There Will Be a 2014 ST1300

Blitzen said:
I have a 2004 ST 1300 which I bought last year. It is a great bike that looks and performs like new. Based on the number of changes to the model in the last ten years, I'm having a bit of trouble understanding why anyone cares if the model year changes. Honda engineered the bike right and stuck with a good thing. It may be a bit dated for those that want the latest toy (though it looks remarkably like the latest round of sport touring bikes and the price isn't all that far off either), but for those of who just want a bike that performs as advertised, it still fits the bill. Now would be the time for someone to suggest that Honda should produce the 2015 ST1300 with cruise control.... in blue:)
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Bingo! you win!
I agree completely. Besides, since when is having exotic tech so great? Just something extra complicated to break and costs more to fix. I long for a cage with a simple engine again... like I had with a 1978 Dodge Shadow that I bought new that year. Simple engine. Small car but with so much room around the engine you could climb in right next to it to work on it.


Oh, and since when did any Civic cost more than a Volvo? I think I missed that model. :)
 
rjs987 said:
Oh, and since when did any Civic cost more than a Volvo? I think I missed that model.
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It didn't, and that is the point...who would buy it? The latest model year ST costs more than the FJR but has much older and more basic technology! And Honda wonders why nobody is buying the newest ST?

I agree that latest technology isn't always needed, but shouldn't it cost LESS than the expensive, high-tech gadgets?
 
I understand what you are getting at but I would hardly compare a ST to a Civic and an FJR to a Volvo... that is unless you'd really rather be riding a Volvo, I mean an FJR.
I would say the ST is like a few years old Acura TL and the FJR is like a new model year Lexus IS. A closer comparison and I would expect the Acura to cost less.
 
ST13Fred said:
But the VIN plate would say the year of assembly. A '12 or '13 could not be called a 2014 at the dealer......they are simply leftover models. Of course, new STs sitting on show room floors should be fairly scarce by now.
I would also be curious as to how many ST13s have been sold to date, in the world market.
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This is the reason I was asking about the VIN. They are being passed of as 2014 models.
 
rjs987 said:
I understand what you are getting at but I would hardly compare a ST to a Civic and an FJR to a Volvo... that is unless you'd really rather be riding a Volvo, I mean an FJR.
I would say the ST is like a few years old Acura TL and the FJR is like a new model year Lexus IS. A closer comparison and I would expect the Acura to cost less.
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I exaggerated to make a point- but if you want a perfect comparison, would you pay more money for an eleven year old model Accord pawned off as a 2014, or a freshly redesigned and updated 2014 Camry for 10% less? I really doubt you would pay extra for the model without the standard Bluetooth integration, nav system, TPMS, etc.
 
nhdiesel said:
Honda simply doesn't want to spend the millions to get a 2014 model approved for sale to the public.
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As a normal course of developing and bringing ANY model to market, all vehicle manufacturers spend whatever money it takes to get the model approved for sale. This cost is simply added to the MSRP...end of story.
It's the economy, stupid (no offense, Bill Clinton comment). Politics and what it has done to the spending power of everyday citizens is what has slowed the motorcycle market and why a new St is slow in coming on line.

An ST13P, among other things, gets a different main wiring harness, as it comes down the assembly line, but I would think it has the same emission equipment as any other ST. Does our govt have a right to pollute more than the general public? Maybe so.
 
There is a lot more to getting approval to bring a vehicle to market than just emissions. This even applies to an unchanged model. If this expense, combined with all the other expenses, divided by the number of units Honda expects to sell add up to more than they think we would be willing to pay for an ST they aren't going to revive the model. You can't simply say "tack it on to the price" if they are already barely breaking even- or worse, losing money.

Sent from my XT881 using Tapatalk
 
nhdiesel said:
It didn't, and that is the point...who would buy it? The latest model year ST costs more than the FJR but has much older and more basic technology! And Honda wonders why nobody is buying the newest ST?

I agree that latest technology isn't always needed, but shouldn't it cost LESS than the expensive, high-tech gadgets?
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Agree with everything you said except "And Honda wonders why nobody is buying the newest ST?" I don't think Honda is wondering anything about the ST. They know it's overpriced in the market and appear to be okay with that. They dumped VFRs and CBR1000Rs at thousands less than list to get rid of them and they haven't done that with the ST. Remember the Red/White/Blue VFRs they blew out the door for less than $8K.
 
I wonder what Honda's pricing strategy is with the ST? Most other Honda automobile and motorcycle models are priced competitively with the competition. The ST's MSRP, for what is essentially a 2002 model, should be around $13,999. If that price point is unprofitable, then Honda's cost structure needs attention. After twelve years Honda should have been able to recover the R & D costs needed to develop the 1300. As a matter of corporate pride, wouldn't Honda want to maintain a competitive presence in a niche that they had a part in developing?
 
