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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> your longest trip on your Savage /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1077755046 Message started by ironman on 02/25/04 at 16:24:06 |
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Title: your longest trip on your Savage Post by ironman on 02/25/04 at 16:24:06 What has been the longest trip any of you have made on your Savage? What weather? How many stops for rest/breaks? Average MPH? What kind of roads (2 lane, expressway?) At what speed did your Savage seem to cruise easiest? |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Kropatchek on 02/25/04 at 16:29:35 Can't tell you the lenght of the trip, but my most comfortable speed is 80 kliks or 50 M/h. That is without a windshield. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Gregski on 02/26/04 at 09:10:24 Q. What has been the longest trip any of you have made on your Savage? A. Over 150 miles in one day. Q. What weather? A. February 23, 2004 weather was: Low 44 degrees High 59 degrees Average riding weather was mid 50s sun would come out and hide again, when it was out it was glorious, othertimes it was just great Q. How many stops for rest/breaks? A. Rode 25 miles to friends house who lives across town, stopped for 20 minutes. Rode out for 50 miles stopped for about 45 minutes at another friends ranch. Turned around and rode 50 more miles stopped for about an hour at a Pizzaria. Stopped for about 20 minutes at a friends house and rode home the last 25 miles. Q. Average MPH? A. 60 Mph on the semi highway (100 miles) 40 Mph on city streets (50 miles) Q. What kind of roads (2 lane, expressway?) 50 miles on city roads (stop lights, stop signs, 1, 2 an 3 lanes) 100 miles on highway (1 lane country back road type, Jackson Highway 16 and Highway 49 in Sacramento, CA) Q. At what speed did your Savage seem to cruise easiest? A. The Savage never struggled no matter what speed not even while climbing mild hills at 60 mph in 4th or 5th gear. I rode with a guy who had a 1999 Yamaha Road Star and I could beat him off the line each time, but he was probobly not trying. I could keep up no problem, though I am not that good of a rider yet, so he kept it under 65 Mph. I recomend a longer ride such as this one to everyone who wants to learn more about the machine, after 50 or so miles the seat, handlebars, and pegs talk to you man... they say how's your lower back holding up, how's your shoulders, are your wrists tigh, are your arms ready to fall off, or not? |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by AL_DOWN_UNDER on 03/04/04 at 21:22:24 HI GUYS AL DOWN UNDER HERE . RODE MY SCOOTER FROM QUEENSLAND TO VICTORIA TWICE ABOUT 3000 KILMETERS THERE AND BACK. THREE DAYS DOWN 3 BACK . HAVE A CUPA EVERY TANKFULL . WHATS THE HURRY . SAT ON 100 TO 110 KS PER HOUR . FIRST TRIP 3 DAYS BAD BAD RAIN DID 13 HOURS FIRST DAY VERY WET .TOOK ALL OF MY ENERGY SCREWED THE REST OF THE TRIP UP . NEXT TIME AND FROM KNOW ON I DO ABOUT 6 HOURS A DAY AND EAT CRUSIE AND ENJOY .THE SAVAGE IS VERY RELIABLE BIKE NO PROBLEMS. USES A BIT OF OIL DONT KNOW WHY . ;)P.S THIS WAS ON A 86 WITH A 4 SPEED GEAR BOX |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by pa.storm on 03/05/04 at 18:45:44 330 miles round trip. It was the middle of summer so I'm guessing mid 80's. All rideing was done on 2 lane streets with the average being 55mph. Not sure on how many breaks we took but I'm guessing around 5. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by PerrydaSavage on 03/06/04 at 03:53:01 Have only had my '03 Savage on the road from Aug. 27th to Oct. 20th last year ... she's currently sleeping 'till the arrival of Spring here in Newfoundland ... Longest ride? Well on Labour Day, myself and 3 friends rode from St. John's, Nfld. to Bay Roberts, Nfld. and back ... total distance of approx. 200 km (130 miles) along some very beautiful (and twisty) coastal highways. The route took us thru some historic, "postcard" villages (Brigus, Avondale and Cupids to name a few), always with a magnificent view of the ocean! Speed limit along this highway is 60 kph with slow-downs to 50 kph thru communities. Lovely ride ... Savage never coughed once and gave approx. 50 miles/US gallon. Can't wait to get her on the Road again ... hopefully soon! |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by ironman on 03/09/04 at 13:17:29 8)keep em coming guys! I'm just trying to gather information on just how durable the Savage is. I think a good way to tell a bikes reliability and durability is to know how a bike handles longer trips. We could all ride 250s if we only hung out in town, right? Btw..My 03 Savage now has a little over 2000 miles on it and seems to be running better and better. My longest trip, 200 miles. mostly 2 or 4 lane highway Late October....frosty in the morning and warm in the afternoon on the way home. Average speed, 50-60 most comfortable crusing speed, 50-60. Savage seems to like that speed. everything seems to be in a good "click" at that speed. 