Travelogue

1996 ST1100Well,, it is a difficult choice to make for a person that has been riding a motorcycle since he got his license at 17, but I think I will give up riding on pavement for good.

I think the combination of being 66 years of age, the narrow twisty mountainous roads of the west, increased traffic, and a near high-side when an oblivious driver in a car cut me off has made the difficult choice clearer. Maybe I'll get a dual sport and ride with my boys in the eastern sierra around Bishop, just to keep the feel of two wheeled power between my legs.

Anyway, my baby needs to roam the country, and she has been sitting in a golf cart garage behind my desk making me feel guilty that she is not out exploring the world. She needs a new rider who will take her out for multiple 400 to 600 mile days in a row exploring the beauty of the country. Take her back east, up the Rockies, or maybe to Alaska.

I bought her new in 1996, when at age 40 and after a ten years without a bike, and with two new boys aged 4 and 2, I managed to convince Lolo that I could ride her safely and not risk certain death on the road. I bought this bike over the BMW because the power curve was so much smoother and linear. No need to shuffle gears to keep her hustling, she pulls easily in any gear you're in. With the upgraded alternator that the 1996 model had, running several heated jackets and heated grips is not a problem, and she kept us riding through the 12 months of the New Jersey weather.

She has gone down once at about 15 mph on her right side. It was winter, with temperatures in the 30's and I took her out on a downhill, decreasing radius turn about 1 mile from my garage. I had done this 1000's of times before, but this time I noticed a sheen on the turn which turned out to be spilt diesel fuel. It is true what they say about time stopping in times of stress. I remember vividly the angle of the bike increasing ever so slowly till I finally realized it was going to go down. I bruised my right butt cheek, but was able to get her back up, and continue my ride. The only evidence is a scrape on the metal tip over guard under the plastic which I replaced. Both mirror covers have slight cracks from driveway drops, but I have bought 2 new ones to replace them and they are included in the sale.

1996 ST1100At this point she has almost 46,000 highway miles, and is barely even broken in. The Honda water cooled V-4 can easily go to 200k miles with regular oil and fluid changes. As an adult driver, with testosterone fully in check, her tachometer has rarely seen much use above 4k rpm, but she will easily and smoothly power up from 1500 to the 8k redline.

She has safely and securely transported me from the tip of Maine, to the tip of Florida at Key West, and cross the country without the slightest incident.

I am an engineer of germanic descent, and have gotten intimate with her through the years in keeping all her bits and pieces in top shape. Carbs were balanced and tuned so she vibrates not a bit. Valve clearances too were fully in specification. Brake calipers were regularly lubed, pads replaced, and pistons and seals replaced as required. The radiator was flushed and brakes and clutch fluid bled regularly.

Her rear end has been lovingly lubed, erh, better make that her final drive pinion gear has been lovingly lubed with the Honda Moly 60 Grease every other year or whenever the rear wheel was removed.

She has had a steady diet of Mobil 1 10w-40, and the OEM oil filters.

To maximize safety, and comfort for long rides, I fitted her with every possible safety feature that I could find including:

• ST1100 Multi-Tour Sport Heli Bars
• BackOff-MC Rear Brake Light Modulator
• Kriss Starburst Headlight Modulator
• Throttlemeister Bar End Cruise Control
• GIVI Monokey E 460 Rear Luggage Rack and Case with backrest and brake light
• Hot Grips heated motorcycle grips with 2 High/Low Heat Positions
• Console Mounted Heat-Troller Rheostat and Socket for Gerbing Jacket Liner Medium36
• Clearview Windshield +6" high+ 2" each side
• OEM Windshield
• Alaskaleather Sheepskin seat pads, Rider and Passenger
• RKA Expandable Tank Bag
• RKA ST1100 Linerbags
• RAM Handlebar Mount for Cellphone or GPS
• Geza Gear Cover

Also included are maintenance and repair items including:

• Honda Common Service Manual
• Honda 1991-1996 ST1100 Service Manual
• Extra Plugs and Oil Filters
• Extra washers and O rings for rear end lubrication

1996 ST1100Tires were replaced at the start of my cross country trip in 2015, and except for the ride to the west coast, little extra miles were accumulated locally.

For less than the price of a modern mountain bike, you will be getting a classic Sport Touring Motorcycle, with legendary Honda reliability, that could easily take you cross the country tomorrow.

More images can be found at https://www.cross-country-trips.com/photo-albums/2015-cross-country-moto...

Cash Only Purchase. Asking $3,299 and a rider who will treat her well.

Serious inquiries should email me at herb@cross-country-trips.com

Thanks for reading this far. Let me know what you think!

Herb

Update as of 4/12/22 - after posting this ad on the local Craig's List I had two very interested parties and sold the bike to the first guy who responded. It was a difficult day for me, but I'm sure that I have made the right decision.