These questions were asked in 2013. One more year and I think I'll stop...
From: J.M., UK
Q:
Hi. Since purchasing my ST1100 in May 2011 I have been tendering much care to ensure her future is maintained for many years to come. My wife has suggested I actually pay more attention to the bike than her: which of course is correct. However, one of the things that happened to me is like you my starter solenoid connector melted into a sorry lump. Keen to keep parts as original I had to buy an old wiring loom to gain the part, as like yourself I was told the item was not available as a seperate item. I am now pleased to say that the part (complete with 4 new brass spade connectors) is now available from a company called Towzatronics in the UK for £8.95p plus VAT & postage.
I suspect this is a common issue and thought you might like to update your site sharing the issue with fellow ST riders.
A:
Thanks for your message. You're right, it is a fairly common issue. That is indeed good news; I will update the page on the site accordingly!
From: M.G., New Zealand
Q:
Hi, I have a 1993 ST1100AP. I need a new rear wheel sensor for the ABS/TCS sytem. The frame number on my bike is SCxxxxxxxx Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
A:
Thanks for your message.
The page you require is https://www.st-1100.com/st1100-parts-fiche-final-driven-gear-st1100ap.shtml
and the item number 2 has the part number 38510-MY3-781.
You could buy this part online from Europe by clicking on the EU flag at the bottom of the page indicated above, or contact your local Honda dealership. It's not cheap though!
Q:
Thanks for your assistance ... it would appear that this part is no longer available...
A:
Typical....
However, if you wanted it from the USA they seem to have stock. Shipping to New Zealand would be around $55 though...
From: S.A., UK
Q:
Hi, love the site. If available, could I order an owner manual. I too never got one when I bought my bike.
A:
Thanks for your message.
If you send me £4.99 via Paypal I can then send you the pdf of the manual via email. (If you would prefer to pay by Google Checkout let me know and I can send you an invoice).
From: N.W., UK
Q:
Hi - 1998 ABS/TCS Pan. Everything is fine but recently, the TCS OFF light (to the left of the main idiot lights) has started to come on. Normally when stationary or moving at slow speed. Any ideas - the ABS/TCS lights go off as soon as I pull away so I reckon that the systems are working..... but maybe not! Any help gratefully recieved
A:
Thanks for your message.
From your description, it would appear that ABS/TCS is working; I presume if you push the TCS OFF button, the TCS OFF light illuminates. These little issues are the most annoying things to troubleshoot, because it could be absolutely anything, even to the extent of a dodgy button or poorly-connected indicator light.
But my experience with electrical items on vehicles has taught me that the first thing to check is whether there is an effective earth connection; even to the extent of running a temporary earth wire from the electrical item being investigated to the battery negative terminal.
Fortunately TCS is not an essential item for riding!
Sorry I'm not able to be of more help with this little glitch.
Q:
Ta for getting back to me so quickly - on reflection, I'm not sure anything happens when I fiddle (yes fiddle, for I know not what I do) with the switches on the left hand side panel! (TCS/ABS buttons) Anyway, from your suggestions, Pan will hit the shed in the next few days and I'll start ferreting. I did have the switches out last year to get to something else that was farting around, so perhaps I've dislodged something or other. Mercifully, the bike runs and rides perfectly so it's more of an irritation than anything else (at the moment).
Your suggestions to check the earths and switches etc. are v. helpful, so thanks again.
From: J.G., UK
Q:
Great Site! - Thanks. Just returned to biking after a 9 yr lay off. Bought a Pan European (1995).
Would you please send me the online Manual?
A:
Thanks for your message.
If you send me £4.99 via Paypal I can then send you the pdf of the manual via email. (If you would prefer to pay by Google Checkout let me know and I can send you an invoice).
From: D., Italy
Q:
Good day to you,
First, thank you very much you did and maintain this website about ST/Pan.
I am wondering if you can help me locate part for my Pan1100AX of '99; I am looking for terminals inside the front turning signal connectors. They are from Sumitomo part no.8240-4422, size 090. I can find them by thousands in the usa but look no available in Italy. Do you have some sources to share?
Thank you very much in adavance and bon séjour dans votre coin de pays.
A:
Thanks for your message; and I'm glad the site is proving useful!