3 breaks. 1 for coffee in the morn. 1 at the destination and 1 for a snack on the way home. Not one drop of oil less than when I changed it at 600 miles. I don't winterize, I ride all year as long as the weather is above 40 degrees. Local mechanic told me the Savage is like an old Volkswagen; Keep the oil changed, a good plug in it, and the valves adjusted and she'll go forever. I know a salesman at one of the local dealers who owned a Savage and put over 80,000 miles on it. Ironman Heading north for another 200 miler real soon. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by ironman on 03/24/04 at 05:15:56 Did a 162 miler with the CMA last Saturday. Savage rode with Kawas, Hondas, Yamahahas, Harleys, and 1 big ole Beemer. 16 bikes total. Savage was the only thumper in the bunch, and the smallest cc bike. Most seemed impressed with the Savage when the ride was about mid-way. One couple offered to buy it and another couple of guys ask; how much ? (looking for a bike for their friend who is new to riding.) Savage was as sound as ever as far as the mechanics go, but the seat was a "nummmer" after about an hour. 8)Had fun, and I think the Savage gained a little more respect last Saturday. Ironman Btw.....ride was flatland and some mountain roads too. Flatland open road was 60mph. mountains were as slow as 5 or 10 when we got behind a tractor on a two lane mountain road! |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Joe Fabrygel on 04/10/04 at 18:31:29 Hello all. I'm a prospective Savage owner. I'm scheduled to take motorcyle safety course in 4 weeks, and haven't ridden a bike in 20 years, and that on a ranch and over country roads. I plan on using a bike to commute to work - 25 miles with mostly 60 mph speed limit with one stretch of 10 miles at 70 mph. Would the Savage be a good bike to consider for a new rider, and would it be suitable for occasional jaunts to the Texas Hill country, or a longer weekend trip to visit my sister in Dallas? I don't plan to do high speed riding, but if I need to keep up with 70 mph traffic, will this bike do it comfortably? |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by PerrydaSavage on 04/11/04 at 09:03:32 :)Hey Joe ... no worries about the Savage man ... she's capable of pretty much anything you ask of her ... providing of course you realize she's no GXR 1000 nor a Valkerie ;) ... The Savage is a great, uncomplicated Bike! Ride and Enjoy! |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by savagethumper on 04/11/04 at 09:40:20 In reply to Joe F. The Savage does great in Texas Hill Country. I commute to Hillsboro regularly on I35. On Good Friday, I probably rode 80 miles of I35+backroads, and hardly ever fell below 65-70mph. One of the great things about the Savage is the affordability, and weight. I (along with most) can lean the bike almost all the way over, and still handle the weight. Only 352 lbs. The seat height is one of the lowest around, too. I have about 10,000 miles on my 2001, and they have been very low maintenance. Just some brake pads, and a new back tire. If your heading to Dallas, email me and I'll let you check her out. I live in the DFW area. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by savagethumper on 04/15/04 at 20:52:25 Well, Mr. Ironman, I don't know for sure what my longest trip was, but I regularly do a loop around the neighboring countryside, that is probably 150 miles or so. It is mainly on small highways. At an average of 50mph. I tend to keep it at this speed because my engine runs the smoothest at this speed. Maybe my bike needs a little tuneup, because it's a little jumpy at low speeds. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Kropatchek on 04/17/04 at 09:52:50 Don't tell me you did all these long trips on the Suzuki STANDART sadle. ::) I did 150 Km to-day with about 4 stops and my but still hurts >:( So I'm in for sadle improvements and/or replacement of another one. Any suggestions are wellcom. