John
I have the panniers fitted all the time on the ST4s. No problem with ground clearance at all. The exhaust do "swing" up and down for fitting (or not) but it is a bit basic and they do work loose - held by a spring - have a look - after a few thousand miles you will need to tighten the lot up.
Living in the alps I find the ST4s a real work horse (or stallion actually) loads of torque. If you were nearer you could have a run up the Grimmel Pass just to see how great/fun it is.
Go on - get off the fence and get an ST4s (abs or not) its a great bike - especially YELLOW
