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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Advice for new savage owners? /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1155139457 Message started by Brewster on 08/09/06 at 09:04:17 |
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Title: Advice for new savage owners? Post by Brewster on 08/09/06 at 09:04:17 Hello y'all savages...Brew here.Great to find this site.Always did like the look and sound of a savage...used to have aBSA thumper...then a couple of nortons...Now $$ is tite and I think I've found a 650 savage to ravage...any advice or info/feedback on these machines I'd appreciate.I'm tired of the ROLEX riders/instant bikers&scooter snobs...i'm out...Brew |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by bholly12 on 08/09/06 at 09:23:45 Hey, I love mine, its a great in-town commuter bike, that's why I bought it :) Plus its simple & straightforward to work on & lots of fun to customize! |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by MacAttack on 08/09/06 at 09:39:08 Seems simple and reliable so far - not a speed demon, but light and handles reasonably well. Don't buy it if you haven't got the canyon-racing out of you; it will disappoint. I bought mine for my wife, but end up riding 40 mi. per day to work and back. I have an XR650 to ride when I want to go fast... but lately it's been sitting. :D |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by vroom1776 on 08/09/06 at 09:47:15 Glad to have you aboard! rejet the pilot circuit! gets rid of the backfiring. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by PA KID on 08/09/06 at 12:17:49 These bikes are in inexpensive,easly maintained joy to own an operate. 8) Everything you need to know about um are right here(good or bad). Keep your knees in the breeze. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by rokrover on 08/09/06 at 14:11:16 quote Brewster....... "savage to ravage" Now I like that ;D |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by Brewbrother on 08/09/06 at 16:33:30 Brewster wrote:
Glad your getting back in the saddle. We can never have enough brews in the group. ;D BTW, most mods are simple to perform but some need to be done at the same time. IMHO. have fun and ask questions. Its how we all learn. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by mavrik on 08/09/06 at 18:47:15 Hello Savages: I love this site ;D> I am totally new to the world of motorcycles so bear with me I have a couple of questions. Bought an 05 S40 Boulevard here in Toronto. I was gonna buy a Harley but they seemed too much and too big for me with no riding experience. I got it from a Harley dealer who suggested this Savage for new riders. The previous owner had upgraded to a sportster. I have added saddle bags, engine guard and a windscreen. First, is it the way all bikes feel over 50mph or just this light bike, but I feel like I'm gonna get blown off the highway. Big trucks create that Wooosshh of wind that knocks me around. I weigh 180lbs. Secondly can you really put a Harley pipe on this machine without screwing up the engine? I would love a beefier sound but afraid to mess around. Thanks any advice would be much appreciated. ???Newbie in Toronto |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by Brewster on 08/10/06 at 06:48:16 Brewster here .Thanx to ally'all for the feedback...Ihaven't taken ownership of this bike yet;when/if I do i'll have more to chat about ,I'm sure...Stay in touch&upright...i'm out-brew |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by Savage_Rob on 08/10/06 at 07:13:49 Welcome Brewster. If you liked old thumpers, I'm bettin' you'll like the Savage/S40. Welcome mavrik. It's a great starter bike and, for many of us, it suits our purposes quite well without "trading up". Yes, you can put a number of different mufflers on the bike. Please read as much as you can on the site concerning rejetting and muffler and air filter replacement. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by azjay on 08/10/06 at 08:31:44 welcome brewster and mavrik, brewster, we have some other "experienced riders" ;)among us that have ridden bsa,s and nortons (i'm not one of 'em) but they really like the savage. my dad rode mustangs, aerials, ajs's, bsa's, and told me " if she doesn't want that bike, i'll ride it!" he really liked the way it feels, however, he's out of luck, my wife loves her bike. mavrik, yes! the bikes light weight contributes to it's being blown around a bit in the wind. but it's light weight is one of it's greatest attributes as well. there are plenty of simple to do modifications, that are well documented on this web site, get friendly with the search function, and let the information overload begin ;D |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by vroom1776 on 08/10/06 at 10:03:02 Mav, Hi! On the freeway, pass tractor trailers as fast as you can, and give them lots of space. Up near the front is really dangerous; the air flow will try to suck you in. If he's passing you, slow down and let him pass you quickly, esp. if there are strong cross winds. If it's a 2-lane, 2-way rd, and there's a truck coming at you, tuck down behind the windscreen. Yep, it's a light bike and tends to get blown around. And what SR said. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by DianeS. on 08/10/06 at 13:17:42 Mavrik: Welcome to the site! I bought my 2000 savage last year just West of Toronto, but I live near Lindsay. I think another rider here lives in Missisauga. Anyway, whenever I ride on the highway I just try to ride smart and usually just stay in the right hand lane. Trucks will pass, but I've been fine - think it's just a matter of being confident with the bike. If you find you get blown around - maybe move over to the right tire track for a bit when the big rigs pass. Most of the highways where I live are all two lane. Safe riding!!! ;D |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by mavrik on 08/10/06 at 18:46:03 Hi: Thanks for the info, I actually live in Peterborough but I say Toronto cause who's ever heard of Peterborough ???. Anyway i'm cutting my teeth as a new rider on this bike and I can really say that I love it now. At first I really questioned whether I was nuts trying to learn to ride, everybody told me bikes are death machines etc.etc.but since I got my windshield the highway is not such a scary place. I went to Haliburton on tuesday with my friend who rides a huge Harley. Confidence is slowly building, I have only been riding for 2 months. Cheers see you on the road. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by sluggo on 08/10/06 at 19:04:17 here's my two cents. ride ride ride, it's the only thing that gains experience and cures monkee butt. don't count the near hits, it will drive you crazy. change your own oil, and do a safety check before each and every ride. when you return, wipe the forks clean of any bugs that may accumulate, they harden and will blow the seals. if the pain of smiling while riding gets overbearing, well to f'n bad. ;D |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by fossilnut on 08/12/06 at 07:02:16 Hi all I'm a newby in every way I just found thissight and just bought a used 2001 S-40. Been commuting back and forth to work for abouta week and got to tell you it's been very enjoyable except in winds or going past big rigs (scares the hell out on me!) LOL. I have a few questions: 1st I would like to know when and how to change oil and filter and where do I locate the filter(told you I was new). Second, I have noticed a little oil on the head is this normal and if not is it covered under extended waranty? Also I get a little backfiring what's up? |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by Savage_Rob on 08/12/06 at 14:16:14 fossilnut wrote:
Welcome to the site. Please read. First, the owner's manual for how often and the basics on how top change the oil. Then, go to the Tech Ref forum and read the Posting Guidelines and then start on the topics there. Pay specific attention to Oil Change Time and Savage "Plug/Cap" Leak. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by WKD on 08/12/06 at 17:01:39 Hiya new guys, I was a new guy not that long ago. The Savage is light but that saved me a couple of times when I did an oops :-/. The one thing I recommend if you are going to do alot of highway riding is to get a windshield, it helps get the wind off your chest (that feeling of being blown off the bike) and gives a little more stability over 50MPH. And depending on the prevailing wind, the size and shape of truck etc I do shift to the right hand track until I feel the blow by and then back to my blocking position. (Can you tell I am a newb, I still remember stuff from the handbook :P). I like my little windshield but I think I might try something a little bigger. If you want to try a nicely made inexpensive windshield the Streamliner Spitfire is a good choice...I picked up mine for $80 CDN. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by fossilnut on 08/12/06 at 18:04:45 Thanks guys for the warm welcome. I'll check out the tech sight and read the handbook. But, even after reading most of the handbook on changing oil I do not know where to find the filter. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by 911radioman on 08/12/06 at 18:59:13 fossilnut wrote:
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=tech;action=display;num=1099572561 Photos clearly show where the filter cover is. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by Savage_Rob on 08/12/06 at 20:10:33 911radioman wrote:
And that would be the Oil Change Time topic I mentioned. Greg did a great job with it. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by fossilnut on 08/13/06 at 14:03:53 Thanks, Sacage Rob, and radioman I really appreciate it guys. Waht a great step by step huh? |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by Taz on 08/13/06 at 16:56:57 Just passed the 3000 mile mark on my 2006. Changed the oil and filter and gaskets just like I did around the 500 mile mark. Never cracked her open yet to check valve clearances, don't intend too unless I feel they need adjusting; Not yet the case. Tires and brakes still look almost new. So after an oil change I'm ready to ride and ride and ride some more. I use it like a real transportation vehicle should be used: every day real world driving instead of the car... |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by DianeS. on 08/14/06 at 14:09:58 mavrik: Well anytime I'm out on the bike, I keep my eyes peeled for any other savages or S-40s - but haven't seen any in my neck of the woods. The local dealership told me that they sold 7 of them last year so there's some around. We quite often shop in Peterborough (Lindsay doesn't have a Home Depot or Walmart), but we go in the