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by savagethumper on 04/17/04 at 10:02:41 "waynesvillecycle.com" sells a gel seat for all bikes. Might want to check it out. 8) |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by AL_DOWN_UNDER on 05/12/04 at 23:42:19 MY BUT WAS SOAR FOR ABOUT THE FIRST 12 MONTHS NOW I CAN RIDE ALL DAY . WITH A CUPA EVERY TANK FULL. I THINK THE PROBLEM IS WE ARE SITTING ON THE TAIL BONE BUT GIVEN TIME THE STOCK SEAT IS QUIT COSY. JUST KEEP RIDING AND END UP A HARD ASS LIKE ME ;D |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Petertheblacksmith on 05/14/04 at 06:36:59 Long thread... visit this forum rarely. My longest trip is a 1000 mile(1600 km) trip, 3 days, from Finland to Norway and back. Two-lane, windling countryroads. Nice. Recommend it to anyone. Bike works like a dream. As I have said multiple times before - the Savage is a great bike for touring ! ...but the standard saddle is NOT for my tushy... it is all too soft ! ;D Peter the blacksmith |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Savvyge on 09/07/04 at 20:57:16 Earlier this year in June, during the Americade Week, I did a round trip from Burlington, VT to Pittsfield, MA and back, leaving around noon and returning before dark on one of the longest, hottest days of the year. It was just under 400 miles, all of it on rural two lane roads. Ran through nearly four tanks of gas and the Savage, unlike its rider, was running stronger at the end of the day than when we began. Passed 3 dead Harleys on the way. The Savage just keeps going, and going, and... |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Greg_650 on 09/08/04 at 03:34:07 savagethumper wrote:
Waynesville Cycle is right down the road from here. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Greg_650 on 09/08/04 at 03:37:54 Petertheblacksmith wrote:
I agree. Your butt does need a little "training" if you are new to riding, but the Savage seat just doesn't have the right padding. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Chench53 on 09/08/04 at 05:30:53 My longest trip was from NYC to Myrtle Beach SC, done in two days. Total of 675 miles, and I rode with other riders. The mileage was pretty evenly divided between the days. That was back in May 2004. More recently in August '04, I rode from NYC to Dayton OH and did it alone! That was 632 miles done over two days. On day one I rode 394 miles. I rode speeds of ~70-75 mph mostly. On the return trip, I came back with others and so we came back all in one day. 630 miles in one day is really too grueling a trip for me. It took over 12 hours, which I think is a lot no matter what bike you're riding. Gerry |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by sunny on 09/08/04 at 09:20:30 longest so far: 341 miles in one day starting from my home to austin tx and back home later that evening. (last week) weather was warm(~90 degrees fahrenheit) and clear. interstate all the way. top speed in the AM was 80 mph. average speed in the AM was 75mph. top speed in the PM was 75mph. average speed in the PM was 65mph(i was tired, so went slower). stopped every 70-80 miles for fuel and a stretch. (my boss, who was with me, rides a honda vtx 1800 and gets maybe 35 mpg highway) standard seat. windsheild. my savage cruises best at about 68 mph. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Chench53 on 09/08/04 at 09:25:45 Yes, a windshield. I have one also. I find it makes any ride at 50mph or more much more pleasant :D and find it is really a necessity for my comfort. Gerry |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Savage_Rob on 09/08/04 at 11:33:02 I've only had my 98 Savage for about 8 weeks now but she already has a place in my heart. I haven't made any long trips yet. The longest is about 150 miles round-trip. She handles well and I've been riding her to work now that we've begun to have some cooler weather here in Dallas (highs in the mid 80's this week, beautiful!). My round trip to work is 48 miles and 42 of that is freeway. Nadine has no trouble keeping up with traffic on the HOV lane at 75 MPH either. She had a windshield when I got her so I can't say what the difference is without it. So far as seats go, I've been quite pleased with a sheepskin seat pad from http://www.sheepyhollow.com/. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Tim on 09/14/04 at 11:33:04 Longest single day trip was from Hopkington, MA to NYC and back. 550 miles total with a group that started with 2,300 bikes and ended up with 4,000+ by the time we reached Ground Zero. Morning was 35 degrees F and 87 degrees by the time we got to NYC. I get a little over 100 miles per tank, so had to stop often. I was a bit sore, but the Savage help up great. Also, I regularly travel from Boston to Maine to visit family. 100 miles up, 100 miles in the same day. I've figured out that 68 miles per hour is best for my bike. Very comfortable engine speed with enough power in waiting to throttle out of the way of dumb-ass no-directional drivers that feel the need to change lanes all of a sudden. