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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1131936685 Message started by cigaro on 11/13/05 at 18:51:25 |
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Title: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by cigaro on 11/13/05 at 18:51:25 I came to my Savage through a circuitous, though seemingly preordained route. Got a license 32 years ago, rode a year, then stopped because bike (a Harley Sprint 250) was on loan and I was dumping the bike regularly because I didn't really know what I was doing. Fast forward to this summer, 2005. I was on vacation in August and spyed a copy of Road Bike Ride Metric at the local market in Door County (Door County is like Cape Cod, except closer and less populated). I was infatuated with the Suzuki Boulevard M50 featured in the Road Bike issue, bought the magazine and pored over it for a month or so. I suddenly knew I had to try riding again, though I wasn't even completely clear why I had to. I just did. So started haunting my local Yamaha-Honda-Suzuki dealer and immediately saw that a Boulevard M50 was too big and heavy, and expensive. All of the C50s and Yamaha V-Stars were too heavy. I ended up narrowing my search down to due budgetary concerns and three bikes: 2001 Honda ACE 750 Deluxe, a '97 Kawasaki Vulcan Classic 800 and the 2004 (it was brand new) purple Suzuki Savage 650. Both the Kawasaki and Honda, while both very nice bikes, felt too heavy (at least for now) to this neo-newbie. The Honda was around 550 lbs. The Savage just felt right, like I could manage it, get it up if it fell down, and it looked really cool, the way I thought a motorcycle should look. Just a classic bare bones motorcyle, very similar to the Triumphs and BSAs I remembered from 30 years ago. The kind that Steve McQueen would ride. Haven't regretted the Savage one minute since purchase in early October and now completely obsess over it. Can't believe I would have such strong feelings or affection for a material possession. What I didn't count on was the worldwide Savage Community, or such a cool bunch of people who ride them, proudly post their photos, help each other with tips and regularly check into this message board. I really now believe that it does take a special person to choose to ride a Savage. It takes a real individual, not a follower of fashion..... |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by babbalou on 11/13/05 at 19:19:34 I remember when the first ones came out. I read a few road tests on them & always wanted one. Was bummed when they dropped it for a few years & glad when they brought it back. I read the piece in Rider magazine on the white spacer years ago & clipped it out & saved it for the day I got my Savage. Finally, in 2005 a new bike was in the budget (or close enough) & I got my S40. Shortly after I found this website doing Savage searches in Google. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by lancer on 11/13/05 at 19:23:17 Well said. I have been a big single fan for almost 40 years. My Savage was a FATHERS DAY gift from my son...the first significant purchase he made after finishing school and getting a significant job....he is a good boy. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by magicfairy on 11/13/05 at 19:36:54 Got my license riding round the block 20 years ago on a Nifty Fifty (in NZ) Rode scooters for commuting on and off for 20 years, got sick of alway being pillion on my partners Hayabusa and decided to learn how to ride a real bike this year. Bought a second hand sports bike. Honda NT650, low but now low enough. (I am 5ft 1") Kept dropping it when I got caught out on high ground, was just about to go back to a scooter but called into local motorcycle shop to talk about my options, and luckily the sales guy really talked me into looking at the S40 cos it was low and lightweigh. Perfect, I could put my feet down. Bought it brand new, no test ride bike available, white. Loved it from Day 1. 1200 kilometers later (in 6 weeks) I still love it, haven't dropped it, confidence regained. Sure it backfires (will sort that one day - seen the info on the white spacer) has no fuel guage / trip meter (sorted with a luggage lock) but I still love it to bits. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by RadarORiley on 11/13/05 at 19:49:27 Had a Yamaha V-Star 650, loved the balance of the bike but being vertically challenged, (4'11"), Had trouble reaching the brakes and touching more than a tippy toe. I let my son-in-law have it. A local shop was building me a bike & when it was finished, someone made him an offer on it & I agreed he should sell it. (Another v-star, lowered, etc.) He called one day & said he had a bike for me, I drove over & fell in love, could reach both the ground and the brakes. The price was a 1/3 of what the other bike was, weight was perfect. After I got it home, started looking for one for #2 daughter. She also loves hers. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by babbalou on 11/13/05 at 20:05:45 babbalou wrote:
oops, I meant I bought mine in 2004, not 2005. gettin' old! :P |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by BS37066 on 11/13/05 at 21:38:50 I took the MSF course on a 250 thumper about the same size as an S40. Wanted something similar, but the local bike shop sponsoring the MSF course didn't have anything in that size. I hunted around until I found a dealer that had some 250's. Sitting right next to them was a black S40. Love at first sight. I'm 5'9, 190 lbs and it suits me perfect for the local highways. I like the ease of maintenance, too. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Kaishaku on 11/13/05 at 22:54:07 *grumbles* I already have a (non-savage) bike, but you guys keep making me want a savage! |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Hammy211 on 11/13/05 at 23:17:32 Price. I budgeted $3000 for bike, helmet, jacket, pants, gloves, msf course, taxes and insurance. It seemed by far the best of the few choices I had. Having it has shown me many other positive though. It's big downside for me was the highway performance and muffler sound. A little tuning took care of that. I hope that down the road I will be able to take advantage of its ease of maintenence, but as of now I have had no problems with it. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by PerrydaSavage on 11/14/05 at 02:30:19 Well, I came to the LS650 via an old '85 Rebel ... was coming home from Rebel Riding back in the summer of '03 when a guy who lives up the street from me went zipping by on a rather beat-up old Bike that had a cool "thumping" sound. Curiousity got the better of me, so I backed the Reb out the drive and rode up the block to check out his Bike and introduce myself. Said Bike turned out to be a rather neglected old '87 Savage that the guy had inherited from his brother ... it had spent many years outside without a cover and was very rusty ... I was intrigued, as I hadn't seen anything like it before ... and when I sat on it, it fit me perfectly! So, from that point on, I started researching Suzuki's LS and read everything I could find about the Bike and planned to buy one the following spring ... but by August, I found on-line, a dealership in Toronto that had discounted their stock of '03 LS650's by almost $1500!! Made my mind up then to sell the Reb and see if I could get myself a new Savage ... and within 2 weeks, I had sold the Rebel and had a brand new teal green LS parked in my shed! She's a great 'lil Bike and I am proud to own her! |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by lancer on 11/14/05 at 09:13:19 Kaishaku wrote:
There is only one cure for this deep seated craving...you have to get one for yourself. THEN you will be satisfied...and it does feel ohhhh sooooo goooood..............................especially if you perk it up a bit. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by franch on 11/14/05 at 11:38:01 I sold a 4 wheeler for 1300 with the intent of buying a motorcycle and found a 98 savage in the want ad for 1200. looked it up on line and liked the looks, the light weight, the ease of maintenance. then i went and bought it at 6:30 the next morning. best decision i ever made(with regards to anything motorized) the best decision i ever made was going out on a date 20 years ago with my now wife. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Paladin on 11/14/05 at 14:56:00 First bike was a CA110 Honda Sport 50 in 1964. Longest owned bike was a Yamaha DT175, 1974 - 1987. Had a 500cc liquid cooled V-twin Honda, full fairing, in GB for five weeks toured most of the island. Had a GS450E with quicksilver fairing for about six months, took it L.A. to Seatle and back. Stopped riding when got married with kids, circa 1987. A few years ago the wife got a job, got a new car, I needed a new(er) car. Was going to get my Company van, but they wouldn't sell to me and I missed getting the information on the dealer who bought it at auction. Wife asks "Have you considered a motorcycle?" ::) Needed a city bike, capable of 70 mph freeway on rare occasion. I LIKE slim and light like my DT175. New dual purpose bikes all have super long travel suspension and thus too high of a saddle. I am not into scooters or sportbikes. I had narrowed my choices to the Suzuki 250 Marauder and the Honda 250 Nighthawk. (The 250 Rebel and the 250 Virago have parts that poke my legs.) Then I read the specs on the Savage -- only 50 pounds heavier but with a HUGE Thump'n motor. Found a used one in Long Beach, sat on it, loved it. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by HawkEye1967 on 11/14/05 at 18:58:08 First bike was a honda st 90, don't ask me the year, I was 14 at the time and did not care what the year was only that it was mine to ride, did not own another until the savage about 7 years ago. My Father phoned me to say he found a bike at a Garage sale for 1 000.00 Cdn, told me a little about it and asked my opinion on it, I had never heard of a Savage at the time, but told him any running bike was worth about 1 000.00 so if it was in decent shape it was worth the price, then I threw in a monkey wrench and asked him if he would lend me the money to buy it, he hesitated then said yes, ( I did not clue in to the fact that he wanted it for himself, for work), I then drove to Alberta to