Well I think my Savage got it's first compliment today. With the gas prices going through the roof I'm using the bike for quick runs to the store to pick up milk and such instead of the cage. I went out shopping this morning and after about an hour stopped at the local store (two miles from my house) to get a gallon of milk. I'm sitting on the bike putting on the helmet and an old guy comes over and stares at the scoot with a puzzled expression on his face. He turns to his buddy and says "I've never seen one like this before"  . I cracked a smile under the helmet, said that it was a Suzuki and fired the big thumper up, even got a bit of a backfire out of it. Took the long road home smiling all the way. Ride Safe, Ed L.

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Maybe you shouldn't have painted it pink, after all.  

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Quadruple bag it and hang it over a mirror?

In college I had an old Honda with a luggage rack.  I used to bungee a plastic milk crate to it so I could toss books in it etc.  I could stick a paper bag of groceries in it and tuck in a few things around it like bottles of beer, etc.  The ride home was a couple miles down an old city street.  One time I bought too much and could barely load it all.  This was long before plastic bags, so I could not make hangers.  I tucked everything in as carefully as I could but had to lay a few things on top.  A tin of saltines, a few pounds of bananas, bread...  I thought if I babied it home I'd make it.  I had forgotten that on the straight ride there was a little dip in the road about 1/2 way.  I was going a little too fast and when I came back to the top of the dip, my bread, bananas, crackers and a few other odds and ends levitated themselves and hit the road at about 30 mph.   Embarrassed, I wanted to drive on, but I was too poor to throw away food.  The cracker tin was bent up, the bread got run over by another car behind me and the bananas ground about 1/2 of it's mass away.  It looked like someone took a machete and whacked the bananas.  I tossed the bananas and breads, but did recover some cans and the crackers.  I do remember a beer or pop can (prob beer) had a pinhole or crack and was spinning around the road, spraying well-shaken warm carbonated beverage. That incident just will always stay with me.  The sight of the bananas convinced me to keep wearing a helmet.

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

If you want to pamper your butt get a Bergmann 650.
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Your saddlebags do look a bit on the thin side.  In one of my Leatherlykes I can stuff two one-gallon jugs of milk, or a ten-pound bag of potatoes, or a five-liter box of wine.  More practical, I can ride to work in the moring chill with my leather jacket and then stuff it into a saddlebag for the trip home mid-afternoon.

p.s.  Welcome back -- Has Maine thawed out enough for you to ride again?

p.p.s.  Like your avatar, but the artist in me had to redo it:  

if i can't stuff it under my jacket it ain't riding with me.  

i too got a compliment today.

i pulled up to a fuel stop and a couple people were standing around the fine looking piece of "butt jewelry".
it was a "mass produced" custom out of californina.  s&s power plant, nice black and blue paint job. cheap chromed plastic signals and a few other parts.  (dont get me wrong, it was a nice looking machine. and i can never really compare thumper to one).

the guys come over to look at thumper, ask a few questions. i explain how i bobbed it myself. they thought it was pretty kewl. i then look over to the guy with the custom and ask. "you build that, or buy it" he replies "bought it".  i smile and ride away.

You ever do an oil change on a stock HD BigTwin? You have motor oil, primary/clutch oil, AND transmission oil. They are different weights, that change depending on season and the age of the bike. All three drains are a pain in the butt to deal with too. Don't get me started on the BT oil filters...in the side of the tank, under the tranny, behind the license plate, in the center of the oil tank, spin on or cartridge, blah blah blah blah blah. To do it right can take 3-4 hours. Especially since to drain the primary, you have to pull it off and replace a gasket or 2. That is why you see so many converted to an open primary, cuts down the maintenace considerably.

My Savage gets complimented all the time. Even by hard-core club riders. There's just something about an elemental motorcycle (especially one with ALL the makers marks removed...  ). Nice to hear, isn't it. Get used to it, the bike is starting (finally) to gain acceptance from the motorcycling world.
-WD

And I agree with Sluggo, except, it has to fit in a vest or jacket pocket or the toolbag.

And I just found an option for my solo rear fender.....

I'm with Sluggo, I get a kick out of the guys who buy a custom bike.  That's an oxymoron, isn't it?  That friend of mine that had the Ironhorse talked about how custom his bike was, yet, I see more of them, than I do Savages.  The most insulting compliment I ever received was from a co-worker who had a Shadow Ace 1100.  He said "Cool bike, where's the other half of the motor?".  It just made it all better when he had to lose the bike to the repo man.

Highway Hawk has had QC issues with their welding and chroming for as long as they've been around. If you're willing to put in the extra time to keep them looking good, that's your prerogative.

To my eye, the fender would "flow" better if the taillight was tucked under the fender lip, like an HD catseye or Lucas knock-off. Not a real Lucas though, unless you put all new wiring in it. Lucas is known as the "Prince of Darkness" for a reason.

Sprung solo seat and fender hugging rack should look pretty good.
-WD