Hey guys, I thought I'd just say a quick 'hello' because I've been away for a while.

Long story, short.  About a year ago, my girlfriend and I made an impromptu decision to sell everything (the Savage, and few sentimental items, excluded) and head off on an indefinite caravan trip around this beautiful country of Australia. The concept was to 'free-camp'. Here in Aus that just means we avoid caravan parks and utilise campsites, roadside stops etc. We figured we'd see how far we could get then find a new place to live.

We managed a lap, and a trip down and up the centre to see Ayers Rock (Uluru), which I managed to climb, about three months before it was permanently closed to the public!

Anyhoo, jump forward a year, and we have found a new place. I've secured work in a field I've never worked before ... and I just got my little bike back!! (among other things, there are so many great places to ride around here)

I kind of put the bike etc out of my mind, but I can tell ya, it feels great to have her back. I let the registration run out because I had no idea when I'd have her back on the road. So I have to make some 'undo mods' to get her re-registered, and then make some mods back again to get her back to what I had. I also have to clean-up a couple of things from a little spill I had not long before we left! (I'll probably post about that at some point).

I managed to get her started which was lovely. But she hadn't warmed up yet and when I dropped the throttle she cut out. Then, I'm pretty sure, the battery died (it's four years old and has been sitting on a shelf for 12 months). But it was a very nice 90 seconds to hear that Savage thump.

So, first on the agenda is to get a new battery and make sure she's running ok. Then I need to swap back to the stock muffler, organise a license plate light and a rear reflector, repair a damaged rear/right turn signal, throw the stock mirrors on, get a temporary 'non-registered vehicle permit', get the roadworthy certificate, get her registered - and ride.

And of course make my original mods back again!!

Aaaand, beyond that I have two main projects for the not too-distant future: 1) Install the high-comp piston I got through Lancer before I left and, 2) I'm working on a set of forward controls - I bought a set of Ed's 4" controls but I reckon I only need about 2.5", so I'm going to see if I can make a set based off the set I got from Ed.

If you've read this far, then thank you very much  

This site was a real joy to me when I was on here regularly, as was the bike itself. I 'met' so many nice people, got some great advice, and even got some real practical assistance from generous members here.

I'm looking forward to being involved in the Savage community again.

Welcome back.

MMRanch wrote on 11/26/19 at 07:57:25:




Hey MMRanch,

That's a real nice looking setup and I reckon it could work on the Savage - with a little of the usual manipulation! However, it wouldn't be legal where I am.

We need to have separate brake lights and turn signals, and the turn signals need to be spaced at least as wide as the license plate (that's a new development because it used to be something like 300 mm between the turn signals).

I have the rear lights setup how I like it, and they're legal, but I damaged one of them when I went down. It should be a pretty simple fix.

jcstokes wrote on 11/26/19 at 18:55:21:



Spot on Mate! - I'm back in Victoria, but right on the New South Wales border. Those who know traffic police would say I'm on the right side of the border.


The main issue I have to address is actually the muffler. They are really strict on that. I kept the stock muffler, because a dealer once told me that not having the stock muffler available, with a second hand bike, made it a lot less desirable as a trade in (not that I ever planned on trading it in) - it just seemed a good idea to keep it, and it turned out it was!

I asked the local guy who does Road Worthy Certificates (RWC) and he said the stock muffler was a must - and he was pretty relaxed about the rest of it. I think it's an emissions thing, and also a sound level thing.


Anyhow, I got a replacement battery today, but won't have time to put it in until the weekend. Hopefully, she'll at least be running on Saturday!!

IslandRoad, welcome back!  (how's your float level   )