1997 Honda ST1100 Pan European bike review

The ST11 has proven itself to be a timeless classic. The power delivery is silky smooth and the bumpy roads are soaked up by the plush suspension provided. It feels like you are driving a car, albeit having only two wheels instead of four.

Showing off its torque from the unique longitudinal V4 engine, the bike cruises at 110km/h with the engine doing 3000rpm in 5th gear. In the same gear, 180km/h is easily achieved with just a twist of the wrist.

For such a heavy bike, the stability and handling is good, especially when doing high speed riding. The handlebars on my bike have been raised one inch to get a more comfortable riding posture for my tall build.

The giant fuel tank of 28L will easily do 400km or more in terms of mileage before it hits reserve which means less fuel stops between destinations. The reserve tank is 4L, giving you sufficient distance(60~80km) to reach a petrol kiosk anywhere.

The dashboard array is simple and easy to read, with a design similar to a car. There is also a "turbo adjuster" knob to adjust the headlight throw, for adapting to luggage loads so it will not glare other road users in front of you.

(28/3/09) I have added a digital voltmeter to keep track of the electrical usage and to inform me about charging failure before it happens.

The clock provided proved to be very useful whether you are running late or just keeping track of the day progression on a trip.

The well-placed mirrors provide an unobstructed view of the rear, although having additional blind spot mirrors would be a great help to minimize the blind spot areas.

Sporting a shaft driven rear wheel, the maintenance free factor is a major attraction. You can go on a long trip without worrying about the chain snapping or having to oil the chain every few hundred km.

The real estate on this bike is amazing. There are two glove compartments upfront. A lockable one for quick and easy access to your documents without getting off the bike and a rubber covered one, for your cleaning cloth and other not so important items.

The streamline hard case saddlebags may deceive you at first with their compactness. They have the ability to house a standard full face helmet in each of them. With an additional 52L rear top box, you will never run out of space again.

All this comes with a price though. Weighing in at 297kg in stock trim, this baby is definitely not a pushover. Getting the bike on main stand and pushing it around requires a fare bit of effort. It also requires a fairly large parking space due to the size of the bike (more when sporting a rear top box).

The clutch lever is non-adjustable and its a workout to use it. Working on the bike is also a chore, since it is fully covered in fairings which aid aerodynamics. The heat emitted from the engine is also quite substantial, especially when slow riding in the city or traffic jam. Once it hits the highway, the temperature drops significantly though.

Overall, the bike is well built. The quality of the bike is shown since the ST11 I own now is still in a very good condition despite the fact that it is an 11 year old bike with 197000km on the clock. It has proven itself to be a pioneer in the sport touring history and still a strong contender against the modern sport touring bikes.