I avoided St11's for 20 years as being boring and old fashion... Then bought a cheap project and fixed the usual fixes... Alternator, swing arm, tank, head bearings... At that point I was still post project but the bike has really grown on me in 18 months n 12k miles... I have an 11GS still which is now more the 2nd bike... I have had many BM's GS's, RT's LT and ridden many more... Up to the 12RT hexhead the ST11 still holds it's own and the ST13 maybe still does... My 12RT had more equipment, did more things but wasn't a better bike... If I has bought an ST13 instead of the RT I would have kept it and missed out on several other bikes I have tried... If I had been willing to buy an ST11 in 1998 then I may not have owned BM's...
For the people who pan the Pan, they may not have ridden one much, may like a bit of a pose or have a bike that your mates ask you about... They may swan around the dealerships "being someone" and talking shite with the salesman and buying a few newer bikes... They may think they have biker "street cred"...
The ST11/13 will give you none of these thrills but will give you a bike you can ride whenever, wherever, whatever, two up, single, touring, shopping, commuting... You wont be looking in shop windows at your reflection and will not get the cappachino sippers swooning at your riches and good taste down Baristaville… But you'll ride, and ride and ride and ride...
If you can ride properly you will not be left behind by many folk, will enjoy it all in decent comfort and it will be characterful next to much of todays blandola PCP fodder... You need to ride it not just let it ride for you and the quality of the cycleparts on the ST11 is not a patch of the 13... The engine is a peach though and even though the ST13 is quicker and more up to spec, it's not necessarily better...
My ST11 holds it's own and will cruise at illegal speeds all day and I mean riding all day not thinking 250 miles is a big ride... It is scruffy enough to be totally ignored by anyone including scrotes, they are small enough to filter like you mean it and I could set fire to mine tomorrow and lose less than most people are paying interest, never mind repayments and depreciation on their precious jewels...
Three things... Shiny is not necessarily the best as the rotten bits hide away on 11's... Neither is original... Aftermarket exhausts and screens and all the extras are worth noting on bikes to buy... Also shop bikes at this age as not better than private sales from the right buyer... Do your homework and you'll have a great bike for a couple o thou...
Good luck
PS I ride most days if I can and the ST is presently sitting covered in salt after another damp n windy commute up here... Top fun n no bother...