look at it. ( I live in Saskatchewan). took one look and ride and bought it that day. been happy ever since (with the bike). Man it is good to know that my Dad Loves me that much, does a body good don't you know. ;D |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by SeeAPierce on 11/14/05 at 20:21:30 I was looking for a bike for some time after the two ladies down the block had purchased bikes for themselves...I was so envious I had to get one for myself. After months of looking at Rebels and Virago 250 machines I sat on my brother-in-laws M50. I liked it a lot, it just seemed big for me (5'-6"). The very next time I was at my dealership they had just received one each red, silver and black 2006 S40's. I sat on the silver (looks blue to me) one. My 12 year old was with me and said, "You should buy that"...I said, "Okay." Never looked back... |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by slavy on 11/14/05 at 22:25:03 I was used to hate the Savages- always leaking oil from the head plug, all the time somebody will seize the bike because did not wach the oil, and so on. But one day somebody brought his Savage so I can fix it for him at home. After I fixed the bike I called him, but he was on a business trip, so I had the bike for a week. I rode it around and I liked the way it felt. Couple of months latter the bike started having problems again and the guy decided to get rid of it. I offered him $1000 for the brocken bike /that was what he paied for it/, and we made the deal. I found that the cam chain was way stretched and finaly the cam chain tentioner poped out and broke. I replaced the chain and the tentioner and the bike was singing. I sold it at a significant profit and decided that these bikes are not so bad after all. I bought second brocken one, fixed it and sold it, but in the mean time I rode it and again loved the bike. This repeated couple more times and now I have one and my wife has one. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by mpescatori on 11/15/05 at 08:27:23 I bought my first 'proper' bike at 19 (1979), it was a Ducati 450 Scrambler, big bore single with kick-start only. The other dudes stopped pestering me when I dared a local hotshot a lap around the town square, starting from a cold engine... he couldn't even start it ! ;D In 1986 Suzuki introduces the Savage in Europe a definitive clone to the Ducati (which may fetch 8000-10.000$ at collectors' auctions these days :-/), but I was saving up to get married... :'( The the typical mid-life crisis comes along, I'm 45, what do I do? 'Honey, I'll be late from work tonight' and next thing you know I'm thumping my way into the driveway... ;D Maurizio |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Felipe on 11/15/05 at 08:46:03 Its a power rating thing. Here in Europe you gets your licence with a power restriction for the first two years, after which you can ride anything. But for those first two years its 34bhp max. This narrows your choices down to a 250 or something bigger with the carbs or CDU injection unit restricting the flow so as not to generate more than the allotted 34bhp. All in all a bit of a pain. Or, buy a Savage! 32bhp rated unrestricted and nice and simple with it. Had mine since July and am utterly delighted with it. A tad on the small side - I'm 6'1'' - but I can do 60 mile runs without leg ache - monkey butt is more of a problem. A proper bike. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Trump2Thump on 11/15/05 at 10:40:33 I went from Trump to Thump, as the name implies...... i had a 72 Triumph Daytona that i absolutely adored...... it had been sitting since 98 and i was moving to Florida at the beginning of the year so i put an ad on Craig's List and did an even swap for an 88 Maroon Savage....... as much as i loved my Triumph, it needed some work and i wanted a bike that was in great running condition and would need very little maintenance....... she found a good home and I absolutely love the Thumper...... it's everything i could want in a motorcycle, low seat, forward controls, swept back bars and that beautiful explosion when i turn her off...... if it had a kick start this would be a perfect machine...... |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by barb36jack31 on 11/15/05 at 15:50:37 I started riding at age 16 (Now am 74) and have had a lot of bikes. In the 50's I rode big singles - Ariel Red Hunter, Norton ES2 and BSA Gold Star. All were 500cc. Loved the thumpers! As time went on, I had KLR 650, Suzuki Dr 650, Honda NX 650. Shifted to Beemers and long haul riding. Loved the boxer twin too! When advancing age dictated a change to something smaller, sleeker more nimble, I again looked to the big singles. Found a 2005 S40 with 700 miles on it and jumped at it. Am now in the process of soaking up all the info I can from you good folks and planning to do all the mods next spring. This is a great website! |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by cigaro on 11/15/05 at 16:59:06 Just wanted to say that I am totally humbled by Barb36Jack31! You are a real two-wheel man who's been there and I hope you make entries often. You have a lot of history and wisdom to impart. Fifty-eight years of riding! I think it's simply tremendous that you have joined our Savage Thumper world! I feel the same way you do about this website. I'm learning something new every day and feel like there are any number of people that I can contact personally to ask Savage-specific questions. This website is really a TREMENDOUS resource. Suzuki should be supporting it. Welcome to the Savage World Barb36Jack31. Enjoy! |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by lancer on 11/15/05 at 17:20:51 barb36jack31 wrote:
Welcome from another "not quite as old" thumper fan...and former Goldstar owner... from way back. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by diesel on 11/15/05 at 22:04:56 Hey Barb 36, we followed same path. started with a Whizzer when I was 15, 73 now, had a lot of 125 250, 350 and 500 thumpers up through the 70s. had an R 50 bemmer in late 50s, but my long haulers were wings untill I coulde'nt keep 'em up with the wife on any longer, so we went to trikeing, last year wife got a new hip, could'nt ride for a spell,I needed a light solo ride I could still keep up at a stop with week knees and shoulders, WALLA, a 50s thumper again, the LS 650, PERFECT. thst's how I got back on a thumper again. Bill aka diesel. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Trippah on 11/16/05 at 16:56:08 Great Gods, since i am turning 60 this winter, I am still a pup comparatively- the best part i should get a least a decade more of riding in :) While I love the look of the Goldies, I think I am getting very comfortable withe the savages' ergos. Barb36jack31 and diesel- you give us all hope. Thanks |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by barb36jack31 on 11/16/05 at 17:24:39 Hey Diesel - We sure did start out the same way. My Grandfather had a Whizzer(one of the first ones that had a lever for a throttle and you bolted the rear pulley to the spokes of your bike wheel) He let me ride it all the time, and I was hooked! I too went to a trike two summers ago, but the lure of the thumper was too strong. I still have my Honda 750 trike, but my big single Suzie really steals the show! Thanks to all for your kind words. I sure like this site! Jack H. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by diesel on 11/16/05 at 21:31:46 Trippah, only a decade? he !!, I'm looking for more than that yet. I have a couple of fellow riders, one rides a PC 800 is 81 and the other, also 81, rides a '93 GL 1500 Motor Trike conversion with 190k mi. on it. never had valve covers off of it, would you belive that? you'd just have to here it run to belive it. uses NO oil, sounds like new. he!!ave machine, that GL 1500. really love my LS 650, but I think 190k mi. is never, never land for it. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Richard Amirault on 11/18/05 at 07:37:30 My first bike was a Honda 160 ... didn't have a car .. rode the bike all year here in the New England area. Got rid of it after I got a car ... later bought a small thumper (Kawasaki 250) ... rode that for a few years .. including a vacation trip from Boston to Florida and back .. then got rid of that. Didn't have anything for a long, long time, then started to get the itch again. I liked my 250 so I did some research on what was out there .. thumper wise .. found the Savage and decided it was just the ticket. Big enough, but not too big, and the price was nice. When I found a salvage bike (it had been rear-ended) that was "one year old" and HAD LESS THAN 100 MILES ON IT .. I snapped it up right away. Even after repairing the damage I still saved about $1000 over a brand new bike. I'm happy. Richard in Boston, MA, USA |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by WD on 11/19/05 at 23:22:35 Couldn't afford the used FXR I was looking at. Had signed the note for a V-Star 650, on a whim went to the Suzuki shop. Cancelled the Yamaha note and bought the Savage instead. Reminded me a LOT of a bike I had for a short time in college (beat to pieces AJS chopper). I love British bikes, but loathe Lucas electrical bits. A modernized AJS/Matchless with Japanese electrical bits? No brainer... -WD |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Savage_Rob on 11/20/05 at 08:56:57 For me it was a logical choice. I prefer the cruiser style and I am a really big fan of simplicity and durability. I also didn't want to spend a whole lot on a bike. Since it had been almost 15 years since I'd owned a bike. I was looking around and doing some reading to catch up a bit. In that research I read about the Savage and it seemd to fit the bill pretty well. It's slightly small but not uncomfortably so since I'm 5' 9". As I rarely ride 2-up, it's not an issue. While there isn't a slew of aftermarket parts made for it, that's not too much of a problem either. So far, I am completely happy with it. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by savage99 on 11/23/05 at 08:12:01 I got my 99 Savage in spring of 2004. Did not have my MC license yet. Got my friends to teach me how to ride and got my MC license in August. I love riding the Savage to work and back as much as I can. Even took it to Americade this spring ;D. Had to fix a leak from the valve cover late this summer. I like being able to fix it myself and I love how easy the Savage is to ride. I'm not a big guy so it's just the right size for me. