SuzukiSavage.com - Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again!

Dave YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 18314 Camp Springs, Kentucky Gender:	Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again! Reply #285 - 03/20/16 at 14:59:32 Yamaha 820 Virago. You have to shop around and search for bargains....complete units can go for $ 400! There is a Suzuki GS1100E that has a similar headlight - but the bucket has a larger hole in the backside.
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DesertRat Serious Thumper Offline I love rat bikes! Posts: 1569 Arizona	Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again! Reply #286 - 03/20/16 at 16:10:39 thanks again Dave
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savagekidd

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Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again!
Reply #287 - 06/12/16 at 22:49:19

I really like this clean transformation from one spectrum to another on this build Dave.

Very well executed.

I noticed the hex head bolts in your bar clamps, in lieu of the allen bolts...
What MM length did you use for those? 40... ?

My 30 year old bolts are hard to deal with. Broke one off in the clamp, then broke an extractor inside of it... Tongue

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Dave

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Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again!
Reply #288 - 06/13/16 at 03:33:46

savagekidd wrote on 06/12/16 at 22:49:19:

I noticed the hex head bolts in your bar clamps, in lieu of the allen bolts...
What MM length did you use for those? 40... ?

My 30 year old bolts are hard to deal with. Broke one off in the clamp, then broke an extractor inside of it... Tongue

If the Savage (and most other bikes) are left outside, the fasteners and aluminum parts corrode, and it does become hard to get things apart after many years of corrosion takes a toll.

I don't know/remember what size bolts......I just took the original bolts with me and matched them up at the hardware store.....and used stainless. We have a really good hardware store that stocks metric fasteners in stainless.

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justin_o_guy2

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Re: Thumpin' Special......The project begins!
Reply #289 - 05/25/17 at 12:04:38

Dave wrote on 01/21/13 at 04:58:32:

I LOOOOOOOVE my workshop, and I spend hours and hours in it. I was a bachelor until I was 38 and lived in an apartment without a garage, and then when I got married we bought a house and I had my first garage that was tiny and cold. I have spent a lot of cold hours working on things with mediocre tools out in the cold. We saved up money for 10 years and then were able to build the house and garage of our dreams.....and in another 10 years it will be paid for. We have an outdoor wood boiler and it heats the garage and house in the winter, and I have tubing in the concrete floor that circulates hot water from the boiler and my garage is nice and toasty! I bought a metal cutting bandsaw and a lathe a few years back, and I have a MIG welder......and those tools open up a whole world of possibilities. I have a freind with a TIG welder and the ability to use it......and sometimes that it better than my MIG for welding.

Spending time in my garage is good therapy for me....... Shocked

That's so cool.. Good Going..

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madmikesmech Full Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 227 Olean ny Gender:	Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again! Reply #290 - 05/25/17 at 17:21:49 Nice work Dave, real nice
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madmikesmech

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Re: Thumpin' Special......The project begins!
Reply #291 - 05/25/17 at 18:07:30

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 05/25/17 at 12:04:38:

Dave wrote on 01/21/13 at 04:58:32:

I LOOOOOOOVE my workshop, and I spend hours and hours in it. I was a bachelor until I was 38 and lived in an apartment without a garage, and then when I got married we bought a house and I had my first garage that was tiny and cold. I have spent a lot of cold hours working on things with mediocre tools out in the cold. We saved up money for 10 years and then were able to build the house and garage of our dreams.....and in another 10 years it will be paid for. We have an outdoor wood boiler and it heats the garage and house in the winter, and I have tubing in the concrete floor that circulates hot water from the boiler and my garage is nice and toasty! I bought a metal cutting bandsaw and a lathe a few years back, and I have a MIG welder......and those tools open up a whole world of possibilities. I have a freind with a TIG welder and the ability to use it......and sometimes that it better than my MIG for welding.

Spending time in my garage is good therapy for me....... Shocked

That sounds like a real dream shop!! And the possibilities are ENDLESS!
I AGREE, TIME IN MY "SHOP" IS GREAT THEROPY.
my shop consists of 3 separate buildings! A one car garage, a tractor outbuilding, and a small barn. Where ever there is room, is where stuff gets worked on!!!
Nothing in comparison to yours!! But I have many years that I've had to work outside, so it's heaven to me!!!

That's so cool.. Good Going..

