I've just discovered the S40 (Savage).  I'm very intrigued by this bike, so as someone who's new to this forum, I'll have to the ask the typical, painful questions.

This bike obviously had a cult following, which is cool.  I realize you have to know what to expect with a special bike like this.  But I'd still like to know the following:

What kind of top speed can be expected with a stock S40, and a 200lb rider?

What is a reasonable cruising speed to expect?

Sooner or later, if I had one, I'd want to load up a couple of soft bags, and point it 1,000 miles out of town.  How well can this bike handle it?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the quick reply.  What's the recommended aftermarket seat to get for these bikes?

Are there any performance mods that can be done without resorting to louder pipes?  (I'm not into loud bikes)

For a while now, I've been laboring over what bike to get.  I've considered cruisers, standards, naked bikes, etc.  I love sport bikes, but I wanted something I could ride two up for short distances with my wife, and sportbikes just aren't the answer.  I don't need speed, just the ability to get on the freeway when backroads don't suffice in getting me from point A to point B.

The S40 fits me so well when I sit on it, I was hoping it was up to the task, and it seems to be.  I was looking at Enfields, but they are pitifully unreliable.  Their owners love them, but admit they're good for short rides at best.

The S40 seems to have that charisma and sense of individuality that so few bikes possess.  The Triumph Bonneville is like that also.  I just don't know if I want to spend that kind of money on a Triumph.  The S40's price is a pleasant surprise, and today's gas issues make it even more attractive.

Interesting you should mention the YZF600.  It's one of the bikes I was researching when I considered getting back into the saddle.  It's a great bike, and the owners love them.  If I were buying a ride for myself, I'd seriously consider getting one, even over the FZ6.  

This past year has been a wierd one.  When I knew I'd be buying a bike after a 10 year layoff, I started looking at EVERYTHING.  I'd almost settled on the Suzuki C50, which is rapidly becoming a very popular ride.  I guess I'm just a little too resistant to going that route, though.  I've been considering the SV650, the Honda Aero, Kawasaki's 800 Vulcan, the FZ6 (for two-up), the 600/750 Katanas, the V-Star Classic, the Ninja 500, etc., etc., including the Bonneville.

I've been going crazy.  Lately, I've been lowering the price I want to spend on a bike, not so much out of need, but out of caution.  Everything nowadays is so polarized, and to tell you the truth, I miss the old UJM's.  The choices were easier.  I couldn't be certain I wouldn't regret buying a Harley wannabe bike.  The feedback websites lead one to think that the C50 is a good bike, except for the statement that so many owners seem to think has merit:  "Harley riders think my bike looks cool."  Like I'd ever care what anyone would care about my ride.

The S40 seems like such a bargain, and if the owner feedback web sites are indicative, it looks like a real fun bike.  Looks like my choices just got a little simpler.

If you like thumpers, then you will like this bike.  That is pretty much what to expect.  You can't expect v-twin or multi performance, but you will get reliability, light weight, control, comfort, and easy maintenance with this bike.  If those are what you want, then the "Savage40" is for you.

Also, forget about hauling passengers any long distance.  The light weight, wheel base and slim frame aren't up to that physically....it has the power to do it, but if you hope to haul a passenger around you need bigger "ergonomics" for that.  The bike is a solo mostly bike.....the passenger seat is best considered as a luggage rack

Welcome to SuzukiSavage.com

So far as seats go, Suzuki offers a new gel replacement seat since they began to use a 1-piece on the S40's.  I'm not sure that it fits the Savage immediately but I'm I'm sure it could be make to.  There are a few others available.  I believe it was Gitarzan who recently snagged a really sweet 1-piece from eBay and put it on his.  He has some good shots of it on this site.  If you're looking for a springer seat, Sluggo used one on his though I think he's removed the springs recently.  You can always buy different padding or gel and recover your own.  I personally just use a sheepskin cover for everyday riding and have a detachable leather-covered gel-pad that I can use for long rides.  For ideas on places to shop for lots of stuff, try Best Sources for Savage Parts in the Technical Corner.  
The Technical Corner also has some pretty good instructions on maintenance and some of the easiest and most useful mods.  Some of these folks have gone to a fair amount of trouble to document (often fully photographed) a lot of the procedures.

These days, the term "cult following" simply means there are people who, through their fondness for something, share a common bond.  Bikes like the Concours are considered "cult bikes" because their owners disregard the negative press, and appreciate them for what they are.  An exaggerated term perhaps, but that's our current age of overstatement at work.  It's become clear to me, in recent times, that the Savage/S40 can be considered a cult bike, because of the loyalty of its ownership, and the distinct difference it shows with respect to other bikes in its class.

I'm not looking for touring bike comfort guys; come on now.  I've got more experience than that.  I'm not worried about the comfort thing;  I can take care of that.  I once took a 3,000 mile trip on a 650 Yamaha vertical twin (solid mounted engine, no counterbalancing).  Any bike can be made to tour, it's just what you're willing to put up with, and how creatively you can work around it.  My question had to do with whether the bike could handle the freeways, on long trips, when backroads wouldn't work, as I previously stated.

And I have no intention of touring two-up with this thing.  I only want to ride two-up for short trips, once again, as previously stated.

Savage_Rob wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:04:


Ah ha, now what did I say?  Echo.....

The Savage40 is a solo machine.

8)

samurai01us wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:04:


Well, with all that "painfully" stated......Buy one