First Ride - Honda ST1300A

I met the seller in the Walmart parking lot in Wisconsin Dells, WI.

After looking over the bike a while, I took it for a brief test drive.  First, around the parking lot.  Then, for a brief ride down a rural highway in the rolling Wisconsin hills.  It was 37 degrees, I pressed the button to "roll up" the windshield, and instantly felt warmer.  Fancy!

There's a distinctive whine which varies with RPM.  I've heard this noise before.  Where was it?  Oh yes, the Honda Interceptor a friend let me test drive a couple years ago.

I had to assume the whine was a normal ST noise; I haven't spent enough time around these bikes to discern normal from abnormal sounds.

The brakes are amazing.  I guess they have to be to pull that heavy bike to a stop.  The Magna's brakes, by comparison, are lackluster.  I haven't tested the ABS, and actually don't really want to.  Maybe I should -- in a secluded parking lot, just to get a feel for them.

The rear view mirrors are the best I've seen.  On a cruiser these are typically mounted on the handlebars, and are mostly useful for seeing my own elbows.  These mirrors are below my hands, on the fairing, and get a clear view of what's behind me -- a line of sight essentially under my arms.

The suspension is rock solid.  Super smooth ride but no jostling or hunting in the corners.  Crosswinds don't affect steering like a bike with a fork-mounted windshield.  Everything I wanted in a bike, everything I disliked about the Magna.  Obviously the ST suspension is not "cheapest components possible" like they are on the 3rd Generation Magna.

The power was impressive.  The GoldWing GL1100 I used to ride was underpowered.  Not so the ST.  It's a heavy bike, and it needs the 120 horsepower to compensate for its bulk.   But thanks to its rock solid suspension and its V4 torque curve, it didn't feel like a big bike.  It felt natural and easy.