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Patty on 11/24/05 at 05:04:22 Weak (not a weight lifter), vertically challenged (4'11" female).... ;)...so hubby buys me the LS650. Now he's not so sure he did the right thing cause my bike is faster than his Volusia.... ;D |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Digger on 11/24/05 at 20:37:09 My wife wanted a bike. She's an experienced rider (her last bike was a 1992 BMW R100RT), but she wanted something small and easier to handle. After searching around a bit, she bought a used '01 Savage. It turns out that she really doesn't ride it hardly at all (she finds the car more convenient), but I ride the Savage all the time to run errands around town. Even though I've got two other big road-burners in the garage and have almost 300,000 miles of riding experience, the Savage is my first choice for short trips. The bike is fun for me to ride and doesn't cost hardly anything to insure and operate. Also, it gets more compliments (by far) than anything else I've ever ridden in the 35 years I've been at it. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by jimbrough on 11/25/05 at 15:42:07 Thought about getting back into backing after a 20 year hiatus but thought more about an enduro cuz i live on a farm. turns out the guy that i worked with was talking at the same time about insuring a bike in his back yard his wife never rode and how sick he was of the whole thing. i went and took a look and saw a savage for the first time. needed lots of cosmetic work but only had 5000 km. on it and it was about 14 years old! got it and then certified for about $1500 all together. never looked back. the savage is a bit small for me but i find the cruiser style very comfortable. has loads of performance for me. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Lady_Dawg on 11/27/05 at 16:27:43 My husband had just bought the Suzuki M50 and I tried to get on it - - not ever riding before :o and I could only reach the floor with the balls of my feet - - Since I'm small (5'3") we tried an '05 S40 after looking at an old 250cc Honda Rebel or something for me to start learning on. But once we saw the Rebel was $2700 and the NEW '05 S40 was $4K. Seemed like it was worth a try. Oh by the way - - I can sit on it flat footed and it hasn't hit pavement once in 1900 miles! ;D JP |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Ooh_S40_Shiney on 11/27/05 at 17:27:45 I rode my brother's Yamaha Radian 1 time in 1988 and was hooked. My parents said no way - they didn't know my brother owned one. Several years went by, college, married, family... Then I asked my wife if I could take the MSF and buy a scooter - like a burgman or something. She said sure. I took the class one weekend, had licence by Monday, and my wife surprises me by saying "So when are you getting a motorcycle". Only condition - she had to approve of look and feel so that she could learn on it also. So I found a 2005 S40 in the showroom and was hooked. Bigger than a 250, no chain, looks like a classic, felt comfortable for both me and my wife - so I bought it in haste. Love the bike, but would like more top end power. I've put 7500 miles in less than 6 months! |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Savage_Rob on 11/28/05 at 06:49:03 Welcome Lady_Dawg and Ooh_S40_Shiney! This is a great community of folks here. I appreciate them on a very regular basis. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by pgolden on 11/28/05 at 07:37:45 I purchased a 2001 Savage last Saturday. I looked at a lot of bikes and it seemed this was a simple bike. I will use it to commute to work 7 miles. The bike was a light blue color and I decided to paint it. I took the fenders, tank and the two little side covers to my buddy at the paint shop. I chose Viper red for my new color. He will have my paint finished tommorow. My bike came with a windshield, highway bar, sissy bar and chrome rack, saddle bags, and a fork bag. The previous owner added a Jardine muffler which I don't like. I have been looking at mufflers at JC Whitney. Have any of you changed your muffler? I want it as quiet as possible. I will send pictures as soon as I get the bike put back together. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Reelthing on 11/28/05 at 19:16:21 The stock muffler can be had on ebay for not much - and I'd doubt that anything would be quiter than stock - if the jardine is clean and your going to toss it right? I'll take ;) |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Reelthing on 11/28/05 at 23:58:44 By the way I came to the savage like this: http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=RubberSideDown;action=display;num=1107238646;start=0#0 http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=RubberSideDown;action=display;num=1107273111;start=0#0 |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by doppelganger on 11/29/05 at 17:11:01 For several years I had thought about taking the MSF class just for fun and