To be honest with you, for the sort of item you're looking for, I would buy a non-OEM part. For all my terminal connectors and other vehicle electrical bits, I tend to use a company in the UK called Vehicle Wiring Products. I have found their service to be quite good. You would need to measure the width of the blade on your Sumitomo terminals to find the equivalent size - have a look at their available terminals:
https://www.vehiclewiringproducts.co.uk/.
But as you have found them online from the US, it may be worth comparing prices; if they're cheaper from the US then obviously that's the way to go.
Hope that helps!
From: M.S., Australia
Q:
I have just recently bought a 2002 ex West Australian police ST1100. While googling for information on the bike I found your site and I just wanted to say thank you for the absolutely brilliant job you have done with this website. It is superb, second to none. THANK YOU.
A:
Thanks very much for your kind words - glad you're finding the site useful!
Unfortunately my own ST1100 has been sitting unused in a barn for the past few months due to the weather. It's not that I mind riding in the rain, but the problem is the dirt road from our farmhouse to the closest tarmac is impassable when it's muddy - even a car struggles! But hopefully the weather improves soon and I can start investigating this part of France!
From: S.W., UK
Q:
hi brill website,but you wouldnt know where i could locate a tow bar for my st1100,look forard to hear from you cheers.
A:
Thanks for your message.
I did consider a section on towbars for the Accessories section, but at the time I was doing that page it appeared that towbars for motorcycles were very uncommon, especially in Europe. I was recently sent a photo from an Australian, and it appears in Australia they have become a lot more common. Likewise in the USA.
However, it seems that the usefulness of a towbar has spread a bit, so I may need to think about adding a section on towbars after all!
I found a company in Norfolk which will fit a towbar to a motorcycle, so you may wish to contact them. They may possibly even know of a company a bit closer to Staffordshire.
https://www.freewheeluk.net/tow-bars
The ST1100 should be able to pull a trailer with ease.
Hope that helps!
From: D.F., USA
Q:
I bought an ST a couple years back and had emailed you a few times with questions and you have always been very helpful. I had planned on taking it to South America this last winter but life had other plans, I find myself in the Florida Keys, which for a number of reasons (heat, small trips on a big bike, monsoons, etc.) can make big biking difficult if it is the only means of transportation you have, which it is for me. Scooters in the tropics for around town make much more sense.
That being said, I am at a point where i want to replace the coolant and see an "Ice Coolant" for 22.95 on a motorcycle super store site that is recommended for very hot weather (it even has a 93 St1100 owner review and endorsement for it). My question is should I spend that much on coolant, and also how often should you change it? The tropics are very hot compared to northern North America so I am wondering you thoughts on this.
I also think it might be time to change the brake fluid, I have about 50 K on this now, 24 K when I bought it so I am not sure how long this has been since either fluid was changed.
The air filter.... I see some advertised for st's for 90 dollars and some for 20 dollars, what should I be looking for here and why the big difference in price?
And finally, the limestone driveways in the Florida Keys have been brutal. I sit just high enough so I don't get a good flat foot resting on the ground and all the driveways (at least where I rent) are gravel which means you can never get firm footing. I also have to back it in and roll into the driveway to get it off the street ( a feat in itself when you just worked 11 hours, am beat and its 95 degrees).
I have fallen over at least 6 times here in the Keys and my driveway (thanks for your video https://www.pinkribbonrides.com/dropped.html you sent me, this has been a life saver). The gravel, uneven side of roads, you name it, it is hard on and ST. The last time I fell over I smashed the left mirror. You had sent me a link before on ordering the cover for the mirror (another time I fell over in Michigan) and am wondering if you could help me again.
The clutch problem I wrote you about a couple of years ago ended up being a pitted metal part in the clutch cylinder which was not sealing correctly and was leaking.
Thanks, I don't know if you still have your ST or not, or how your move to France went, but I hope this finds you well, still enjoying life and cycles and you might still be interested in helping.
A:
Nice to hear from you again. I am in a similar situation since moving to France regarding non-tarmac surfaces! There's just no easy way to manoeuvre a bike as heavy as the ST1100.
I have to enlist my wife's aid when moving the bike out of and into the "garage". It's all dirt surfaces here. And the closest tarmac road is about 400 yards away, so if it has rained, the bike simply stays in the garage. Rain + dirt road + grass = fall over.
