooper]

A friend who has a 2007 ST1300 on order has been trying to pursuade me to cancel my new FJR order for a Honda.Since I haven't owned either bike I was hoping for some input from some of you comparing the two.

Are there any major differences in the two bikes that make one stand out from the other?

I waffled on the ST1300 for almost a year. I snatched up the FJR the hour it hit the showroom floor. The St1300 is a damn fine machine. The FJR is just all around a little better (and yes, I rode some STs during my shopping). You won't be disappointed with the ST at all. I just find the FJR to be a little more [ powerful, sporty, aggressive, nicer looking ]. A skilled rider can push either bike just as far as he wants to go. The FJR is a little edgier.

$.02

It'll be interesting to see a similar discussion like this comparing with the new Concours 14.

 

[Mike-H]

Then all you have to do is wait & it will happen Flylooper.....patience is a virtue.... :derisive:

 

[RonC]

I looked hard at the ST1300 and the FJR. My previous bike was a Kawasaki ZRX1200 that weighed in at 540 lbs with a full tank. Frankly, I was put off by any bike that was heavier than that, then reluctantly accepted that sport-tourers were going to be heavier. I could accept that the FJR was some 80 lbs heavier than the ZRX (although I wasn't thrilled about that), but the fact that the ST1300 was 80-100 lbs heavier than the FJR was just too much.

People will say, correctly so, that the weight disappears when you are moving at reasonable speeds. But they forget the amount of time we spend at slow speeds in traffic and moving the bike around while parking. Then, the weight difference can really be felt. Weight was my deciding issue. The ST1300 was eliminated from my consideration.

Ron