First Trip with Honda ST1300 - May 1, 2011

In October 2010 I purchased a 2007 Honda ST1300 to replace my 2004 Honda Sabre 1100. While I really enjoyed the Sabre I found it was better suited for weekend trips and I wanted to cover more miles during my outings. The Sabre only had a range of 150 miles per tank whereas the ST1300 has a range of 350 miles per tank and is built to eat up many miles per day.

My first long trip on the ST1300 was with Terrie and his wife Donalda on a loop from Stayton, Oregon south to Elkton on Hwy 38 with a quick stop at Loon Lake then over to the coast at Reedsport. Next we went north on Hwy 101 to Waldport then east on Hwy 34 to Corvallis and back to Stayton.

The entire trip was 325 miles and the ST1300 was a blast to ride. The engine is smooth as silk and has a nice wide power band. With an electric windshield, that can be adjusted on the fly, this bike a pleasure to ride. Looking forward to many more trips this summer.

City Park & Boat ramp in Elkton

Entrance to the Loon Lake Campground on the north side of the lake

Route we rode:


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Redwoods: August 20–23, 2010

The trip started out in Albany, Oregon where I met up with Terri and Donalda who were riding their new Honda Goldwing and pulling a trailer. I was on my Honda Sabre. We followed back roads just east of I-5 until we met up with Hwy 138 and headed west to Florence, Oregon and the Oregon Coast.

We followed Hwy 101 down the Oregon Coast arriving in Eureka, California in the late afternoon.

We setup camp at the Eureka KOA before heading into Arcata, CA for dinner at the Porter Street Barbeque.

The next morning we rode east of Eureka on Hwy 36. Along the way we stopped to view an old bride and then Terri decided we’d make our bikes dual-sports as we rode on the worst maintained paved (with lots of gravel spots) road I’ve ever seen.

We ended up in Garberville, CA where we took a little ice cream break before riding north to Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

The next morning we rode north on Hwy 101 to Crescent City, CA then northeast on Hwy 199 to Cave Junction, Oregon. A nearby forest fire had blanketed the town of Cave Junction in smoke.

We rode to Medford, Oregon where my daughter & family live. We had a BBQ with fresh corn on the cob and steaks.

The next morning I lead Terri and Donalda on a route I’d discovered earlier in the year that would take us thru Shady Cove, Diamond Lake, Idleyld Park (where we had lunch along side the North Umpqua River), up Rock Creek Road and down into Cottage Grove, Oregon. Along the way we had some great views of the forest across the valleys.

The trip was just over 1,000 miles long and we did the trip over 4 days (3 nights).

Here is a link to the route we rode:

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