As a result, the poor Pan tends to gather dust!
I hesitate to suggest it, but perhaps you should see if you can get another bike - something like a CB400. Much lighter to move around, and can handle a commute fairly well (you didn't mention what sort of mileage you were doing). I'm not suggesting selling the ST, unless you're going to be in Florida for several years. But it may be worth considering.
Regarding the coolant, as long as it is designed for aluminium (aluminum!) engines it should be fine no matter what the brand. That particular one seems a bit expensive, so I suspect it's a bit of a "gimmick". All the coolant does is raise the boiling point of the water - and if your thermostat and radiator fan are working correctly there should be no need to buy an expensive one. I changed mine recently (France is much hotter than the UK) and opted for a supermarket brand propylene glycol (instead of the usual ethylene glycol). Propylene glycol is fine for all engines, and is much more environmentally friendly - it's non-poisonous unlike ethylene glycol (as well as being cheaper). It works just fine. See if you can find any.
Certainly change the brake fluid (and the clutch fluid at the same time) - it's an easy enough job. I also did mine recently, having installed new stainless steel pistons and brake lines at the same time. I intend to do a write-up on it, but just haven't had the time!
Regarding the air filter, I can't comment on the difference in prices, unless the more expensive one is a K&N (which I highly recommend by the way. Change the stock air filter to a K&N and it's the last air filter you ever need to buy. At service intervals, simply wash it and re-oil!)
https://www.st-1100.com/air-filter.html
Regarding the mirror, it's item number 15 (part number 88120-MT3-003) on this page: https://www.st-1100.com/st1100-parts-fiche-windscreen-st1100p.shtml. The mirror cover itself is item number 16, part number 88121-MT3-003ZF. Cycle-parts.com has a good reputation for service. But the parts are fairly pricey, around $110 each!
Thanks for the update on the clutch cylinder problem; that's a useful piece of information.
Otherwise things are going fine, I'm certainly keeping busy with the new project, renovating a 19th-century farmhouse! Unfortunately doing it all single-handed means not much time is left for anything else!
From: D.S., Spain
Q:
Hello, i'm looking for this ref: 19200-MT3-000
is the st1100's water pump, have you got this part? or can you help me to get it?
A:
Thanks for your message.
If you go to this page:
https://www.st-1100.com/st1100-parts-fiche-water-pump-st1100m.html it is item number 1 on that diagram.
I see that this part is now discontinued; the normal European supplier based in the Netherlands that I normally use is out of stock of this item. I've also checked David Silver Spares in the UK (and Bike Parts Honda in France) and they are also both out of stock. But if you click the US flag at the bottom of the page in the link above, this will take you to a supplier's website in the US who do have stock (they do mail order). Just type in the part number in their search box.
It's expensive though; it may be worth checking your local Honda dealership just in case to see if they still have stock.
From: C.P., UK
Q:
hi I have a imported 02 plat pan 1100 should both lights be on when dipped.
A:
Thanks for your message.
It depends! In the UK you may (although it is not essential) have both headlights on when dipped beam is selected. It is not illegal one way or the other. Bikes in France, however, if registered after the year 2000, have only one headlight illuminated when on dipped beam. I believe Belgium has a similar ruling. However, I found that it is not against the law to have both headlights on (and in fact personally I prefer to have both - we live in the middle of nowhere and the more illumination I can put down on the road the better!)
My 2000 model in the UK had both headlights on when dipped beam was selected. However, when I moved to France the bike had to be re-registered here, and also the headlight unit had to be changed. Although it was not deflected to the left but centred, headlights in France must be deflected to the right. End of.
Unfortunately when I got the bike home, I noticed only one headlight was working on dipped beam. I discovered that the technician had disconnected one of the headlight wires and wrapped it with insulation tape. It was a simple matter to unwrap it and reconnect, so you may discover you have the same setup.
From: J.O., USA
Q:
You have a serious error in your carb sync page, the same error in the Haynes manual that we in the ST1100 community have known about for many years:
"carry out the same procedure with carburettors 1 and 3. You will notice that the right-hand carburettors have two adjustment screws between them. In order to synch these two, it's the front-most screw that you need to turn. (The rear screw adjusts the left and right banks of carburettors)."
