As of today, 28-Dec-2001, the clock shows 27,655 miles. So, some 9,200 miles in 14 months, call it. So, at this point I feel qualified to hold an opinion, and I'd like to review and update my comments on the main page. (While that page now showcases my '00, it was originally written about Ol' Blackie, within days of acquiring the bike, and has been only lightly revised. -rlm, 24-May-2005)
First, let me say that I see no reason to fundamentally change anything written on the main page. I'm still having loads of fun on the ST, and I still see it's main strengths as its practicality and utility, its sheer versatility. It's ability to negotiate a backroad at a comfortable 8-tenths of the bleeding edge, while making it no bother to stop at Stop N Go for a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread, make it one the Worlds Most Can-Do Motorcycles, in my humble opinion.
I've been running Honda HP4 oil, changed at 3k to 4k intervals. It's a semi-synthetic that can go a bit longer 'tween changes, and as a bonus shifting feel is improved. I replaced every fluid on the bike myself, some 3,000 miles ago. Also had Bob's Honda spoon on a fresh set of Bridgestone Battlax BT020's about 1,500 back, and reset the valve clearances. She's set!
Guarded praise for Bob's Honda- the bill for settin' the valves, $123, was way way lower than what I had anticipated.. what a pleasant surprise! Likewise, mounting & balancing the tires (acquired online from Dennis Kirk, at 70% of Bob's tire prices) was reasonable. OTOH, the RH side valve cover weeps a bit of oil now. Nothing that can't be lived with, mind you. Adds character. ;-)
Unmitigated praise for American Honda- when I learned of the Bank Angle Sensor recall, and ascertained that my bike had never been serviced according to it's provisions, Honda replaced the sensor (which shuts off the fuel pump in the event of a tipover) gratis.. despite the fact that the recall was issued eight years before! Honda stands behind their products like nobody else, period.
There's been good times. I Have Stories.. :-) Like my first actual dragrace with the ST. Beautiful June day, stopped at a Memphis light by a shiny new Kaw ZX-7R. He does a double take, "Wow, nice bike!" sez he. We chat. Then the inevitable "But does it roost?" To which my reply was to set myself in my best Peewee Gleason Launch Stance, butt an inch off the seat, engine steady at 4,000 RPM's... ];-) Got the drop on him, too. The ST laid down about 15 feet of rubber, hooked up smoothly and seamlessly, and boogied. O' course, before I'd barely wound it out in 2nd, 75 MPH, say, he came blasting by with Star Trek Warp Speed Tracers flitting off the edges of his mirrors..
Or, the time I was hustling down scenic MS304, and espied a CBR600-F4 miles up ahead. Now, I know 304 pretty good, and there are places where I get the ST up to 130+. This was one.. :-) As the road left the bottoms, and entered the N. MS hills outside Tunica, I gave the ST the spurs.. on this day I hit a bit over 135, and absolutely blew the F4 into the weeds. He was cruising at 60 to 70, and I don't reckon he was checking his mirrors.. he probably saw a STWST or two comin' off my mirrors. :-)
I kept the throttle pinned all the way up the long hill, and right before the crest excercised the ST's capable brakes to the extreme. The pace dropped after we entered the hills, naturally. But it took the F4 pilot miles to catch me, though granted he did in the end. He had a pretty tough time gettin' around, too, and in the end he late-braked me in a ballsy (the over-40 in me says borderline crazy) move right before we entered Hernando.
But, without a doubt my best story for the ST... ;-)
On 2 August I took an early lunch, for to run a couple of errands. I left work at 10 a.m., taking Brooks Rd. to Airways. I was at the head of the queue at the light at Airways and Winchester, and a tractor trailer took a left on the yellow. Now, after Airways crosses Winchester it funnels you from two lanes into one, to jog around the main entrance to the airport, then opens back up into 3 lanes on Airways proper.
So here I am with a green light and an open road.. except for that darned semi. Being somewhat in a hurry, I dropped the hammer, squirted across the intersection, and stuffed the semi on the right. He was hugging the inside lane, and I had plenty of room. As I exited the gentle right-hander that feeds you from the bypass onto Airways, I was in 2nd geat at about 5,000 rpm; right at the sweet spot where the bike's responsiveness is at maximum. I look over to the left and there's a Northwest 737 just starting his take-off roll.. how could I resist? ;-)
Yup, 'twas a Top Gun moment! I tucked in, whacked the throttle WFO, and started rowing the gearshift lever. The road was clear, and I pulled away from the Boeing easily. I took it up to 115, snuck a quick glance over my shoulder, and when I turned back I saw that the next traffic light had turned yellow. I had enough room to hold my speed for a couple of seconds, then I threw out the anchors. I'd gotten far enough ahead of the plane that he was just rotating as I came to a stop. It was beautiful! I sat and watched him climb out, thinking "BOY was that fun. Yeee-HAW!" 'Twas at that point that I heard "RRRRrrrRRRRrrr"...
