Interesting- I have always thought of Hondas generally being the flagship of reliability. In fact, I cannot think of any other motorcycle that will get anywhere near an Oldwing (a Hondapotamus) regarding pure longevity, by which I mean outright reliability coupled with an absolutely huge service and parts base almost anywhere in the US.
The C-14 is a great bike IMO but like everything else, overall they do have a failure rate which is not high but again is not zero either, and a handful have had catastrophic failures. Not sure how 1,000 C-14's would compare with 1,000 ST1300's regarding overall reliability or even the incidence of service. I will say that the C-14 has an outstanding warranty, and an even more outstanding warranty extension plan; my C-14 is an '08 model year purchased in July '07, is under full warranty (extended for three years, two times now) and passing 100K miles.
I would suggest while looking at a C-14, also look at a Yamaha FJR; they are direct competitors and some people like FJRs better for various reasons. They are more similar than they are different IMO but still, absolutely worth your time taking a look and hopefully a ride on both bikes before buying anything if possible.
Whatever you buy, best of luck with it.
Brian
Hello. Like my ingenious title says, I've decided to sell off my Honda ST1300. I have had it for 3 years and put 51,000 miles on it. It's starting to nickel and dime me to death. I also have a 'slightly modified' Gen. 2 Hayabusa so I have time to find the right bike. I've been looking at a Concours, 2012 model.
I live near Orlando, FL so I get to ride all year and for 3 or 4 months even fairly comfortably. Winter is about 6 weeks long and I have a pair of glove liners I can put on if necessary.
I'm retired and I've been riding for over 40 years.
Thanks