Bmacleod
Site Supporter
What are the otter reasons you wouldn't want to seal the deal on a pre '08 st?
Has anyone here actually tried putting a police ECU (PGM-FI unit) in a civilian version bike?
- Thread starter vinceklortho
- Start date
mello dude
Half genius, half dumazz whackjob foole
None, really...just a stir the pot question.....if it happens I'm already planning to strip the linked brakes and do the forks/triples/calipers/mbe wheel and rotors(VFR12?)......mirroring my VFR800 job....
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Carry on --- dont mean to hijack...
I have an 1100, but I've read that there were a few improvements made.
Bmacleod
Site Supporter
Probably... Just teasing about your spelling of "other"...
There were, as @Larry Fine said, many minor improvements in the 08 (example - the SMC). While I looked specifically for a newer bike (ended up with a '10) and simply wanted the youngest example I could find at the time, IMHO, there is no reason not to buy an ST earlier than '07, and I'd wager a lot of guys here would agree. Yes ECU's go bad, but on a percentage basis, it is not that many of them, and we have a lot of old ST's happily eating up the miles with their original "FI-ECM".
If you think there are sufficient reasons not to buy a pre '08, then all the 1100's are out of the picture too. In fact, these 'reasons' would apply to ANY bike older than say, 5 years. In fact, a local BMW/Honda dealer has a service policy that they will not work on bikes (Beemers) older than 5 years unless you purchased it from them. Real nice folks! (Full disclosure - I had major problems with them over my ST, detailed in another thread. Hopefully their policy will spare other riders from dealing with these folks.)
Bmacleod
Site Supporter
Sounds like they had enough work that they were fortunate enough to be selective in that way.. that can change quickly.. karma is a bitch
Didn't even notice.Probably... Just teasing about your spelling of "other"...
I agree.
We all know mice like the taste of Honda fuel injector wiring. I even live on a farm... petting the farm cats regularly seems to have kept the mice away from the bike so far.
My '02 has intermittent problems, but she's 20 years old, and I have the tools to do the work myself. I think the mechanic left an air bubble in the brake lines last time it went in for an MOT. My last medium-ish ride, about half way home again, the rear brake pedal went soft. A few pumps and the rear brake drags, while the front is perfect. So a full bleed is on the cards soon, if not an SMC rebuild. Forks are a bit pitted, and I could probably do with a replacement rear shock this year. Head bearings don't like me doing 40mph along the driveway (a friend recently likened my driveway to trying to drive on the surface of the moon, with more gravity).
If you have the tools, and know how to throw them at things, there's rarely a reason to say no to any deal on any bike (so long as it's a good deal).
Though I must confess, I've recently been thinking of swapping to a more modern BMW. But then I go on a ~400 mile ride, and the 1300 just deals with it without any complaints. It's as if she wants to prove why she should stay!
Having owned Honda cars and motorcycles for over 40 years I can offer this observation and advice.
Most of their models that have a long run will receive a mid-life update whether it's a two or four wheel variety.
Where possible I would recommend those years after the update. These typically have everything from cosmetic to functional updates, but more important, key or even critical, updates to address reliability or safety issues.
ST1100? Alternator capacity improvement, better forks and brakes.
ST1300? ECU, ABS details - front tone ring - front calipers, pads, SMC design, among others.
IMO, for no other reason, if newer parts are not interchangeable with with the older models, it's more likely that parts will be available longer for the later years than the earlier ones.
There is one exception that comes to mind though. Honda chickened out in the Cafe racer stance of the original CB400F Super Sport and in 1977 ruined it with pegs repositioned forward along with higher bars, ugly colors, stripes, gas cap cover... Yuck
Most of their models that have a long run will receive a mid-life update whether it's a two or four wheel variety.
Where possible I would recommend those years after the update. These typically have everything from cosmetic to functional updates, but more important, key or even critical, updates to address reliability or safety issues.
ST1100? Alternator capacity improvement, better forks and brakes.
ST1300? ECU, ABS details - front tone ring - front calipers, pads, SMC design, among others.
IMO, for no other reason, if newer parts are not interchangeable with with the older models, it's more likely that parts will be available longer for the later years than the earlier ones.
There is one exception that comes to mind though. Honda chickened out in the Cafe racer stance of the original CB400F Super Sport and in 1977 ruined it with pegs repositioned forward along with higher bars, ugly colors, stripes, gas cap cover... Yuck