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by za16866 on 09/14/04 at 13:24:26 I have done many different trips on my savage.. from 300 miles in a day to 30 mile commute to work and back...on road with a posted speed of 50 to highway with postings of 65.... i just have a question.. on my bike 50 or 55 is a great cruising speed.. very little vibration.. plenty of emergency power available... at 60 or 65 the vibes tend to get worse... not uncomfortable mind you .. but noticeable....at 70... the teeth get to chatterin... is it me.. or do we all have different tolerances for what is comfortable...? or are the bikes different? i have ridden my girlfriends 2000 plenty... my 98 has the jardine..all the carb mods that we read about in this forum... and i can pull away from her stock bike quite easily... but... i don't find any difference in the ride at speeds over 65... i dont' think my fillings could handle a 20 mile ride at a constant 70 miles an hour... am i missing something? ??? or am i just old? ;) |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Susan on 09/14/04 at 14:51:53 za16866 wrote:
Vibrations are common. Some people (like me) experience them more on the right side. Heavier footpegs and grips can help if you are feeling the vibrations in your feet or hands. For more detail and an explanation by Greg on vibration, see the topic: Vibrating on the Right (http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=RubberSideDown;action=display;num=1092337836) |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Mr 650 on 09/15/04 at 23:53:39 Well w/o looking at the map a trip from Memphis-Caruthersville MO and back via the Great River Road was likely the longest. * On the other hand, maybe Nebit MS to Corinth was a comparable Sat. P.M. ride, both trips starting aimlessly on a weekend. MO trip was near perfect weather and that was when the LS was topped out. 2nd trip was hot. MS trip got warmer as day progressed. 1st trip avg speed (w/o stops) about 60-65 mph. 2nd was about 70- 80 mph. Mostly 4-lane divided hwy. I stopped for 1st available gas after switching to reserve and upon arriving destination. Good smooth seamless asphalt both trips. Best (preferred by bike & RIDER) cruise speed is 60-64 MPH. * The 1st trip was done w/ the stock seat; the second may have seemed shorter due to the gel seat. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Daemon on 09/16/04 at 02:32:01 I just took a 300 mile trek on my 02 (Wednesday). From backroads, a canyon road, highways, and probably close to 200 miles on Interstates traveling mainly 75-80 mph flat, rolling and steep hills. Weather could have been better probably ranged from 55-65 degrees or so and a good stretch was wet so that gave me the opportunity to break in some new chaps. My bike is stock, with a windshield added on. I have the typical pipe discoloration and backfiring, I'll deal with the needle jet washer soon. I don't have any noticable vibrations at any speeds, at least nothing unusual compared to any bikes I've ever ridden. This bike is a perfect fit for me being 5'5" and 155 pds I cruise at the 75+mph and the bike could run that all day. The only problem I had on this ride was some severe head and sidewinds (35-40mph) which actually dropped my speed throttled out at 70mph going up a grade. This bike had 505 miles on it when I bought it on September 3rd and I'm now sitting at 1465 after todays ride. No problems with the stock seat, but the passenger seat will have to be changed or modified if I ever plan on bringing anyone along for a decent length ride. Love this Savage and look forward to modifying some aspects once the seasons over here. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Susan on 09/16/04 at 05:34:00 Welcome to the forum Daemon! |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Diane on 11/08/04 at 15:02:01 I did my longest ride yesterday. 164 miles round trip from Houston up to a little hole in wall town called Carlos. Not much of anything there except a roadhouse/resaurant/bar called the Yankee Tavern and that place was PACKED. It took an hour to get a burger. Mostly 2 lane, back woods state highways. Avg. speed about 50-55 with nice 35 - 45 mph gentle winding curves, a couple of 15 mph curves. Although we did have some stretches of sustained 65 mph highway. I also rolled up 1000 miles on the odometer and found out about that vibration you guys have talked about. My hands and bottom were numb! It was worse when the numb wore off. Hurts to sit down today. But all in all I say YIPEEEEEEE! |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by cphilip on 11/08/04 at 19:29:29 Well... if the weather is good this weekend I am going to ride Hwy 76 from Anderson SC all the way to Dalton Ga.... 164 miles each way. All by myself. All through the North Georgia mountains and valleys. Then back on Sunday. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Max_Morley on 11/09/04 at 17:27:17 My longest trip was 3rd week June 03 when my brother and I went from Moses Lake to Lander Wyoming and back via Eastern Oregon. Purpose was to attend the FSSNOC Rally there.(FSSNOC = Four Stroke Singles National Owners Club - serious thumper guys and gals)) About 2400 miles. Left Moses Lake in beautiful weather on 2 laners and got to Idaho that night. Was raining the next day but we forged on over hill and dale and finally called it a day after lots of rain and cold weather. Last day enroute was over a 9000 ft pass and it snowed and was cold. I have an edging on my windshield and the snow was built up about 1/2 in. on the shield. I'm sure had there not been a Rally we would have turned tail and headed for home or warmer places. Great Rally and then we left via the southern route on the slab. Slabbed across Idaho to Boise (got some HD brake parts for him) and then headed over two laners again from Vail OR to John Day OR where I have relatives. spent the night there and visited and the headed home, was 105 deg and no wind coming down the hill on the south side of Pendleton, OR. Glad to have mesh jackets for that part. Savage ran great, used over a qt of oil in the cold part I can only attribute to the cold air from my fairing distorting the cylinder to the point the 20/50 sythentic went by the rings. It doesn't seem to burn as blue as dino as my brother said he never saw any smoke. Has not reocurred so is the only explanation I can think of. Ran with traffic on the slab, but I was running a 140/90 tire at the time and it changed the sweet spot up some in MPH. I have very little vibration at any speed and would encourage any who do to check all engine to frame fasteners for correct torque. Over the years I found that loosened fasteners make singles vibrate. I also have a full fairing and a shield before that so may change the tendency for the handle bars to vibrate as they clamp on there. Couple other 3 -4 day trips with my brother and his wife around WA, he rides a HD bagger and she a VS800 here and a Savage in Juneau AK where they live. she has ridden the Savage from Anchorage AK around AK and the Yukon to Haines AK, then from Prince Rupert BC to WA and around, they are bike campers. Now they leave a set of bikes here in a trailer as moving them to and from SE AK was getting expensive. Hoping for a big trip next spring to SE WA with them to our equivalent of "Deals Gap". Many turns in a few miles up and down to the Grand Rhonde river. Max ::) |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Junkboy on 11/10/04 at 13:09:06 So far just about 100 miles round trip. It needed to be longer. When we came back I just rode right past our driveway and kept going. Handled great. I drove about 70MPH the way there give or take slower cars in front. up and down hills and curvy road. great ride. no loss of power even with gf on back. I was going to try to talk my gf into riding cross country next summer, but that will have to wait. we will just have to rent a car this time. too much stuff to take with out $ for a motorcycle trailer and all the other stuff we would need. I am shooting a documentary, so quite a bit of stuff to carry. I think I may want to buy a bigger bike in the future for long cross country rides. One with big cushy seats and lots of storage options. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by sluggo on 11/10/04 at 13:43:04 the longest trip on my savage is more a philosphical trip than an actual trip. it's the 40 ft walk from the grarage to the house after i've put it away for the day. :( earler this month i did a 500 mile day ride though the mountains of washington state. saw mt rainer, mt st helens. and a couple of more i dont know the name of. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by cphilip on 11/12/04 at 16:19:53 Ok well I am packed and about ready to leave out in the morning. Its more like 194 miles now to were I am going. All through the SC lower Mountains and then down the spine of the Georgia Mountains and its valleys. Through Clayton and down across to Dalton following Hwy 76 all the way. Staying the night there and then returning Sunday. Going solo. All by myself. Well for the trip anyways. Going to meet up with a big group thats doing a Toys for Tots Paintball event down there in Georgia. The company I admin the site for is sponsoring and going to be site members from that Forum in large numbers there. They will be playing starting in the morning but I won't get there till early afternoon. Mostly going to press the flesh and party with them. Supposed to be about a 4 hour trip down but since I am solo I am going to slow down and not get myself in any trouble if I can. