Hello All,
I was a long time Suzuki GSX1100G owner and enthusiast until the bike was stolen in Los Angles. Took a few years off of riding finally picked up a Kawasaki VN750 over this last winter that fell in my lap. I tried so hard to love the vulcan but just didn't get that feeling I was used to that I loved so much. (Its for sale now, in case anyone is interested). A couple weeks ago I asked a friend who owns a Honda Powersports dealership what 1100 cc range bikes he things are the absolute best bang for the buck. He walked straight over and showed me one of his personal bikes, the ST1100. That sent me down a rabbit hole and I finally realized I needed one. I picked one up almost immediately on craigslist and quite honestly am blown away. I absolutely love this bike.
Since this amazing community exists and I am new to this machine, I wanted to ask the advice of you fine people on the main things a new St1100 owner should know, what inspections/fixes I should do right away, and what I should keep an eye out for as I log my first miles.
Bike info and initial observations/questions. Would love anyone's thoughts on any of these points:
-It is a 2000 St1100 with 58,000 miles in wineberry. (non abs)
-Starts right up every time. Idles at 1250 ( first mark over 1000). This is higher than I am used to. Normal?
-Temp gauge sits at 1/4-1/3 once warm while driving steady at speed. Creeps up to 1/2 when in city traffic or when idling at lights, then drops back down when I get going. This is also more variable than I am used to. Normal? Coolant was at the low mark when I got it. It was blue, so I added the blue Honda coolant up to the top mark of the overflow tank. No loss so far in about 75 miles of driving, but damned if I can't really see the coolant level without taking off the side panel.
-Suspensions feels great (I'm 220 lbs and the PO told me he maxed out the tension on the rear shock). Only thing that felt weird was hitting a small bump while in a 90 degree turn and the front end felt like it hit a wall and bottomed out on me when there really is no way it could have. Was this some anti dive functionality? Is that normal behavior?
-Stock seat is in place. A few tiny tears starting. Any advice on stopping the tears or seat recovering? Best products or materials?
-Seat comfort is good, but I sometimes feel like I'm sliding too far forward. Has anyone had luck reshaping the foam to guide their ars back into the pocket instead of forward?
-both my side panels (the painted ones with the gray plastic vents) seem to be warped, as if from extreme heat. The plastic is slightly wavy and misshapen at the front of them to the point that the left side doesn't quite match up with the other fairing panel in front of it. I also noticed the bubbling on the left side gray lower cover, as if from extreme heat coming off those left side pipes. The bike runs great, so I'm not too worried, but I it is slightly concerning that a PO may have ran it hot for too long. Also why so hot on only one side??
-Brake fluids in the brakes and clutch look clean and topped off. Clutch engages in the first 1/2" of lever travel and brakes feel great.
-I have one MAJOR ergonomic issue that I haven't found a clear solution for. The rear brake pedal is too high at rest for me. It is a strain to keep my foot on it without depressing the brake. Have people had luck adjusting the brake pedal's resting height? What methods have you used?
-Windscreen seems to be a few inches higher than stock and doesn't quite site perfectly in its mounting spot, so I'm assuming it is an aftermarket situation. Seems to block wind well, but I do feel some head wobble at highway speeds. It does not have the two vents that the stock screen seems to. Do people install vents often? Or what sort of solutions have folks found to minimize the head wobble at speed? I have never had a bike with a fairing before so this is new to me.
As far as Mods go, if you were me and you had $500 to put into improvements, what would you spend it on?
Sorry for all the questions. Excited to be here!