cage since there are four of us. I also joined the Southern Cruisers (Durham Chapter), but there's a Peterborough Chapter too. They do group rides etc. if you want to ride with other bikers. I did my first group ride a few weeks ago. Anyway, maybe I'll see you on the roads sometime! Ride safe! |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by charbour on 08/14/06 at 20:48:43 Not to dual post I threw a couple of questions up for you veterans on the upgrade thread. http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=RubberSideDown;action=display;num=1154800463;start=0 I would love to post the comfort questions to the other newbies (am so new am redefining the colour green). Making the ride from Newmarket (north of Toronto) to Mississauga (West of Toronto) about 70kms the drivers rear end (yes mine) is literally burning in protest and I can't make the round trip on one tank (got close but had to go to reserve on both attemps to date). Rode to Cayuga (about a 2 hours trip) and had no choice but to make a couple stops, one for the butt and one for the gas). This is all after the seat lift which thanks to the directions took literally 15 mins and $5 in parts. So back to the question how are you finding the comfort and what is your height (don't know if that is playing into this one, but it is one of the things I have filtered from this site and others) I am pushing 6'. While touring the neighborhood (aka cutting my teeth) the bike was well suited, everything said about being a run about are very very true. Riding on the longer trips on the highways, yes you get blown about but caution and courage have carried me through so far. Don't care for the slow crawl of traffic congestion find it hard to keep it balanced without some wobble (maybe too light) but it does play nice in that drivers seem to offer some extra space for you. You all played a part in me feeling I made a right choice in learning to ride (beyond the licensing school many moons ago) and choosing the savage, so for other newbies keep reading there is more than you can imagine all within your reach on this site. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by Dynobob on 08/14/06 at 22:20:50 charbour wrote:
The stock seat is IMO, horrible. I have a sheepskin and gel pad that I use which helps alot. The only other effective solution seems to be to retrofit a Sportster seat. There are plenty of posts about that here. A kit is sold regularly on Ebay. I don't have long legs so I don't have the need to stretch out like you do. Your only solution is: get highway bars or forward controls. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by charbour on 08/14/06 at 22:53:58 your position seems to be in line with what else I have read. There seem to be several sportster type seats on ebay. On the plus side I have freinds who make up for my engineering deficiencies so this will be an exercise over the winter. The only other question I forgot to add was about floor boards. I saw a thread that seemed to be left unanswered. (no pictures, no closure on prices etc). I am thinking that the "stretching out requirement" is making for uncomfortable shifting (seems like a lot of effort to get the toes under the shifter). Not too into the forward controls mods I have been reading (there has to be a limit to the tinkering for me). Thanks for the already answered and anticipated thoughts. |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by jacla56 on 08/20/06 at 02:30:55 Thanks, Mavrik, for making me feel like I'm not the Lone Stranger anymore. I'm 50 years old and for some reason, learning to ride a motorcycle suddenly sounded like a good idea. I took the safety course, got my endorsement and started shopping for a good starter bike. I drove 50 miles to look at a Honda Rebel 450 that turned out to be a hunk of junk (not Rebels in general, just that one), so decided to drive another 30 miles to see what the bike shops had. My brother has ridden bikes his entire life, so I took him with me for advice. We walked into the first bike shop and my brother almost started salivating when he saw the Thumper sitting there. I sat on it and knew it was the bike for me. It came with a wind screen and I've since added saddlebags, a front fork tool bag and a windshield bag. I can honestly say, I'm in love with my bike! I ride it to work and on back roads. You've got me beat by riding on the highway. I haven't gotten up the nerve to ride on the Interstate yet. Not sure I ever will. Trucks scare me. People driving 90 mph scare me. The bike is light, but that's part of what I like about it. Its light weight and belt drive make it easy to move around. I'm pretty hefty, so it doesn't take long for a case of monkey butt to set in with me. I bought a gel pad, but it seems to lean me forward just enough to throw me off balance a little. I think I'm going to take the seat to an upholsterer and have the stock foam shaved off and some memory foam added. A friend of mine did that with her new Kawasaki Vulcan 900 and it helped a lot. And oh, yeah.... I'm getting anywhere from 55 to 59 mpg. Not sure what that translates to in Canada, but in the U.S. it means WooHoo! Happy riding! :D |
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Title: Re: Advice for new savage owners? Post by franch on 08/22/06 at 04:48:31 do the seat lift mod too, you will love the improvement |
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