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Susan on 11/12/04 at 20:10:34 cphilip - Have a blast and ride safe! We'll be thinking of you. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by cphilip on 11/15/04 at 10:55:52 I made it! Up and back was pretty cold. Unfortunatley the roads through the mountains were still a bit damp on the way up. So I was not able to attack any of them. Was pretty cold all the way up. No sun and never got above 55 all day. Mostly below that. Started out at 45. Had no real problems up. 4 hours and three breaks. My new Leather HD FXRG Jacket was superb at keeping the upper body warm. I was mostly toasty all the way. The ride back was uneventfull mostly. I ran out of fuel in between towns when I tried to push it to the next one 12 miles away. On a short stretch of 65 mph road. Could not reach the fuel lever in time to avoid a shut down and was at 65 when it occured so I just coasted off to the side, set it to prime, and restarted, Then switched to Reserve and made it on in to a gas station. Man was I sore though. After each trip I felt like someone had beaten me with a ball bat. Arms and knee's. Still got a bit of sprained knee. Don't klnow why. Takes a lot of muscles to ride that you end up using more than you think. Always somewhat tense and talking to yourself the whole time. Its intense! But fun! But tireing... Trip back was all sunshine but cold. Like 50 - 55. Looked nicer but was a tad colder feeling. Saw some interesting wildlife. Turkey, Deer.... and Buffalo... yea in North Georgia! Being tired as I was I decided that, dry roads or not I was not going to attack any curves. My Cel phone had died earlier in the day... my head was a tad still latent hungover and it was just not the safe thing to do. So inspite of wanting too and many beckoning twisties ahead, I layed low and slowed down below my normal cornering speeds. I was alone and all so it just was not worth it. Left home at 9:30 am Saturday. Stopped by my workshop and checked the tire pressure and oil one more time. Double checked my strap on bag of clothes and got on the road about 10:30 AM. Got down to Dalton about 3 PM. Left Dalton at 11:30 AM Sunday and got in to the house about 5 PM Just as the Sun was setting low and it was getting colder. Had to stop up in the mountains and change from the light gloves to the heavy ones. I think it ended up being 165 miles each way. And then some running around there. All told just a tad under 400 miles round trip. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by memetr on 07/19/07 at 05:41:38 My wife and I did a 2600 mile trip. She on her savage me on my sportster. Took two lane Roads. Rode from maryland to tennessee. Rode the Dragon, and part of the Blue Ridge Pkwy. Ran about 250 miles per day in August. Weather in the 90s. Rain all day for 3 days on way back. Absolutely no problem with Bike. We were camping and both bikes were loaded. we were two weeks on the road, including days spent in camp grounds. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by skrapiron on 07/19/07 at 06:33:24 I rode from my house (North of Pittsburgh) to Morgantown, Wv (96 miles), then east to Somerset Pa (85 miles), then home again (110 miles) in one day. (I'm a field service rep (like the maytag man)) The whole trip used less than 5 gallons of fuel and I rode anywhere from 55mph all the way to 75mph (in Wva). After about 4 hours, my back side started hurting and my legs got tired from hugging the tank for so long... |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Rockin_John on 07/19/07 at 09:29:42 Hard to answer the original questions directly... Some general answers: I've not taken either of my Savages on any long road trips. Probably never will, as I don't deem them or myself fit for such. These bikes (87 and 99) are happiest in the 55-60mph range, but capable of cruising at 70+ if you are tolerant of it. I'm not without a windshield any more, and neither of my Savages have one. Hence, longest stretch of 'slab' at or about 70mph so far is probably about 50 miles. I'd rather ride the back roads. My typical riding is just heading out with no particular place to go. Often turning down roads I notice, just because "I've never been down that one before." This is also typical of me, as I did the same on foot and bicycle as a kid. No telling how far from home I'll roam on any given trip when I do that. I also have some standard 'circuits' of two-lane blacktop close to home that I run around for short occasional rides. Sometimes those rides are as little as 10-25 miles just to break boredom. These rides are usually in