Yup, a Memphis city cop had pulled in right behind me. :-/ He motioned me to pull off, so I did, taking a right into the Fed-Ex complex, all the while thinking "Oh man.. 115 in a 45 zone. They're fixin' to take me to jail."
The cop walks up, shaking his head, and says "Boy! I know you got a death-wish, 'cause if that semi woulda come over on you back there, you'd a been DAID!" Much more headshaking, then; "Lemme see you license, boy". I hand it to him, he scans it quickly (looking for the motorcycle endorsement, I reckon), then says "Where's the fire, anyway? Why you in such a hurry?" I give him a song-and-dance about how I usually don't ride like that, I've got errands to run, and my lunch break's limited, yadda, yadda. He comes back with "Boy! That's a load of BS! You was RACIN' that durned jet airplane!" What could I say? He had me.. ;-) I 'fessed up, careful to be properly respectful and contrite, and he took my license back to the squad car to run the check.
Now, at this point I figured there was a pretty good chance that I was gonna visit 201 Poplar. For one thing, the cop was black, and the way he kept calling me "boy" didn't seem to bode well. Now, I reckon he was just feeling me out, probing to see if I was the kind of redneck cracker who'd take offense. Some cops'll do that. But it can also be a sign of prejudice. Then, too, it must be said, the offense was pretty extreme. I mean, 70 mph over the speed limit! And, while I was reasonably sure he hadn't got a fix on me with his radar, the pass I pulled on the tractor trailer would have likely stuck as Reckless Driving.
So, I sat there sweating bullets. After about 5 minutes, he gets out of the squad, walks back up, and recommences the head-shaking. Finally, he waves my license at me and says "Now, look. I rides a motorcycle, too.." At this point I gave a huge inward sigh, for something in his demeanor told me that, at most, I was going to be written up for a much lesser offense than I deserved, maybe even a warning. After lecturing me on my sins at length, during which I remained properly acquiescent he, incredibly, then wanted to talk bikes. After a few minutes of chitchat he sent me on my way without even a written warning. Whew!
06 June, 2002 update; After much research, and more than a little soul-searching, I've switched from Honda HP4 oil and Honda filter to Valvoline Durablend 10W40 oil and Fram PH6017A filter. Durablend is a semi-synthetic oil, and goes for about $2.25/quart at Wal-Mart. Fram filters speak for themselves, I think. As far as I can tell, the Durablend-Fram combo is every bit as good as Honda products, at less than half the price.
Major service on this date: New tires, new brake pads front and rear, new spark plugs, drained and replaced all fluids (the coolant system's a chore!), and cleaned/lubed/adjusted the steering stem bearings. When I saw what Honda wanted for the special spanner that's required for the latter job I gave 'em a hearty Bronx cheer and said "No way!!." I ended up goin' in to work on a Saturday and machining my own custom spanner from a chunk of 17-4PH stainless steel. I showed it to the service guy at the Honda shop and he went ape over it, wanted me to make him one, too. :-)
11 June, 2003 update; No problems at all with the Valvoline oil and Fram filter. She's purring like a kitten! Spooned yet another set of Battlax BT020's. I should buy stock in Bridgestone.. :-/ In all fairness, the mileage I'm gettin' out of a set of tires is not all that bad - I'm averaging approx. 8,200 miles per set.
20 October, 2003 update; Took a wee jaunt to Colorado Springs, Colorado. This trip deserves a whole page in and of itself!
21 July, 2004 update; Big plans for the old girl! The first job of work was the installation of a +8-inch aftermarket windshield made by Rifle. This replaces the scratched & fogged stocker. After 2 or 300 miles of testing, I'm ambivalent about the results. Yes, it's great to have a crystal-clear windscreen. However, the +8 size puts the edge of the 'screen right at my normal sightline. If I crouch, even by 1/2-inch, then I'm looking through the 'screen. If I raise up, by about an inch, I can just look over the top. The former is not too bad, though it'll take some getting used to. The latter.. well, no way I could keep that up for any length of time. Other cons; this thing takes a good 5 mph off the bike's top end! And it makes the bike wee bit more prone to wind buffeting in crosswinds and 18-wheeler slipstreams. But it also cuts down on helmet buffeting in normal riding, and reduces ambient wind noise dramatically . And that was a major objective, for reasons I'll soon explain! In any case, I've also snapped up a used Corbin seat on e-Bay for $160 US. While I've yet to recieve it, that's about 40% of the cost of a comparable new unit, so I can live with a little wear and tear. I'm hoping it'll sit a tad higher than stock, to reduce the sightline problem.. but I'm told it'll probably go the other way. We'll see. I believe I can learn to live with looking through the 'screen, and if worst comes to worse, I can always saw it off.
