New owner old bike maintenance advice

Razzmatazz

Joined
Apr 21, 2021
Messages
2
Age
37
Location
Spokane
Hey everyone I just picked up an 03 ST1300 (non abs) with 80k miles on it. I'm loving the way it rides and I haven't noticed any issues, except maybe poor fuel economy? According to the gauge I'm averaging 30mpg but I've mostly been riding in town, and I haven't been riding slow. That being said with 80k miles on it I'll feel more comfortable riding it after I do some standard maintenance. I'm planning on:
Changing clutch fluid (noticed it's a little low)
Changing spark plugs
Changing air filter
Oil change is dues in 2k miles and is at proper level
Checking coolant
Checking final drive oil
Is there anything else you all would recommend?
Thanks for the input!
 
Welcome to the forums

Yes. All together now .....

Flush out the brake fluid and check for the correct operation of the SMC.

That's the headline. The detail is to be found in various places on here. I'll put a link in when I can get to my PC. Ipads and me do not get on well.

Briefly, the SMC is the secondary master cylinder which is an integral part of the left hand front brake caliper. when the front brake is applied it causes the caliper to rock forward, which is like squeezing another brake lever to apply the rear brakes. A valve ensures that the rear doesn't get to much pressure from this action.

1619089537549.pngTo check that it is working properly, put the bike in neutral and on its centre stand. Rotate the rear wheel and push the front left caliper towards the fork. (the top half moves, the bottom half pivots. It should move only about a mm. The rear wheel should lock solid. Release the pressure on the SMC , and the rear wheel should release immediately. If doing this by yourself, you can perform the test lying down next to the bike and rotating the wheel with your foot.

The photo on tyhe right shows an SMC / front left caliper bracket. The blue arrow points to the pivot (the actual pivot bolt is shown separately on the right). The red arrow shows the direction in which the SMC moves - but it should be by only 1mm or so - barely noticeable, but you will feel its action on the rear wheel. The red circle is the rubber boot, which I haven't mentioned. It keeps the rain water out.

If it doesn't release the rear wheel when you let go (you shouldn't need to pull it back, then that may explain you low mpg. Double check by testing the temperature of your rear brake disc after riding for a short distance and coming to a stop without using either front or rear brakes. It should be cool enough to hold. It wont be stone cold - it is too near to the exhaust.

Any suspicion of an issue there, consider getting a complete new front left caliper bracket / SMC. The bike is old enough to be not worth risking doing anything else.

But first things first - if the rear wheel locks and fully releases when the SMC is activated by hand and then let go, then all should be OK, but I'd certainly flsuh out the brake system - if the clutch fluid was low, the previous owner certainly hasn't bothered doing the fluids recently.


Links:

This one is more to do with things to look out for when servicing the ST1300s brakes.

(1) Article [13] - ST1300 Maintenance - Brakes- Avoiding the Pitfalls | ST1300 Articles | ST-Owners.com
 
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Kaiser Swaghelm II said:
The timing belt will need to be inspected/ replaced! Maybe leave that to the mechanic on service or MOT
Click to expand...
Chain on an ST1300, no replacement schedule.
Razzmatazz said:
Is there anything else you all would recommend?
Click to expand...
If you have maintenance records, perform all of the maintenance that is coming due/wasn't done per the maintenance schedule.
If you don't have any maintenance records, and if you haven't got any manuals yet, here is a link to a maintenance schedule- ST1300 - Maint Schedule.
After 24, 000 miles, the cycle repeats. See here- Maintenance Schedule beyond 24K miles

Then ride and enjoy it for a while and see if there are any issues that need further attention.
 
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Razzmatazz said:
...I haven't noticed any issues, except maybe poor fuel economy?
Click to expand...
I don't think there is much to be gained from trying to improve fuel economy - it's unlikely that whatever money you spend on that specific project will be recovered by lower fuel costs.

I suggest you focus on reliability issues first (most especially the brake-related matters that others have addressed in their replies above), and then on possibly neglected scheduled maintenance activities second - for example, air filter replacement, fluid changes, etc.

It would also be prudent for you to take a good look at the wheel bearings front & rear next time you have the wheels off.

Michael
 
More than likely you haven't been riding long enough to get a good baseline for fuel mileage. If you're tearing around town having fun :), your mileage will show real low like your seeing. Ride for 15 minutes on the highway or at a steady speed and watch how much higher it goes. I saw the same as you saw when I first got mine, then I rode on the highway. I was getting between 45 and 55. Then I shut off that indicator . :)
I'm a big believer in going over a bike fairly well when I buy used to get an idea of the "health" of the bike. I would suggest you use some seafoam or equivalent fuel injector cleaner periodically to keep your fuel system clean.
Changing your air filter, spark plugs, coolant, oil and final drive oil is a great idea. You may want to get your valve clearances checked also when and if you put your bike up for winter. They don't seem to change much but my 08 1300 at 47,000 kms had 13 valves that needed shims to be changed. 6 were below min spec and 7 were at min spec. This is far from the norm though.
Good luck with your new ride!
 
Among all this great advice and references. Check out IGOFAR’s posts - an unbalance throttle body will affect gas mileage. Mine was relatively new when we checked it and found two were off. Immediate mileage and smoothness with the idle. A nickel could balance on the tank with out falling when idling. These bikes will ride and run on and on with little maintenance. But prudence in all aspects will assure you less issue, major damage and more ride time with a safe return home.
 
