It might seem unfair to compare the ST to a luxury touring bike, but the ST is a touring bike too… sport touring. First of all, the ST is an awesome bike. It is very agile and doesn’t lack anything when it comes to power. It will go faster than the law, or my good sense, will allow. It doesn’t have some of the creature comforts of a luxury tourer, but it is also considerably less expensive. A luxury tourer is the more comfortable of the two, but the ST is by far the most responsive. It is also slightly more economical to drive. I have averaged 40 MPG on the highway on my luxury tourer and 50 MPG on the ST. The ST is easier to service and maintain. The fairing is much easier to remove and the air filter is a lot easier to replace. Changing the oil is about the same. There aren’t as many aftermarket accessories for the ST and the ones that are available are usually higher priced.
I have had excellent service from the Honda dealers, both before and after the sale. I do a lot of my own maintenance and they have no problem with that. The owner’s manual even clearly states the owner can do the maintenance and not affect the warranty. Other manufacturers don’t allow that, and then charge exorbitant prices for their service.
I have taken the ST on 3+ hour trips, ride it daily to work (70 miles round trip), and ride it just to relax. For the past two summers I have taken trips in excess of 7,000 miles. For the longer trips I will take my Wing. I wouldn’t hesitate to take the ST on long trips if it were the only bike I had, but since I have the Wing I will use that instead. For trips shorter than 2,500 miles I will probably take the ST.
The bottom line is the ST is an absolutely terrific bike. The Audiovox Cruise Control I added is really a must-have for trips. I replaced the stock seat with a Sergeant seat. That was a mistake. It looks a little nicer, but is no more comfortable. The handlebar riser from Motorcycle Larry has an ideal point to mount the Zumo 550.
