The Long-Haul V4s

The Gold Wing was Honda's big tourer, but it was built for American highways and it was enormous. Honda's European arm wanted something lighter and sportier that could still cross a continent two-up. The answer was a longitudinal V4 with shaft drive, a fuel tank hidden under the seat and a frame built around long days. The ST1100 did that job for twelve years, the ST1300 did it for ten more, and the CTX1300 gave the engine one last, very different body before Honda let the line go. Three bikes, one engine layout, and a lot of miles.

Jon's ST1100. Photo: JTL Powersports

Another ST1100, a 2001 bike, the last civilian year. Photo: Tarrakaner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Honda launched the ST1100 in Europe in 1990 and brought it to the U.S. a year later, which is why Europe knows it as the Pan European and the U.S. just calls it the ST. The engine is a 1,084cc liquid-cooled 90-degree V4 with double overhead cams, mounted lengthways in a steel frame and driving the rear wheel through a shaft and a five-speed gearbox. What looks like the fuel tank is actually the airbox cover. The real tank, all 7.4 gallons of it, sits low under the seat, which is why a bike this heavy feels so planted once it's rolling. Claimed output was about 100 hp, and the ST1100 weighed somewhere around 640 to 700 lb depending on year and equipment.

From 1992 Honda offered an ABS version with traction control, something almost no motorcycle had at the time. For 1996 the ABS bikes gained linked brakes and three-piston calipers, and the early 28-amp alternator was replaced by a 40-amp unit built to run heated clothing and extra lights. The bodywork barely changed in twelve years, and the Pan built a reputation for 200,000-mile engines. Police departments kept buying the ST1100P for several years after the civilian bike ended in 2002.

A 1994 ST1100 with ABS and traction control. Photo: Tarrakaner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Owner's notes: The charging system is the thing to ask about on early bikes. The original 28-amp alternator was the ST1100's one well-known weak spot, and many bikes have been upgraded to the 40-amp version, so check which one is fitted before ordering a stator or regulator. Brakes changed in 1996: pre-1996 ABS bikes have separate front and rear systems, later ones are linked, and the calipers are different. ABS and non-ABS bikes share the same bodywork, frame and engine, so plastics and most chassis parts cross over. Two maintenance items that get neglected on used bikes: the driveshaft splines need grease at every rear tire change, and the swingarm can rust from the inside on bikes that lived in wet climates. The exhaust collector box under the engine corrodes too, and it's a big job to replace.

The longitudinal V4 with the fairing off. The under-seat tank is why the engine sits this low. Photo: Gisela Giardino, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Watch it

Ride and review of a Honda ST1100 Pan European. Video: YouTube

A long-term owner’s review of the ST1100. Video: YouTube

Honda ST1300 Pan European. Photo: Cjp24, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Honda teased a replacement with the X-Wing show bike in 1999, a V6 with an automatic gearbox and single-sided suspension at both ends. The ST1300 that arrived for 2002 in Europe and 2003 in the U.S. borrowed the X-Wing's lines and none of its hardware. Underneath it was all new: a 1,261cc fuel-injected V4 with balance shafts, hung as a stressed member in an aluminum frame instead of rubber-mounted in steel. The gearbox was a cassette-type five-speed, the final drive was still a shaft, and the fuel tank was split into two sections to push weight lower. The U.S. only got about 2,200 a year.

It was faster and lighter on its feet than the ST1100, and from 2004 every bike had an electric windscreen. ABS with linked brakes was optional in the U.S. and standard in Europe from 2004, but the traction control from the old bike was dropped. The ST1300 also had a rougher start than Honda was used to. Early bikes were caught up in a 2003 brake-valve recall, and in 2007 British police pulled the single-seat ST1300P from service after a fatal crash was blamed on a high-speed weave under heavy loads. RiDE magazine reproduced the wobble on a civilian bike at about 110 mph and found that 43 percent of owners it surveyed had felt it. Honda issued loading guidelines for the police bike, and by 2010 police forces in the U.K. and the U.S. were buying the Pan again. The civilian bike ended after 2012.

California Highway Patrol ST1300Ps. Ex-police bikes are a common donor. Photo: Howie Le, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Owner's notes: Nothing swaps between an ST1100 and an ST1300, not the engine, the frame or a single body panel. The good news is that the ST1300 barely changed in ten years, so most parts interchange across every model year. ABS and non-ABS bikes use different brake hydraulics, and you can't convert one to the other by bolting on a modulator. The most common mechanical complaint is a sticking thermostat, followed by the plastic gear in the electric windscreen motor, which Honda only sells as a complete assembly. Riders also complain about engine heat on the legs, so look for added heat shields and vents. Ex-police ST1300Ps are a common donor and most of the chassis is the same, but the seat, lighting and wiring are different.

Watch it

The ST1300 Pan European ridden as a classic. Video: YouTube

A long-term owner on the ST1300’s pros, cons and mods, and how it compares to the FJR1300 and Concours 14. Video: YouTube

A 2014 CTX1300 show bike. Photo: ウェルワィ, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

When the ST1300 went away, its engine didn't. In November 2013 Honda announced the CTX1300, the second bike in its "Comfort, Technology, eXperience" series. The 1,261cc longitudinal V4 came straight across from the ST, retuned for the job: lower compression, taller gearing, a redline of 7,000 rpm and claimed figures of 81 hp at 6,000 rpm and 78 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm, with the emphasis on low-speed pull and fuel economy. Honda skipped the dual-clutch gearbox to keep the price near $17,000, so it kept the five-speed and the shaft.

Everything around the engine changed. The full fairing became a half fairing, the bars pulled back, the seat dropped to 29.1 inches and the four exhaust headers came out in chrome where everyone could see them. It was a bagger, built for North America, with 35-liter detachable hard bags and a curb weight of 724 lb. The Deluxe added ABS with linked brakes, traction control, Bluetooth audio with a USB port, self-canceling turn signals and blacked-out trim. Reviewers liked it more than they expected to, and the low seat and easy manners made it a favorite with riders coming off cruisers. It still didn't sell, and Honda dropped it after two model years. It was the last new motorcycle to use the longitudinal V4.

Owner's notes: The CTX1300 engine shares its bore, stroke and basic architecture with the ST1300, so some internal parts cross over, but the cams, compression, intake and ECU tuning are different. Match part numbers rather than assuming. Standard and Deluxe bikes differ in brakes, wiring and dash electronics. The bags won't take a full-face helmet, which is why so many came with an accessory top box. The 18-inch front wheel and inverted fork are unique to this bike and don't share anything with the ST.

Watch it

The 2014 CTX1300 at its press launch. Video: Motorcycle.com on YouTube

An owner’s full review of a 2014 CTX1300. Video: YouTube

We part out real donor bikes and list the parts as they come off, so every listing tells you exactly what bike it came from. Browse our Honda parts to see what's listed today. For the sport-bike side of the V4 story, start with Menu Book No. 1 and Menu Book No. 3.