the experience. Then I got to thinking maybe I should take up a new hobby like racing 4-cylinder beaters or a go-kart at the local track. With a one-car garage I couldn't figure out a way to make that happen, but I decided I could find a place for a motorcycle and that would fill my need for a new hobby to add some excitement to my life. I lucked out and got one of the walk-on substitute spots for the last MSF class of the year, and got my first taste of riding on a little 125cc Suzuki. For my first bike, I was thinking about a 250cc Rebel, Virago, or GZ250. My storage space is limited, so I wanted something small for that reason, and I wanted something light and easy to control since it would be my first bike. I also wanted something inexpensive since I was just learning and might change my mind about the kind of bike I wanted. After looking at the 250's, I was afraid that I would outgrow one pretty quick, so I turned my attention to the 500-750 range. The Vulcan 500 was a candidate, but it weighed about the same as the 600-750 V-Star, VLX, Shadow, etc, and I thought those might be too big for my first bike. I also thought about the Buell Blast, but what I read about the Savage sounded ideal. Not much heavier than the 250's, very user-friendly from a maintenance standpoint, sufficient power to keep me satisfied for a while, and not too expensive. I looked in the paper and found a 2001 Savage with 4,000 miles on it, saddlebags, luggage rack, windshield, and engine guard, and paid $2800 for it just over a year ago. I took the windshield off, and really like the way it looks. I'd like the take the sissy bar off, but if I do that I'll need to move the helmet lock so I have a place to put my helmet. I'm pretty happy with my purchase so far. I'm also glad to have a good resource like this board for questions. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Savage Librarian on 11/30/05 at 20:01:16 I've always loved cruisers. I think becuase they always seem to represent freedom to me. The more freedom, the better, eh? I feel in love with thumpers thanks to my dad's influence. Except for two of his bikes, his have all been singles. So the Savage seemed like a natural choice to me. At least on paper. In reality, I spent several months trying to decide between the Savage and the Vulcan 500. Savage looks better, less maintainance, etc. etc. The Vulcan has more power, is more comfortable, and a bigger tank. Probably more practical for me in the long run. But I fell in love with the Savage while comparing them. It's completely unashamed of what it is. A thumper. It's almost defiant and in your face about it. It's almost as bare bones a motorcycle as I could find (that was reliable enough for me, anyway). It all seemed to capture the essence of what I thought a motorcycle should be. Oh, and Suzuki gave me a better deal on it than Kawasaki would give me on the Vulcan. So I ended up with a brand spanking new 2003 Suzuki Savage in a color that looks green to me, that matches the hunter green helmets I bought, but that everyone tells me is teal... Every now and then I almost wish I had the Vulcan...nah. The Savage is as near to perfect for me as a bike could be. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by penguinsscareme on 12/02/05 at 18:24:40 Well, the price was right. Secretly I wanted it for myself to ride/chop, but I got She Who Must Be Obeyed to okay it by telling her I wanted to get her a bike she could learn on so we could go riding together! I don't believe she was fooled, but I think she appreciated the effort and took pity on me. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Max_Morley on 12/03/05 at 16:45:07 Have had motorcycle/scooters since high schools days. After retirement in June of 1998 I visited my family in Juneau AK. My kid brother had his HD Dyna Wide Glide there and a Honda V-twin that he had been hit on and was fixed up by the insurance co. Anyway we went for a short scoot and that was all it took. A few days later I was back in Anchorage AK and drove by the BMW shop and sitting in the used bike row was a 96 yellow thumper. I stopped and asked about it, didn't hear it run but the next day I got a card from my sister in Junuea with a "dali havidison" picture on the front. Not only was the hook set, motorcycling had started reeling me in. I had stopped riding in the late 80's as I seemed to be the target of many Anchorage drivers, they would scoot down in their seat and use the hood oranament as a sight to target me. Bike then was a hybrid 72 Honda SL125 with a Powroll stroker kit to 150cc, trials type fenders, quick removeable lights, a hand built high torque pipe with SuperTrapp, chain tensioner, package rack, and raised pegs. I was into trials riding in the early 70's but had to ride the same bike to and from work as I could only afford one for me and a Honda CL70 for the wife. Kept it through many other bikes over the years as it was a runner. Even fixed it up as a cafe racer one time. Figured I was out of riding so sold the whole shebang, bike, tools, manuals, riding jacket, helmets, and work stand. Anyway finally went down and had them start the Savage beast. Went to the Credit