If your bike has handlebar risers, you can't trust the window in either the brake, or the clutch master cylinder housing, due to the angle and pitch that the risers place the bars in.
The window will look low of fluid. The handlebars must be turned almost full lock in both directions to check the fluid level. Its better to remove the cap(s) and verify that the level is at the fluid line (front inside wall of the housing) etc.
However, If you fluid is low, or you are loosing fluid ( you can verify this by looking at the rear crankcase cover ) to see if fluid is leaking out the mechanical seal weep hole.
If you find stains back there, its almost a sure thing that your bike will need a new clutch slave cylinder.
On an 03 with that mileage, with unknown maintenance records, my guess would be it will need most, if not all of the following stuff addressed to make it road worthy.
Complete brake system over haul, including replacing the SMC, and possibly the rear caliper bracket if worn.
OEM brake pads all around, complete detail stripping of all calipers, and rebuild with all new seals etc.
A correct Flush/bleed etc.
Inspect your PCV to make sure its not damaged/leaking (check recalls to see if it was done on your year model)
Complete clutch system flush after replacing the slave cylinder, and inner oil seal etc.
Complete coolant flush, t-stat replacement, remove the paint from the radiator pipes (inside)
Clear/coolant line to the idle wax valve etc.
Remove all hoses, clean fittings, replace all hoses, and tighten all clamps.
Replace front water pump cover o-ring
Replace your driven bearings (flange bearings)
Inspect your driveshaft spines, and use the correct moly paste (locktite lb8012)
Inspect both your fuel tanks for rust.
Inspect/test your fuel pump (replace)
Inspect all ground wires / condition of battery etc.
Clean all switch housings (starter/kill)
Replace air filter
Check for rodent nests under the airbox
Starter Valve sync (TB sync-sic)
Replace vacuum hoses / clean out 5 way tee
Clean out vacuum butterflies with MMO
Inspect driveshaft gear oil and U-joint play
Inspect fork seals
Inspect wheel bearings
Inspect/replace both O-rings on rear wheel (inner & outer)
Check all critical fasteners (axle/fork pinch bolts/ etc)
Counter balancer adjustment
***these are just SOME of the things that should be checked***
:WCP1:
 
Thanks for the advice everyone, sould like there is a little more to do than I was thinking. Before I pull off my tupperware and get started where do you guys buy parts from?
 
Razzmatazz said:
Thanks for the advice everyone, sould like there is a little more to do than I was thinking. Before I pull off my tupperware and get started where do you guys buy parts from?
Click to expand...

You don't have to go crazy and check ALL these things right away, but keep in mind that these things should be checked at some point to maintain a good driving bike.
As far as brake pads and thermostat, it's recommended on here to stay with OEM. You can buy coolant at your local Honda Car dealership cheaper than your local motorcycle dealer. Same stuff! Things like spark plugs and air filter, pick your poison, no need for OEM there IMO.
Look at places like Partzilla, Revzilla or Ron Ayers and many more that sell OEM parts cheaper than the dealership.
Check out the articles section at the top of the page outlining what people have put together and shared with us, when they did work on their bike.
Enjoy.....
 
Razzmatazz said:
Thanks for the advice everyone, sould like there is a little more to do than I was thinking. Before I pull off my tupperware and get started where do you guys buy parts from?
Click to expand...
Many here in the USA go to Ron Ayers and / or PartZilla, and there are others that escape me at the moment.
Others will chime in with all I've missed.
(And I'll update my gazillion bookmarks when they do.) ;)
 
Most likely cause for long term poor fuel mileage is a bad thermostat. They stick open and the ECU runs a rich mixture. A properly operating t-stat will ensure the bike hits and stays at 3 bars on the coolant temperature gauge. 1 or 2 bars showing while going down the road is a dead giveaway.
 
Juanda said:
That's just "some"? I feel intimidated.
What would be the full list?
Click to expand...
Here is 13 pages thanks to @SMSW
If you run out of things to do, or need more items to do, just ask again.
This Forum is full of things to do to these bikes


Article - Maintenance Items Needed for a New (old) Bike | Articles

This article is the result of collaboration by Andrew Shadow, CYYJ, jfheath, Max Pete, SMSW, and SupraSabre. Igofar’s list was copied from the first link listed above. Click on the attached file. This one is V.11; in the future, any changes will be noted in the title on the first page as the...
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com
 

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Juanda said:
That's just "some"? I feel intimidated.
What would be the full list?
Click to expand...
No need to be intimidated. The problem is ST's are now 'older' bikes (if the last ST's were VIN'ed in 2016, the youngest are 9 years old, if they were mfr'ed in 12 and labeled later, then they are 13 years old (I've read both)). The real problem is lack of routine maintenance. Once most of the issue causing items are taken care of, it is easy to keep up. If you buy a new bike, after 50k miles, you know the suspension will need attention, (and maybe not before). Buy a used, 15 to 20 year old bike with 75K miles and an uncertain maintenance history, and yes, you need to check over everything. While that list is for ST's, it would not be unreasonable to consider everything in that article as being pertinent to any other older bike (minus items another bike does not have - such as a hydraulic clutch or SMC).

Tick critical items off the list and then keep chipping away at the rest. Where else will you get a bunch of folks who offer help and knowledge like this website?
 
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