merchant said:
Greetings from Texas! Just last night I got my first taste of a ST1300. Really, my first taste of a sport touring bike. As compared to the Tenere, the ergonomics are HUGELY different. The ST1300 was the motorcycle equivelant of a clown car (narrower bars/no leg room). But the smooth power was addicting. And plenty of power. I put about 100 miles on the ST1300 and had a grin on my face the whole time. I wouldn't trade my Tenere for it, but I can certainly understand why someone would love that bike.
Funny, the wide bars feel a bit awkward to me, on the S10. The legroom is tighter, but not bad for my 6 foot frame and it was really nice to be able to sit on the bike, with bent knees and still be flatfooting. I had installed a Hemi high rise on the ST which got the bars back about 2 inches (by moving them back and cocking them inward slightly.) I'd highly recommend the Hemi. It got my weight off my hands, though I still drove straight armed on the ST.
On the S10, with ROX 2" risers set for more backward than upward, I'm able to drive with bent elbows. This is closer to how my V-strom was set up using setback risers on it, too. I prefer this more relaxed position for all day driving.
The really miss the quiet cockpit of the ST though. With a Laminar Lip installed I could ride in a pretty quiet pocket of air and make phone calls at 100mph. I get a lot of buffetting with the S10, but not as much as with the V-strom. I've ordered a Parabellum windscreen for the S10. I'm hoping that gets me closer.