As far as I'm concerned the Honda Pan European (ST1300) is the perfect bike for me, however it is not 'The perfect bike'. Here are a few of my observations and comparisons.
First and most obviously the Pan is a heavy bike.
Even before you fill the tank with fuel or load the panniers and fit a top box it's heavy, but the weight is low so not as bad as the Kawasaki 1400GTR which has it's weight much higher. I'm 5'10" and found the Kawasaki tricky to keep upright when stationary compared to my Pan.
I can lift a Pan off the floor. I forgot to remove the disk lock and over it went! Maybe it was adrenaline, but I did lift it up on my own. The bike wasn't loaded though, just my sandwich box in one of the panniers. I was leaving work after a long night shift. The way the Pan is designed really minimised the damage, just a little scuff on the fairing protection wing and the near side foot peg. I doubt I could lift it up if it was loaded with a weekend's touring stuff though.
On the subject of weight. Heavy bikes react more slowly when cornering, the Pan is no exception. Compared to the BMW R1200GS I had, I have to plan my cornering much more. The GS was much more forgiving if I needed to change my path mid-corner. The Pan handles really well, but it's no sports bike.
The panniers are a 'funny' shape. As a result if I want to take my lap-top with me I have to use my top box. The shape looks good on the outside but the lap-top issue can be a real nuisance. To help with packing I have the Honda pannier inner bags. These ensure that our stuff will fit in the panniers and make transporting luggage into a hotel etc. much easier.
The ignition key is very long and vunerable to getting bent. Maybe it makes the bike more secure, but I'm always aware of the risk of bending such a long key. Someone suggested getting a shorter key cut to use when opening the panniers, a good idea as replacement keys are expensive.
Finally, the rear indicators. They are rather close together which I think may cause confusion for following vehicles. I'm sure they are the legal distance apart and I've no idea how to improve this without a major change to the rear of the bike. I hope when Honda make the next version of the Pan they consider this along with the other things I've mentioned.
I've yet to find 'The perfect bike', let me know if you find it first!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Pan-Weave
I have ridden my Pans in all sorts of conditions and with all levels of luggage and loads and occasionally at speeds that are only legal on certain sections of German motorways and race tracks. I always ensure the tyre pressures are correct (42 psi, front and rear) and the rear pre-load is adjusted to suit the weight my bike is carrying, but that's not a Pan only thing to do everyone should check these whatever they ride. I've never adjusted anything else on the suspension.
The issue of Honda Pan European 1300's weaving at high speed has been widely reported, but I've never experienced it nor has anyone I've spoken to had this problem either. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but I will say that it is a very, very rare problem.
Please dont let this rare problem put you off buying a Pan.
The issue of Honda Pan European 1300's weaving at high speed has been widely reported, but I've never experienced it nor has anyone I've spoken to had this problem either. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but I will say that it is a very, very rare problem.
Please dont let this rare problem put you off buying a Pan.
History
A while back I contributed to another blog about the Honda Pan European motorbike. That blog still appears on Google searches for Honda Pan European, but it hasn't been updated for ages. Unfortunately, I have lost the password details to allow me to use that blog, so I created a this one to continue sharing my Pan-experiences.
I'm on my third Pan now. All of them have been the 1300cc model. I've never ridden the 1100cc version so I can't comment on the differences.
Pan one was a late 2003 base model, no ABS no electric screen in silver.
Pan two was a 2004 model this time with the electric screen but no ABS. Fire engine red!
Pan three is a 2008 with ABS and electric screen, but no auxiliary socket (a step backward Mr Honda). Honda say it's black, but depending on the light it can be green, blue, silver or dark grey, but not black (except perhaps in pitch darkness, but then everything is black).
This blog isn't going to be exclusively about my Pan. My Pan is the core element, but this blog will also discuss motorcycling in general, road safety and anything else that links to me riding my Pan.
I'm on my third Pan now. All of them have been the 1300cc model. I've never ridden the 1100cc version so I can't comment on the differences.
Pan one was a late 2003 base model, no ABS no electric screen in silver.
Pan two was a 2004 model this time with the electric screen but no ABS. Fire engine red!
Pan three is a 2008 with ABS and electric screen, but no auxiliary socket (a step backward Mr Honda). Honda say it's black, but depending on the light it can be green, blue, silver or dark grey, but not black (except perhaps in pitch darkness, but then everything is black).
This blog isn't going to be exclusively about my Pan. My Pan is the core element, but this blog will also discuss motorcycling in general, road safety and anything else that links to me riding my Pan.
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