Union and got the $ and went back and said I wanted to ride it first, here is the check, license with cycle endorsement, and who is coming with me. Answer we don't allow test rides. I said no sale, then, he - the owner, decided maybe he could follow along behind me. It was September so he would have probably sat on it the next 6 months if I didn't ride it away. Test ride was satisfactory and we did the paperwork and I rode it home and came back for my van later. That Fall I only got a couple rides before the streets were snowy. Over winter it got a SuperTrapp, Mephis shade windshield, saddlebags and a personalized plate "40CUIN". The next spring my wife asked me if I would like to move where I could ride more and could we afford it if she retired a couple years early. I did the math and came to Moses Lake and found a house, shop with loft art studio for her, and equipment shed on 1.25 acres of farm land about a mile from her family (Mom, youngest sister and family who run the family farm there 800 acres of hay with wheat rotation). Moses Lake advertises 300 sunny days a year and it was in the 40's in February when I was there. We had lived there in the early 70's so by mid June we were moved back and I was learning to fix and operate hay harvesting equipment and riding most every day. I took a wire feed welding class at the community college here mid day and was able to ride to work all Fall quarter. Life is great. Have had a variety of smaller thumpers I bought to repair and ride or sell. My kid brother from Juneau had a HD Road King and his wife a Suzuki VS800 here for many years so we would ride when they were down from Juneau. They had the other HD and a Savage she bought in Juneau. The bikes went home this Fall as they are raising a couple of grand daughters unexpectedly so don't get to come down her to ride anymore. Sluggo from this forum and I have been on a ride together and I hope we get some more in this spring. My BIL here is still looking for the right priced street bike, he has a small herd of Honda 230 thumpers I help keep in shape. They are used by the hired kids to change the water in the fields, as Moses Lake is irigated desert from Lake Roosevelt up North on the Columbia River. Max from "Thumper Acres", FSSNOC # 3608 WA |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by 911radioman on 02/13/06 at 21:20:35 Hope you don't mind me resurrecting an old thread! :D I took up riding last July. I was primarily interested in riding back and forth to work, so after I took my MSF I bought a GZ250 just like I rode in the course. Well, one thing turned to another and it wasn't just for riding to and from work. One day I was out riding and stopped in at a Suzuki dealer in Seymour, Indiana and saw an S40 sitting there. We talked for a while and he let me test ride it. Needless to say, I was depressed to get back on my 250 and head home! Told my wife that when I upgrade, I wanted to give that bike a serious look. Well, fast forward to this year... that's what my tax refund went toward. However, I tended to like the bars on the Savage better than the S40 so I found a super deal on my '02 Savage, and we're bonding right now! :D |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by Deno on 02/14/06 at 04:40:44 I do not own a Savage, but rode singles for close to 15 years. A friend just bought one this past fall and we are planning the spring and summer rides. I'm sure I will get to experience the ride then. There is something unique about a single. A more laid back ride than sport bikes without the cruiser mentality. To me it also revives the great history of Goldstars and Manx. The domination they had on the track. I still love the sound of these as they roar past at vintage bike races. Suzuki has done a great job of keeping it alive with this model. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by bikingb on 02/14/06 at 05:19:01 Hey Cigaro, Maybe we are neighbors. Door County is only a couple of hours north of here. I came to my Savage because I just couldn't talk myself out of a motorcycle anymore. I rode my brothers dirtbike, Ossa 250 when I was a teenager and he was into motocross. My husband really wanted me to get a scooter or a rebel 250. But, I just thought if I'm gonna get a bike I don't want to grow out of it in the first year. Looked and looked and looked. Learned about the Savage online. It sounded perfect. Found one in Manitowoc during the Harley rally there, but it was purple and I promised I would let my sweetie look at it before I bought it. Came back the next week and found a matched set at the local Honda shop. I bought the one with the low mileage, a 2003 w/ 1500 miles @ $ 2K I felt like I got a great deal. I got a new seat and a windsheild which I realize now was a waste since I got the shocks. I'm planning on doing the carb mods week-end after next with fear and trembling. Anyone else in Wisconsin? |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by cigaro on 02/14/06 at 08:14:33 Hey, BikingB, we'll have to meet up on our Savages when the weather finally gets better! I'm in a suburb of Madison. Welcome to the club. It's great to hear from other Savages in Wisconsin. You got a