If you do a lot of long distance riding, you’ll want to have a tire patch kit and a way to inflate the tire with you at all times.  My tire repair kit consists of:

• Slime’s Power Sport Tire Inflator
• Stop & Go Pocket Tire Plugger

Just finished installing a Powerlet outlet on the steering stem of my ST1300. 

All you need is a custom kit from PowerletProducts.com; order the “ST1300 Panel Kit” but make sure you specify that you need the harness to be 80 inches long. (UPDATE - 11/15/2007: Powerlet now offers a ST1300 Powerlet Steering Stem Kit that already has the correct length wiring harness.)

Along with a drill and some courage, you’ll be all set.  Remove the steering stem cover, remove the Honda logo so that it doesn’t get in the way, then turn the cover over, and using an 11/16″ hole-saw bit, drill from the bottom.  There’s a small dimple right in the middle that you can use as a guide to drill in the correct spot.  Then run the wiring down through the steering stem, up over the frame and around the side of the airbox (you’ll need to lift your tank for this), under the front seat bracket, and to the battery.

It will be used to power the GPS and also send power to the tank bag through the tank bag Powerlet Kit (which has two “standard” 12v power plugs inside for cell phone charging, ipod, communicators, etc).

You can also add a RAM base along with the Powerlet if you want.  I did some experimenting and this is what I came up with. I used the RAM-BAR u-bolt RAM base.  Just turn the Powerlet outlet sideways to make room, remove the u-bolt, and obtain bolts long enough to reach through the base and into the holes that are already in the stock cover.  I used some class 8.8 M4-.70 x 25 hex cap bolts (along with some washers and lock washers).  It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but the RAM base doesn’t make contact with the bars at all.

The Nelson-Rigg UV-2000 1/2 motorcycle cover also arrived today.

The Givi E215 topcase mount for the ST1300 and the Givi MonoRack for the XX from RL Motorcycles both arrived today.  Installation only took about 15 minutes each.  Now I can easily move my E52 from bike to bike.

Here’s the ST1300 rack:

And with the Givi E52 installed:

Here’s the Givi MonoRack on the XX:

I just installed two Powerlet Outlets on the left and right fairings. Not sure what I’ll use them for yet. 

Everything else I need has been ordered and I hope to have the modifications complete within the next 2-3 weeks.

The new bike came home on Thursday March 29th 2007.  After making MANY changes to my Honda CBR 1100XX to make it more sport-touring friendly, it just wasn’t cutting the mustard for our touring needs. So, I sold off the bar risers, Givi bags, Givi Windscreen, etc and put it back to stock form to use as my “fun” bike. 

I didn’t have the good camera with me when I took delivery of the ST1300, so crappy cell phone pictures will have to do:

I’m VERY pleased with the riding position on this bike.  I think it will do quite nicely for touring.

Items on order to get it ready for our trips:

• Bagster Tank Cover and Medea Tank Bag (Silver)
• Nelson Rigg UV2000 1/2 Cover
• Powerlet Kit for the new tank bag, along with various other Powerlet cables/items that I’ll need to complete the setup
• RAM mount for the GPS
• Givi topcase rack so I can use the E52 topcase I already have

Here’s the whole Honda collection, which includes my 2003 Honda CBR 1100XX, my wife’s 2003 Honda CBR 600RR, and our new 2007 Honda ST1300.  (To prove we’re HondaWhores, I drive a 2007 Honda Ridgeline and my wife drives a 2007 Honda Civic.)