the 30 to 60mph range, and can be ridden either at leisure or more aggressively depending on my state of mind. Sometimes I just want to putt along, and might stop just to have a smoke and moo back at the cows ;) Other times I feel like riding the piss out of the poor little Savages, and scrubbing some rubber off the tires here and there! I know I've ridden the tank from full to empty in one sitting many times, several times on each bike. And then some more on the way home. But I've never been more than two tanks from home and back, so that means no trips over 200 miles in a day yet. Probably a bit over 150 in a day has happened a few times, and that is plenty to wear me out, and make the butt plenty sore, whether it is the shaved foam stock seat on the 99, or the Sportster seat on the 87. As some have mentioned, the miles get easier on the butt the more you ride, but the Savage's cramped riding position and seat position still isn't the best suited for 5' 10"+ and 250+ pounds. Only been caught out in the heavy rain twice on the Savages. Once about 30 miles from home, and wearing only a light shirt in cool (60s?) weather. 60s feels like 40s when you are wet and moving 40+mph! The other time I got caught in the rain, I had on my full riding gear, but had no rain suit with me. (I need to buy and carry a rain suit, as should any real biker.) Had to ride about 10 miles home in the driving rain. It was a real toad floater, and I had to ride a two-lane blacktop home with cars and trucks smothering me with tire wash very often. That sucked. My overalls and jacket felt like they weighed about 50 pounds when I got back home and dismounted the bike. Like I said: Not easy to answer all the original questions straight out, what with my type of riding. But within the above, all the questions are answered in one way or another. Addition: Thought I'd mention that; though I've only ridden the two Savages less than 3k miles since starting back riding this time, I've not had a road-stranding failure of any kind on the yet. They've been extremely bulletproof compared to many other bikes I've owned over the years. Rivaling my favored Yamaha bikes from the past in reliability. That's pretty good in my book. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by firsts40 on 07/19/07 at 11:02:47 :) I think the longest ride I have taken was around 440 miles in one day. It was with the PGR. Roads: almost all interstate Weather: around 45 in the AM, and around 60 in the PM Speed: Average around 65-70. Mostly sunny to partly cloudy. Stops: Every 75-100 miles for gas and to drain kidneys Comfort: Not too bad Other Bikes: Mostly Harleys and other large bikes Comments from others: "I am impressed!", "what the Heck is that ?!" ??? ??? Problems: 0 Gas Milage: 58 MPG Stability: Pretty Good (before Superbrace, now great) Best Criusing Speed: One stretch we slowed down for about 15 miles, and it was very comfortable around 55-60 MPH. Windshield: Yes Saddle Bags: Yes Performance Mods: 0 May I also add I was flying to 12" X 14" flags off the back of the back rest about mid back high. I also would rather ride the back two lanes around 50-55MPH. But the 06 S40 can handle the Super Slabs quite well within reason. ;D ;D 8) 8) |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Jack_650 on 07/19/07 at 21:19:04 The most recent trip I've done was this last week. I did about 2,500 miles from wednesday afternoon through this evening (thursday) round trip from south central Minnesota to Chapel Hill, NC. There was a three day layover down there for a high school band reunion, but I don't think that wrecks the concept of long haul bikin'. I was averging about 450 or so miles a day. Two of those days included about eight hours each in chilly rain and wind. Another was about three hours in nasty, windy, thunder storm downpour out on the big slab. Bike did great. I froze my tukus. Last summer I did a 4,200 mile round trip from here in MN to Miami, FL. Hundred degree days every day with a five day layover down there. Don't do Miami in August if you can help it. Ran syth oil and changed it when I got back and it was still a pretty greenish yellow, sort of. On both trips I got backed up for time on the way down and had to push the poop out of the bike and it just cruised. This last trip I was blowing a little oil out the bottom, but I blame that on pushin' 75-80 mph for long stretches at a time. One time I "had to" sit around 85 mph for around twnty miles. Bike likes to rattle up there, but kept pulling and still had throtle left even hauling 180# of me and about 70# of stuff. All the gunk washed off and on the return trip there was nothing to speak of but road/rain dirt. Get over 60 mph and the vibration's gonna