tremendous deal on your Savage. I haven't done the rejet, as I'm still waiting to get my first 600 mile checkup on warranty. But my Sportster muffler is waiting in the garage. Hoping to do the Progressives in the near future. Where in Wisconsin are you located? |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by bikingb on 02/14/06 at 17:59:17 Cigaro and anyone else in Wisconsin. I'm in Appleton, just a little bit south of Green Bay. Where are you? Chicago? |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by jcbass7 on 02/15/06 at 16:25:43 well my boss at a local resteraunt (family owned, small amount of employees) was driving around a small honda 250 something? well anyway he had a basement full of mopeds and such and one day i was poking around and saw the savage sitting in the corner with a decent amount of wear on it (rust, seat tears, etc.) i asked him if he would get rid of it and after a couple shifts of flipping burgers and talking, we decided on a deal to get me the bike. I ended up painting the building for him only taking me a couple hundred $ worth of labor.. plus all the food i could eat. Now the bike is covered in my yard while it snows.. and im waiting for a new seat, sportster muffler and oval mirrors in the mail.. gotta love ebay. A pal and myself got the bike to start in his heated garage during the fall after i got it, and managed to have it run enough to ride up and down his street, rode it back to my house and then covered it for winter. Can't wait to get some work done to it and get riding it!! |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by bobtreat on 02/15/06 at 16:48:27 8)I've always liked the road less traveled an the big single was not the norm.Reading the reviews and talking to others who had one made my mind up,an the first ride wasn't a disappointment.It does'nt have the power of the big twins,what it has is plenty for it's size and purpose. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by babbalou on 02/15/06 at 19:05:32 I tried buying a used Savage in '93 but couldn't find one. Checked the papers daily for a few weeks & didn't find ONE in Albuquerque. That was after the initial 2 year run. Got an '84 Honda Nighthawk 650 instead. Fun bike though! Sold it & hit lean times awhile & 11 years later FINALLY got my S40. Wanted one of these since I first read about them in 1986. Maybe not the perfect bike for me but I just find it interesting 'cause it's different & it's a thumper. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by SouthernMD on 02/17/06 at 03:50:43 When gas went over $3 a gallon last summer I knew I needed another way to get back and forth to work. I asked a few of my friends what would be a good bike to start with. All of them said keep it under 1000cc for gas mileage and keep it light for easy handling. My cosine has a 250 Rebel and was ready for something bigger. Most of my friends said I would soon get tired of the small engine. My neighbor highly recommended the Savage. He had one for a number of years and said he regularly rode it from Pax River in Maryland to Norfolk Virginia without any problems. While supporting the National Guard during hurricane Katrina I put in two 130 hour weeks, which got me the money to buy one. I found a 96 Savage on EBay that was near by and had 5000 miles on it, bid on it and won. Another friend showed me how to ride it. I’ve never ridden before and now wish I had started 20 years ago. |
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Title: Re: How You Came to Ride a Savage/S40? Post by DianeS. on 02/18/06 at 17:16:15 Last summer when the gas prices went above $1.00 per litre here, I started wondering how I could save gas money - I was commuting an hour to work and back in a van. Anyway, I thought about smaller vehicles and found myself thinking about how I loved to use dirtbikes, mini bikes, ski-doos and other off-road vehicles as a teenager. Then I thought about getting a motorcycle. - even though I'd never ridden a real one. Well, I talked it over with my husband, and spent the next few weeks obsessing over finding out as much as I could about bikes, licence training etc. Then we went to a few bike shops and I sat on several rather large feeling bikes. When the salesman told me a Savage would be the best bike for me: 5'3", 140lbs. I trusted his advice. Unfortunately, it was later in the season and he had sold all 7 of the S40s he had in. Yet, I checked in the Buy & Sell magazine, and on line until I saw a few ads for Savages. I went to check out one savage at a dealership, but it had just been sold. Luckily, I ended up getting a 2000 Savage with 7400kms. on it, for $2899 Cdn. Well, I really love riding the bike, and managed to put @1000 km. on it in the few months since I got last November - before it got too cold and snowy. As soon as the roads are clear from ice and snow, I'm going to get the bike serviced, and inquire about the jetting mods. The bike runs quite well now, but if the jetting will make it even better - why not? I just put a windshield on it, and have saddlebags to go on too. Anyway, that's how I got my savage! Yahoo! ;D Diane S. |
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