This is just wrong. The forward screw adjusts the #1 carb only. The rear screw adjusts the #3 carb only. All three of the other carbs are adjusted individually, and in any order, to the base carb (#4). Period!
Please stop propagating this misinformation. It's screwed up too many ST1100 owners worldwide attempting to do their own servicing.
A:
Thanks for your message. I'm afraid I've been balancing my carbs according to the Haynes manual ever since I got the bike, but I'm grateful for your corrections.
The carbs on my bike have not needed much adjustment at all over the years - certainly not as much as the Yamaha Diversion I used to own.
I have updated the website accordingly (you may need to refresh the page in your browser or you may still see the old page).
Q:
How nice to receive your kind reply, and so quickly! The new web page looks fine now. I don't know if you are a STOC member or subscribe to any of the ST online forums (ST-Riders.net [my 'ST Home'], my-mc-phoenix.com, ST-owners.com, or other), but the Haynes manual error has been discussed on them many times over the years. Haynes has been told but they haven't published a version with the correction. My take is that they used some 'boilerplate' procedure for all their manuals and didn't do due diligence on proofreading for the ST1100 manual.
From: B.M., USA
Q:
need qty- (1) for 91 st1100A
88111-MT3-003ZA
A:
Thanks for your message. I'm afraid I don't keep a stock of parts myself.
As you are in the USA, your best bet is to purchase the mirror cover from CycleParts - they are based in the US, have a good reputation (although I have not used them myself) and usually have stock.
Hope that helps.
From: K.L., France
Q:
You have a very good site !
I have an st1100 1998 abs model with about 30k on the clock. I bought it this summer. It has new Battlax tyres and doesn't appear to have been dropped or shunted but, it pulls to the right slightly if I take my hands off the bars which I know one should not do but......!
Otherwise it is stable on the road up to top speed, we can do this in France between midday and 2pm when our friends in blue are having lunch.
Any advice would be appreciated.
A:
Thanks for your message. I'm in Sologne - but unfortunately still can't speak a lot of French! I can understand it though.
I understand exactly what you mean about the bike pulling to the right. I was using Avon tyres, and mine did the same thing.
However...
I have just fitted new tyres (Metzeler Z6 Roadtec). Not only that, but instead of having them balanced in the usual way, I fitted Dynabeads to both wheels.
The ST1100 now is perfectly balanced - if I take my hands off the handlebars it stays dead straight. I doubt it could be the make of tyre that causes the pulling to the right (unless Metzeler are made better than any of the other brands - which I doubt) so I can only conclude it's the Dynabeads which are balancing the wheels better than the customary wheel weights.
From: N.B., Australia
Q:
Hi just purchased 04 ex police st1100 with 52ks on it. Could you recomend a local service/parts supplier? Assuming that you have affiliate sites in Au.
A:
Thanks for your message.
I'm afraid I don't have any affiliates in Oz. The parts pages on the website will at least give you the part numbers, but the companies supplying the parts are either in the USA or Europe.
I don't know if you're on Facebook at all, but there is a group called OzSTOC (Australian ST Owners' Club) who may be able to help. I've also asked another Australian to send you an email regarding where he gets his spares/service. He will hopefully be contacting you soon. Yes, I know the size of Australia, so whatever is local for him may not be local for you!
P.S. Your new bike will not have been made in 2004; 2002/3 was the last year of construction of the Police-spec ST1100.
From: R.S., UK
Q:
Very close to buying a 1100 pan. Any tips?
A:
Thanks for your message.
If you go to this page on the website:
https://www.st-1100.com/st1100-for-sale.html
there is a link to a buyer's guide. I wrote the ebook some time ago, and it's now available as a free download.
And finally:
From: S.G., UK
Q:
Hi there
I am replacing engine on 1991 st1100 with one that came from 1995 st1100 both non abs, 95 engine has breather hose on water pump housing can you tell me what the other end connected to & what I need to do.
Any help,advise would be much appreciated
A:
Thanks for your message. I don't think I'm going to be able to help you with this one though.
I suggest it may be worthwhile for you to join the STOC forum (it's free) and post your question on their ST1100 technical section; the membership of STOC is mainly in the US but there are a few UK members. https://www.st-owners.com/forums/index.php