The main part of the plan is the addition of an MP3 music system. After thorough research, I eliminated the use of a DIN-sized auto unit. Yes, there are some very nice DIN units out there, and they will theoretically fit into the LH fairing pocket, using a nifty little adapter I found on e-Bay (This part is sourced from a Euro-spec police bike). But a DIN chassis would use every last smidgen of space available. And, besides, they are all geared towards driving speakers, whereas I'm interested in headset only. So this, to me, meant a hard drive-based MP3 player such as an iPod.
I finally settled on the H140 unit from iRiver. I did look a number of other units such as the xClef, and the iPod itself for that matter. But the iRiver impressed me most, for a number of reasons. Chief among them was it's very high bang-for-the-buck quotient, and the fact that its specific layout and ergonomics seem, on paper, to match my needs almost perfectly. The main unit will fit into a padded recess behind the clear flip-up lid. While it will not be accessible while riding, it will be easily removable. The remote control will fit just under the lid, secured with velcro, and will be accessible while in motion. Of course that means that only the most basic functions (stop/pause/skip/volume/etc.) can be accessed while under steam. But that's a good thing! Don't wanna end up in the weeds, trying to read that li'l LCD screen whilst I should have been watching the road. ;-)
The iRiver will feed into a rider-to-pillion intercom from AutoCom. I wasn't, at first, convinced of the need for an intercom. No, let's be frank; I wasn't sure I wanted the wife yakking in my ear while riding. ;-) But in the end, I was convinced of the convenience & utilty that a good intercom would offer.. and, in any case, a little idle yakking is better'n having her get my attention by pounding on my helmet & screaming "Hey..!! ];-)
Yes, I could've picked up a bargain-basement intercom for barely a third of the cost of the AutoCom. A Nady, say, or a Chatterbox. But from all that I've read, in the arena of 'cycle communication systems, you get exactly what you pay for. A reliable & capable system at $300 is a far better deal than a cheap, balky & only marginally useful system at $100, to my way of thinking. Thus, while I seriously considered J&M and StarCom, the the AutoCom got the nod by dint of better reviews and a more friendly web site.
Looks like it should be fairly straightforward to integrate this all into a
functional & reliable system.
23 July, 2004 update; The Corbin seat's on! It proved to be a better looking unit than I expected. While the recovering job (panel inserts only) is not up to OEM Corbin standards, it looks quite good to me. A definite improvement over stock, and promises to be more comfy over the long hall, too. For the money (about 40% the price of a new Corbin), I reckon I did good.
Still waiting on the iRiver, but the AutoCom has arrived. Everything looks straightforward, and the plan is to install it tonight. I found a set of Motorola 2-way radios at Sam's Club for a mere $59, and was unable to resist. So it looks like we will have bike-to-bike capability, after all. (The system will accept either a cell phone or the Motorola 2-way, but not both at the same time.) Not sure whether I can get the Motorola VOX working with the Autocom VOX but, if not, I'm sure autocom will be happy to sell me the optional PTT switch. :-)
Stay tuned!
01 August, 2004 update; Installation of the AutoCom was a breeze, and I'm very happy with the results. It provides clear and intelligible rider-passenger communication all the way up to 100+ MPM speeds.. just as AutoCom claims. Fancy that! A product that actually lives up to the marketing! :-) As a bonus, the unit does a better job on music than I'd dared hope. Yes, the iRiver H140 has arrived, too. Yippee!
I couldn't be happier with the iRiver; the menus are well thought out and intuitive, the sound quality is great, and the USB 2.0 interface is lightning fast. Only time well tell how rugged and durable
Fall 2004 update; Blackie has a new garage-mate! Found a deal on a 2000 ST1100 at Desoto County Honda that was just too good to pass up; $6,700 out-the door. The Kelly Blue Book value's $7,500 and, considering the optional extras, I figure it's an $8K bike. Yeah, it's got a fair number of miles (42,000) but that doesn't bother me a bit; the average ST1100 will go 100,000 miles without breaking a sweat, and twice that with a little TLC.
Alas, this means that Blackie will soon be up for sale. :-/ Fall's a bad time to be selling a bike, though, and I am not gonna take a beating.. it's too good a bike to give away! So it's quite possible he'll be around 'til spring...
25 May, 2005 update; No luck selling Blackie locally. Everyone wants a cruiser, it seems, or the latest-and-greatest pure sportbike. I grew weary of all the tirekickers, and listed 'im on e-Bay. As of last Wednesday, May 18, he's lives in Jonesville, Michigan. I miss the ol' boy a little.. but there's no way I could justify two ST's.. and the money's gonna come in handy, fer sure. Adios, Blackie, you were a great bike ti me!
(A note on the e-Bay link. The header & footer are screen captures from the original auction. The links there will not work. However, the links in the body are live, and will work just like they did during the auction. Pam said that I went way, way overboard on that listing. "If it's longer than two paragraphs, folks get bored and lose interest." But you know what? If I was buying a bike online, I'd want as much info as possible, and if I had it to do over, I'd do it just the same. Give it a look and see if you don't agree. <grin>)