Front Sprocket Nut Questions

[texscottyd]

48 minutes ago, nhchris said:

...coming from an ST 1300...

I know that it's very rude to high-jack the original poster's thread.  That said, (A) I already responded above to the sprocket nut question, and (B) you ARE the original poster. 

So, what did you think of the ST?   I had one for a fairly short period of time...  I wanted to like it, I genuinely tried to like it, I couldn't find anything specific to dislike about it, yet still:  I didn't like it.   It did everything it was designed to do very well, but just had zero character or soul.   Guys like me drive the Honda engineers crazy, since my complaint is essentially that the ST1300 was too well designed and executed.   That's 100% on me, but I was just curious if other folks managed to bond with it more successfully than I did...  the STs certainly have a loyal following.      

[betoney]

31 minutes ago, texscottyd said:

I know that it's very rude to high-jack the original poster's thread.  That said, (A) I already responded above to the sprocket nut question, and (B) you ARE the original poster. 

So, what did you think of the ST?   I had one for a fairly short period of time...  I wanted to like it, I genuinely tried to like it, I couldn't find anything specific to dislike about it, yet still:  I didn't like it.   It did everything it was designed to do very well, but just had zero character or soul.   Guys like me drive the Honda engineers crazy, since my complaint is essentially that the ST1300 was too well designed and executed.   That's 100% on me, but I was just curious if other folks managed to bond with it more successfully than I did...  the STs certainly have a loyal following.      

If they ever decide to revise or reintroduce an ST-like bike, I would love for Honda to do something with their forgotten 1200cc V4 w/shaft drive platform from the VFR1200. 

[nhchris]

Hey guys, yep, I loved my ST.  I had a 2003 early one and put about 50k miles on it over ten tears.  Longest ride was a 3.5k mile round trip to the Dragon in TN, where I earned a very expensive ticket for doing 60 in a 25 zone.

The bike was a Honda. It ran flawlessly, required very little maintenance and never let me down in ten years.  It was fast, handled great with Angel GTs, was very comfortable for looong days, and was  a ball to ride.  I called it the Harley eater.

But, as the years went by, it seemed to get heavier and heavier.   Not when moving,  but in the garage, parking lots, stop n go traffic, etc. And god-forbid you found yourself on dirt!!  I dropped it three times horsing it around my garage and once in a gravel parking lot.  It had a tipping point that was very unforgiving.  If you went beyond it, that high COG and 750 lbs was hard to pull back.

I miss its smoothness and quiet, plush ride, but find my little FJ so much easier to manage.

Honda seemed to walk away from sport touring.  They never really replaced the ST with a new model, nor did they do much to make the VFR 1200 into a touring bike. Odd.  In the meantime they focused on auto transmissions and stripped down Goldwings.

I never felt my ST was bland. But I did get a rude awakening one day when a rider I met referred to it as the "living room couch!" He was on an MV Agusta F4.

I would not hesitate to ride cross country on that ST. That ain't gonna happen on my FJ!

BTW -- The user here called @mellow was the moderator of the most popular ST forum for many years.

[betoney]

11 minutes ago, nhchris said:

I would not hesitate to ride cross country on that ST. That ain't gonna happen on my FJ!

Never say never.  It is amazing how much a custom built seat, highway pegs and cruise control can change this bike into all-day comfortable.  My longest stretch was 4100 miles in just over 9 consecutive days.

[nhchris]

I know, I know. 

For me it's not so much the ergos I find uncomfortable. I actually like the "comfort" seat as long as I have some padding between it and my butt in the form of bicycle shorts and riding pants (leather or mesh). My longest day so far was 400 miles and I felt good.

Instead it's the more raw nature of the ride itself. The constant chain/tranny noise, lack of fairing protection, the vibes and the high revs at speed take their toll on this old boy after a few days in the saddle.  I use a mechanical throttle lock and it works very well as long as the road is level, but cruise would be nice for sure.

I can't tell you how many times I've run the numbers on the 900 GT.  No matter how I do it, it usually works out to an expenditure of $3000 addl dollars to get cruise, heated grips, longer SA and color display.   So far can't justify that. (Based on leftover GT for 10k and selling my FJ for 7K)

I do think middle-weight touring is an up n coming niche and hope to see bikes from other mfgs come online soon. (not incl BMW!)

Edited July 11, 2020 by nhchris

[betoney]

11 minutes ago, nhchris said:

Instead it's the more raw nature of the ride itself. The constant chain/tranny noise, lack of fairing protection, the vibes and the high revs at speed take their toll on this old boy after a few days in the saddle.  I use a mechanical throttle lock and it works very well as long as the road is level, but cruise would be nice for sure.

I do think middle-weight touring is an up n coming niche and hope to see bikes from other mfgs come online soon. (not incl BMW!)

I completely understand where you are coming from, I have agonized over that myself.  I love riding long distances and have thought about getting a more touring focused bike just for that purpose but I also want to ride an agile sporty bike when I reach the destination.  There are times when I wish the FJ had just a bit more power, a few times I have wished it had better weather protection, a few times that I wish it was a bit more relaxed and comfortable on the highway but then the other 85% of the time I just cant get the stupid grin off my face long enough to care - so I'm keeping it.

I hope you are right about the mid-size touring category or even mid-size adventure touring category growing and expanding.  I don't need 1400-1800cc or 650-850lbs to ride long distance but an 850-1050cc /500-ish pound FJR or Super Tenere sounds interesting to me. 

Interesting you mention BMW, every time I start to think of a potential next bike in any category, the only manufacturer that always seems to have every base covered -for me- is BMW, whether its the RT or RS or XR or GS or the older K1200R land missile, though I can't ever see myself giving up on Yamaha, Honda or Kawasaki.

[micah2074]

I’ve reused the sprocket nut 4 times. I may change it with the next chain/ sprocket swap. I’ve also ridden my FJ cross country 8 times. It’ll be 9 times by the end of August. It’s a great bike for long trips. 

[nhchris]

Thanks @micah2074  that's good to know.  I hope I don't destroy the nut taking it off!!

@betoney I'm becoming a big fan of KTM.  Great bikes in all categories except middle weight touring.  It could happen!

BMW value proposition is just not there for me.  Too costly, expensive to maintain and reliability issues,  Faagetaboutit.

[betoney]

8 minutes ago, nhchris said:

Thanks @micah2074  that's good to know.  I hope I don't destroy the nut taking it off!!

@betoney I'm becoming a big fan of KTM.  Great bikes in all categories except middle weight touring.  It could happen!

BMW value proposition is just not there for me.  Too costly, expensive to maintain and reliability issues,  Faagetaboutit.

Agree on the BMW, as much as I like their bikes, I can't see myself owning one for the very reasons you listed. 

I have heard rumors of a 890 Duke GT being released next year and Honda is supposedly releasing an 850 Africa Twin as well.  If its popular it could evolve into other mid-sized bikes in several different categories.

 

[micah2074]

53 minutes ago, nhchris said:

Thanks @micah2074  that's good to know.  I hope I don't destroy the nut taking it off!!

@betoney I'm becoming a big fan of KTM.  Great bikes in all categories except middle weight touring.  It could happen!

BMW value proposition is just not there for me.  Too costly, expensive to maintain and reliability issues,  Faagetaboutit.

The nut is ease to take off. Use a little punch to bend the bendy part. It’ll be bent in two places. Then stand on the right side of the bike. Hold the rear brake down with your right arm. Reach over and loosen the nut with your left. Do the same when you retorque it. 

[BBB]

I prised up the indent with a small screwdriver. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Then my 10 year old son stood on the rear brake and I spun the sprocket nut off with a cordless impact drill.