ok, i'm new here but i felt i had to chime in on this topic. (btw this is a hot topic on st-owners.com off and on, too) i rode an st1300 for a year. it was my dream bike but i had to work my way up to it (and no, i'm not anywhere near 60 <_< ) . my husband had the fjr and i just happened to ride it one day and realized it was a much better bike for me. here are some of my impressions:
the 04 st1300 has WAYYYYYYYY less heat than the 05 fjr...i understand the heat issue is fixed in 06 and above but it pours outta my 05.
the wind protection on the st1300 can't be beat even with my great rifle windshield on the fjr.
the st is much "twitchier", my husband calls it more responsive, in curves than my fjr. even after i put the fpr on the st, which helped tremendously, it reminded me of a high-powered stallion just waiting for me to make a mistake so it could buck me off.
the fjr shifts smoother and is much "torquier" (is that a word?) . it runs as comfortably at 3000 rpms, sometimes lower, as it does at 6500 rpms and maintains stability in the curves. the st doesn't like to run below 4000 rpms minimum and really fusses in the curves if its outside the power band.
the fjr is MUCH more forgiving. my husband refers to it as a "sweeper bike" while the st generally performs a little better in the really steep switchback curves.
the st is more top-heavy but honda really knew what they were doing when they put the tip-over wings on there. they really do work.....well.
i was more comfortable after two rides on the fjr, felt more in control than after a whole year on the st. and i LOVE my fjr.
