Honda Pan European 1000

The ST1100 arrived in 1990 feeling like Honda had finally gotten serious about long-distance motorcycling — the V4 pulls with a relentless, turbine-like smoothness from 3,000 rpm that swallows motorways whole, and at 200 km/h it's quieter and more composed than bikes half its weight. That 305 kg kerb weight is real and you'll feel every kilo in slow car-park manoeuvres, but once rolling it simply disappears; the chassis is neutral and planted in a way that genuinely surprised me on mountain passes in southern France. The linked braking system was ahead of its time and works well in normal riding, though trail-braking purists will find it meddlesome. My only recurring frustration was fuel range — the tank feels modest for a tourer, and on the autobahn you're stopping for petrol before your backside demands a break.

I put 18,000 kilometres on a '93 Pan European back-to-back with a BMW K1100LT, and Honda's V4 simply felt more alive — that engine pulls with real urgency from 4,000 rpm and doesn't quit until well past legal speeds on any motorway in Europe. The optional ABS was a genuine revelation for 1992, saved me on a wet roundabout outside Lyon, and I'd never spec a tourer without it again. That said, 305 kg is not a suggestion — low-speed manoeuvring in a packed ferry queue or a tight hotel car park demands respect and a bit of upper-body honesty about your own strength. The wind protection is excellent, the integrated luggage swallows a week's kit without blinking, and the seat stays comfortable for five-hour stints, but the suspension still errs on the soft side when you load it up with a passenger and full panniers.

I put 18,000 kilometres on a '98 Pan European and came away genuinely impressed — the V4 pulls cleanly from 2,500 rpm and never feels strained, even loaded to the gunnels with a passenger and full bags. The revised linked ABS is reassuringly competent in the wet, though it intervenes a touch early for my taste on loose surfaces, which can feel intrusive rather than helpful. At 296 kg you feel the weight rolling out of a petrol station, but once moving it practically disappears; the fairing bubble is wide and effective, and the updated luggage swallows a week's gear without drama. Honda's obsession with reliability means this thing will outlast most of its owners, but the engine note is pure accountant — efficient, correct, and utterly devoid of theatre.

After 40,000 kilometres on a 2004 ST1300, I can tell you this bike is less exciting and more confidence-inspiring than anything else in its class — and that's a compliment. The fuel-injected V4 pulls cleanly from 2,500 rpm and absolutely surges past 6,000, eating autobahn stints without drama while the integrated fairing keeps wind blast genuinely manageable for hours. The linked ABS braking is reassuringly competent and the semi-integrated panniers are brilliant, but 289 kilograms means slow car-park manoeuvres demand respect, and the stock seat turns your backside to concrete after about 300 kilometres. Honda fixed the ST1100's heat soak problem only partially — summer traffic still cooks your right leg from the exhaust routing, which remains a legitimate gripe on a bike this polished.

I've put 40,000 km on a 2011 Pan European and it's earned every grey hair on my head — in the best way. The V4 pulls with quiet authority from 3,000 rpm, never dramatic but relentlessly competent, and that HESD damper genuinely earns its keep when a truck blast hits you at 160 on the autobahn. The updated ABS in this generation is confidence-inspiring on wet Alpine passes, though at 296 kg you're always aware of the mass when threading slow town traffic or dropping it onto the sidestand on a camber. My honest gripe: the infotainment feels dated within three years of purchase and the fairing lower panels creak like an old ship on cold mornings, but nothing has ever stranded me.