THE BIKES
   
       
  The ST1100 was originally known as The Gentleman's Express. It was designed by Honda Germany to compete with the BMW market. Overseas, it is know as the Pan-European. It is a water cooled, V-4 with drive shaft and has proven to be one of the most reliable engines Honda has ever produced. I have four - RedBird, a 1997 non-ABS that I purchased new in 1997, and SweetTreat, a 2002 ABS that I purchased new on Halloween 2004 from a dealer, FroST, a 1997 ABS that I purchased in January 2008 with 22,020 miles on the clock, and now BlueBelle, a 2001 ABS with 35,000 miles and a custom paint job. All four of the bikes have now been in the lower 48 states and Alaska. It is with great sadness that on December 29, 2023 RedBird was severely damaged after 179,000+ miles in a unfortunate traffic accident while I was on a road trip. I sustained some serious injuries but I will heal over time. It will take a while to get RedBird repaired but I am slowly working on it. I figure if I wear 4 ST1100s completely out, that should be enough miles to last me the rest of my life! In 2003, Honda replaced the ST1100 with the ST1300 which had such features as a powered windshield and digital gauges, to mention a few of the changes. When I traveled to Europe to ride, I rented ST1300s from AboutTown in southwest London. Mike was great to work with and quite a rider himself. Unfortunately, the covid pandemic affected his business to the point he had to close.