Careful what you ask for... If the pricing kept going down for a Current model - yes, it may not have changed much since 2003 but it's still CURRENT - then the value of everyone's bike would drop like a rock... Folks trying to sell their 2003 now for the 5-7k range would be lucky to get 3k for it... It would probably even affect the used pricing of the ST1100s.

Very few actually purchase a new ST for the MSRP - just like with most other brands of motorcycles / automobiles..
 
Mellow said:
... It would probably even affect the used pricing of the ST1100s.

Very few actually purchase a new ST for the MSRP - just like with most other brands of motorcycles / automobiles..
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So true. Last bike I bought new was significantly below MSRP. I may yet someday want to sell my ST1100 and I'd like to get a good price for it. :) STill want to continue riding this bike for some time yet. :D
Out of curiosity I emailed some dealers for a price quote on the CTX1300 just to see what they would say. The dealers who were willing to admit that they actually have details from Honda Corporate have replied as low as $15900 for the deluxe model (MSRP $17499) as an example. And I've heard lower for the same model in some areas of the US.
 
I agree that few motorcycles/cars are purchased at MSRP, however, the ST's is perplexingly far greater than the other Japanese manufacturers. Assuming similar dealer margins between these makes, the actual purchasing price is still unattractive. Dealers in this area have great difficulty selling what few STs they receive. The interest in this model is lukewarm at best. If the price were decreased, maybe interest and demand would increase, thereby strenthening the re-sale prices in the used market.
 
ST13Fred said:
The US has 9 times the population and 11 times the GDP of Canada but are getting treated like a red-headed step child by Mother Honda.
As I've said on the thread regarding the NC700/750 models, I'm feeling a little insulted by Honda. They are risking product loyalty by dumping their leftover 700s here in 2014. :mad:
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Agree, to a degree - if you look around the world at different national sites, the ST13 and new VFR800 are both widely offered, yet not here. I think the dealers (market) is the root of the ST1300 absence, they are a premium floor cost for what amounts to a no longer very competitive offering. They are shipping to Vancouver, so adding a few more containers to get off loaded in Seattle (generally a regular part of the north Pacific route anyway), really doesn't amount to much of a burden. All of the dozen or so Honda dealers I visit with regularity have had leftover units collecting dust for at least a year at one time or another in the last 5 years. That adds cost, which gives dealers less room to create incentives. If I owned a Honda dealership, I wouldn't be begging to have one on my floor. It was a FANTASTIC bike 11 years ago for $12K - sans update, today, it's an $18K boat anchor from a biz perspective. So, you could also look at it as an insult to the countries where it is available, in that it insinuates those markets don't have better sense than to see the value in the alternatives.

Yes... move on :)
 
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Viking said:
I agree that few motorcycles/cars are purchased at MSRP, however, the ST's is perplexingly far greater than the other Japanese manufacturers. Assuming similar dealer margins between these makes, the actual purchasing price is still unattractive. Dealers in this area have great difficulty selling what few STs they receive. The interest in this model is lukewarm at best. If the price were decreased, maybe interest and demand would increase, thereby strenthening the re-sale prices in the used market.
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Exactly, to be competitive in the segment currently, it's got to be priced well below the FJR.
 
Anyone have any idea how many police bikes were/are being sold? If they still sell to LEOs it would make sense to keep the prices artificially high....for the civilian version, even if no one buys it..........just thinkin'...........ff
 
flyfisher said:
Anyone have any idea how many police bikes were/are being sold? If they still sell to LEOs it would make sense to keep the prices artificially high....for the civilian version, even if no one buys it..........just thinkin'...........ff
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Given the specialization and limited offerings in the LE market, I'll bet against the consumer market having much if any influence.
 
Appalachian said:
I'll bet against the consumer market having much if any influence.
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Other way around....if there's a LE market it might mean the civilian version won't be updated......and they keep the price high..............ff.......kinda like Crown Vics.............
 
flyfisher said:
Other way around....if there's a LE market it might mean the civilian version won't be updated......and they keep the price high..............ff.......kinda like Crown Vics.............
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Bullocks! In the last 5 years only a handful of US LE agencies have even tested the ST13P for fleet consideration, far more have tested multiple offerings, aside from HD and BMW, from Victory and Guzzi! There are VERY few states where they are at all prolific in existing fleets for the last 5 years - WA being the only one currently that I am aware of. Having attended half a dozen North American Motor Officer conventions in the last decade, I'm pretty confidently going to guess that Honda has no more than 5% of tha LE market, and whatever they do have continues to shrink. I'm willing to bet that the only reason that the ST13P is still 'available' in the states is to support (contractually?) the few agencies using them with replacements for fleet continuity.
 
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