The front was worse.  I really shouldn’t have been riding on these old tires.

Regarding the engine, the 94mm flat-top now had 10,000 miles on it (actually 12,250 miles if you consider the 2250 miles I logged on the first build).  It was running well.  Power was great, vibration normal, temperatures normal (180 oil/280 CHT), oil pressure normal (7psi @ 4000 rpm with 200°F oil temp), fuel economy excellent, and oil consumption the same (about 8 ounces every 1100 miles).
 
But noise levels were up significantly, and the clutch was getting real grabby and unpredictable.

At around 8500 miles, it started rattling.  I thought it might be developing some piston slap.  After all, the cylinder had been honed several times for various projects, and I lean toward the loose side on forged pistons.  But by the 10,000-mile mark that sucker was making a loud metallic rattle.  The rattle was most pronounced when I throttled up in neutral.  This was more than just some minor piston slap.  I needed to address the noise immediately.  This YouTube vid tells the story.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KUhN_OHQhmo

The clutch noise (squeal) I reported at the 7000-mile inspection was now louder.  And as I mentioned, the clutch was starting to get grabby and unpredictable.  I could live with it, but the average bear wouldn’t like the lack of a smooth progressive engagement.  Time to take a look.

The spark plug looked the same.  Nothing to be concerned over, but I would prefer a cleaner plug.  I run unleaded fuel.  These deposits don’t seem normal to me, but my Savage has always had a dirty lookin plug, even when it was stock and super-lean.  Gap was about .034” to .035”.  I reset the gap to .031”.  This is a very old spark plug, but it works just fine so it’s goin back in.

Valve clearance was still .005” intakes and .006” exhausts.  The Cagiva valve adjusters are working really good, and the valve train does not appear to be wearing.  Based on the study I recently did on the effect of valve lash on valve closing velocity, I reset all the valves to .003”.  Let’s take it easy on those valves, place them on the seat gently, respect those heavy RD springs.

I didn’t find anything of concern in the clutch.  One of the seven fiber plates had a little bit of grooving in the friction material.  The other six plates looked brand new.  They were all .115” thick, right up to factory fresh spec.

The clutch basket looked good to me.  It wasn’t loose on the input shaft spacer.  The bronze bushing had no visual indication of distress or wear.  It wasn’t pinched between the input shaft thrust washers, and the thrust faces were smooth.  No unusual wear or notching on the tangs.

The clutch hub flange was smooth, and the nut was good and tight.  Nothing here to explain the grabby engagement or the squealing noise.

The input shaft spacer and thrust washers had a little fretting or scoring.  The hub nut was tight when I disassembled the clutch, and the basket turned smooth as silk on the input shaft spacer.  Could the sleeve and/or washers be turning with the basket?  I guess it’s conceivable that I might need a little more thrust clearance, but it would be tricky to add a few more thousandths of an inch.   I guess I could try a stepped washer, or possibly manufacture a slightly longer spacer.