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1999 Savage, basically stock, except drag bars, 4"risers,Jardine turn out muffler, Raptor petcock, Verslagen modified cam chain adjuster,4" forward controls

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norm92de Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 1180 El Paso TX Gender:	Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again! Reply #292 - 05/25/17 at 18:13:43 Dave, You do indeed do nice work! Really great!
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Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again!
Reply #293 - 05/25/17 at 20:44:10

Dave is talented with metal work indeed! I do better with woodworking. Wonder what that red vehicle in the back ground of his garage is. Years ago I even had a folding bed in my garage. Along with the refridgerator, TV etc. We basically ceeded the living room in the house to the kids, & spent our time in the garage.
I swung by my pals house today; his truck was parked there, the garage door was opened, but I could not get him to come out; I revved the engine, I honked the horn, but no success! He is hard of hearing, so do I need 'more power' to get his attention? Like something that will rattle his windows?

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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again! Reply #294 - 05/26/17 at 06:29:11 Yeah, I sometimes go deaf,too, Depending on who is trying to get my attention and what time it is.
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buster6315 Senior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 384	Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again! Reply #295 - 05/26/17 at 06:39:07 Ah yes! The old 'dead ear' treatment!
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Grinin

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Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again!
Reply #296 - 02/22/19 at 09:20:31

Dave I've really enjoyed following this build. I know its written somewhere, but I cant find it. Where is the 8" headlight bucket from ?
What was the reason for going with the triple tree change?
Love to hear if you tested the 130 back tire on the 3.50 rim and what did you like best?
Keep up the good work. Little is written about how to make the LS 650 better handling.

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Grinin YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 21	Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again! Reply #297 - 02/22/19 at 09:27:00 Found the headlight info. Still interested in the tire and fork answers.
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Dave

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Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again!
Reply #298 - 02/22/19 at 17:23:54

I changed the triple trees to allow the use of a top yoke with a clamp....so I could lower the forks without using spacers and limiting fork travel. It turned out the offset of the RM250 was less and it resulted in an increase in the trail....the bike became very stiff to turn. Since then I changed to an aftermarket top clamp with the stock Savage offset and it turns much nicer.

I like the 3.50x18 rear rim and it allows me to use a 130/70-18 tire properly, and it looks wide like modern bikes - however I believe a 120/80-18 tire on a 2.50x18 rim is appropriate as well and provides plenty of tire to handle the weigh and HP......just looks a bit narrow if you are used to wide sport bike and cruiser looks - it is still wider than they used on the old Norton's, BMW's, Triumphs and similar bikes from the 60's. The 120/80 tire and rim assembly is lighter and will probably provide more performance.

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Grinin

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Re: Thumpin' Special......On The Road Again!
Reply #299 - 02/25/19 at 05:22:58

Dave youve discovered ways to make LS 650 more fun and I appreciate it.

You have mentioned switching to the Battleax tire for the harder center compound. Has that worked for increasing tread life for straight up riding while giving the corner holding traction you want?

Youve mentioned that the 18" tire is a larger diameter tire. This seems it would through of the speedo some and make it a bit sluggish on acceleration compared to the stock diameter.

You mentioned different Kawasaki pulleys. Could you share what youve learned about the pulleys.

You also mentioned that maybe you should have have tried using 17" wheels instead.
I believe you are going for the cafe look and the 18's would be more accurate but the 17's could be good. I wonder how that would look? I guess same height as stock but less chunky. I will look for pix. 8
I love the lightweight flat track look but only as a guideline. Im planning to use bits from several differents styles. Flat track handlebars, stockish solo seat and location. Maybe a modified fiberglass Harley front fender for a rear fender. Bigger headlight similar to what you did. It seems 7 inch headlights are easier to find. Maybe some kind of Lucas type tailight. Maybe a little different looking gas tank.

The wheels, tires and suspension setup seems like the hard part for me.
Im not a knee dragger but I like something that feels kinda fun. Im interested in sport bike feeling tires but love the looks of flat track tires and wire wheels.
To me sportsbikes are just for going fast and I want more from a bike. I like a bike to look a little old school and not too high tech. Ive always liked the looks of the cafe racer but I've discovered I cant tolerate the squashed down feeling of using clipons or sportsman type handlebars. Oh well, to each his own.

Thanks for your hard work Dave. I look forward to your reply.

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