get to you. Keep the stock seat setup and you'll be looking for a therapist to rub novacane on your bottom for you. Since I now have about eight gallons of fuel on board I seem to keep torturing my hinnie which gives me a great excuse to stop and read in the shade with a diet coke and such for a spell. I got the bike 'cause it was easy to work on, not too heavy to pick up "when" it lies down and seemed to have enough power to do long trips. It was my first bike and so far I see no reason to "trade up". I do a lot of backwoods boonies trippin' with dirt roads and it does the job. And now I've got a trailer hitch too. I wouldn't mind a more comfortable bike for L-O-N-G highway trips though. I have a friend with a 1200 Kawasaki who gets around 52 mpg on the highway and rides nicer than most Wings, which might be the bike to get her to hop on the back for trips. But, bottom line, you want to go the distance the Sav will do it. Watch the oil. Jack |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Polar_Pilot on 07/20/07 at 14:12:12 Longest trip would be 10 days with all my gear on board for a camping trip into the Rockies - we rode about 4000 kms on that trip Longest day was just over 600 miles and after than run I bought an air hawk seat pad to over come the torture pad that Suzuki engineered for this fine scooter You can run the Savage on all highways - and cruise it hard all day long - but the slow twisty highways are always the most interesting! |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by stinger on 07/22/07 at 02:06:25 last year i rode from portland or to illinois, traveled thru 11 states. Put on almost 6,000 miles on my savage in 6 weeks. Rode all day at 65 to 70. rode from missoula montana to portland in a blinding rainstorm. 550 miles. Bike ran perfect |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by mornhm on 07/23/07 at 05:10:35 What has been the longest trip any of you have made on your Savage? I had a couple of 400 mile day trips on my Savage. What weather? I rode in any weather as long as the roads were not completely covered with ice and snow (and then sometimes...) I made one long trip in below freezing weather and decided that really wasn't much fun. I think I dropped my body core temperature. I know my hands and arms were cold. How many stops for rest/breaks? Good news bad news, gotta stop every couple of hours for gas. I started looking for a gas station at 100 miles ridden and rarely had to go into the reserve. Average MPH? Hard to say, but never averaged over 65 mph. This wasn't by choice but by the fact that the Savage engine really wasn't comfortable going faster. (I've done 100 mph days on my Concours). What kind of roads (2 lane, expressway?) All kinds of roads, I used the Savage for transportation. At what speed did your Savage seem to cruise easiest? There wasn't a "sweet spot" that I ever found, so anything up to about 60 mph was the same, good but not "sweet." (The Concours has a sweet spot between 85 and 90 mph. My wife's vulcan cruises "sweet" at 55 mph, probably by design.) |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by skatnbnc on 07/23/07 at 12:10:44 Longest trip - not don it yet, but working on it. Want to ride up the east coast to Nova Scotia. Ferries will be involved at some point. ;) Weather - All sorts. Skipped on the black ice day tho. Stops - always for gas, once for a water break. Usually about 100 miles. Average MPG - 50+ (i am really bad at keeping track of it) Roads - tarmac, concrete, some hard pack dirt roads and highway Speed - here is why I chimed into this post at all; I find my 06 has a highway 'sweet spot' at 70 mph. Runs like a happy purring machine at that speed for as long as my butt can stand it. But it does not seem that many other people have that higher speed as a comfortable ride. Is it because I am on a newer bike? |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by Starlifter on 07/23/07 at 13:09:04 Interesting point. My bike (2005) runs very smooth at 70 also. I wonder if that is because of the 5th gear added around model year 2004 or 2005 ? |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by JakeB on 07/24/07 at 18:07:40 Did about 160 miles on friday with 3 stops averaging about 55 to 60 miles per hour and 66 miles/gallon. And another 160 miles on sunday no stops averaging about 70 to 75 miles per hour and 50 miles/gallon. This was on an 87 with 4 speed and very loud custom exhuast, ears and butt were only things that hurt. |
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Title: Re: your longest trip on your Savage Post by BigWes on 07/24/07 at 20:32:59 so far, only 50 miles local. lol, i lose |
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