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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy miles /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1162060307 Message started by Banger on 10/28/06 at 11:31:47 |
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Title: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy miles Post by Banger on 10/28/06 at 11:31:47 First, this is NOT a for-sale post. Just so we have that out of the way. It is my duty to inform you all that I have traded off my beloved Zook on a new machine. The local Suzuki dealer had a 1987 (10 years older than Zook) BMW K75 that really caught my eye. He offered me a good deal, so I traded. What I got was a Beemer with only 14,000 miles on the clock for a little north of $1,500 after sales taxes. Take the deal for what you will. The LS650 was a great first bike, and I couldn't have asked more of it. Commuted on that machine everyday I could manage it, and even on several days I probably shouldn't have. Laid it down once, even. New tank, new paintjob, and several custom accessories later, and she was better than ever. The K&N and re-jet made a huge difference, and the old ragged Honda CB500T exhaust muffler really sounded good. The bottom line was that the Zook was a little too, well, little for me. I have always liked motorcycles that make you sit up straight. The ergonomics are just plain better for long rides when you don't have all your weight squishing down on your tailbone. The K75 is a pretty tall bike, by comparison, and has more of a sport-touring seating position. The Beemer is noted as being characterless, yet sound as a stone. They called the K-series "The Flying Brick" both because the cylinder head resembles the shape of a brick and because the engines are known to last well into the hundreds of thousands of miles without major work. The 3-cylinder 750cc is an inline structure, with the cylinders laying on their side. The drivetrain is much like that of a rear-wheel drive car turned 90-degrees counterclockwise, with a direct link to the transmission, which links directly to a driveshaft which powers the rear wheel. Power output is said to be around 70 horses, but it's not intimidating unless you really wrench the throttle. I never thought I'd like a multi-cylinder bike beyond a twin, but the triple has really impressed me. It sounds and feels like a skymobile from the old cartoon The Jetsons. Vibrationless and effortless. After eyeballing the BMW F650 "Funduro," I think it'd suffice to say that I'm geniuinely impressed by this 20 year-old steed. In all, I'm sure the Savage nobly prepared me for handling such a machine. I will be taking my time, after weather gets back to a more ride-friendly state, in getting used to the K, but I have not felt out-of-control or scared in the least during today's riding. Thanks to all of you here who helped me along my way with the Zook and all the customization. This site has been a bevy of helpful tips and tricks that I wouldn't have found elsewhere. I'll probabaly keep lurking about now and then, as I have been in my few spare moments at university. Hopefully you lot won't disown me for going to a multi and not holding out longer for the 650 single in the form of the Funduro! :D And if you're in the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee anytime soon, I know a dealer who will probably cut you a deal on a customized 1997 Savage... Regards, Banger ======== |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by Reelthing on 10/28/06 at 11:38:38 Banger, congrats those 750s are pretty fine rides, always, always use the center stand, never, never the side stand, should go a lot of miles. by the way is it the sport or the C version? |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by Banger on 10/28/06 at 12:13:10 Reelthing wrote:
I'm not sure of the version. I need to punch up the VIN number somewhere and make sure of that. And I've always heard that about the stands. It'll take some learning and some getting used to with the center stand, but I've always thought centerstands were best anyway. On top of it all, they make working on your machine much easier. It's smoking a little bluish smoke right now. I have it on the word of the previous owner that he didn't get to ride but a couple good trips a year (apparently so, given 14,000 miles on a 20 year-old bike) and the smoke is probably the result of poor gas and slightly dirty injectors. He says it normally clears up if you run the bike regularly for a day or so. Regardless, I'm getting myself a tank full of 93 and some fuel injector cleaning additive on the way home. Regards, Banger ======== |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by Reelthing on 10/28/06 at 13:38:01 if it's been on the side stand that is why it is smoking - the C handle bars are wider and pull back some where as the S models are bit narrow and make the k75s a little less comfortable but dang quick to change direction! |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by Steve530 on 10/28/06 at 17:04:11 Banger, Best of luck with the new BMW. Should be a great ride. |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by HeresPaco on 10/28/06 at 18:56:04 Hi Banger, I just joined the forum tonight. I've had dozens of motorcycles over the years. I sold an '87 Savage eight years ago. Four days ago I had it "given" back to me by that buyer as he was moving and also had not rode it in 6 years. My wife has claimed it for her around town bike now. It's in need of some major resurrection work as it sat in a damp pole barn for that 6 years. My point is that you never know when an old friend will unexpectedly pop back into your life! That BMW is a gem to keep too, enjoy! |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by Brewbrother on 10/28/06 at 21:46:03 Enjoy friend. BTW, Can you resist the call of the thumper?? |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by Tim_C on 10/28/06 at 21:53:33 Congrats on the new bike,Banger...have enjoyed your posts...come back and visit...you did clue the new owner to this site,didnt you? |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by spike on 10/28/06 at 22:07:40 SAY IT AIN'T SO ??? You got rid of the savage :( Oh well WE wish you luck anyhow with the Beemer :'( May you two have many happy miles together and plz keep this one on the rubber. RIDE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by lancer on 10/28/06 at 22:15:40 OK, so you got yourself a Beemer, we can overlook that if necessary. My question is............... which cylinder are you going to remove, LEFT OR RIGHT, in order to make it a THUMPER? |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by steelwolf on 10/28/06 at 22:24:35 That beemer is a triple. So theoretically he could part it out and have a thumper and a twin. ;D |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by Salad_Shaker on 10/29/06 at 01:28:32 My next door neighbour has just sold his K100 - 13 years old and with just 13000km (just over 8k miles)on the clock. It was in as new condition, and with fixed hard luggage too. I looked long and hard at buying it. He was asking for 3000€ which is not quite 4k$ but would've come down for a deal. Two things held me back - I'm still on a 34bhp restricted licence until March 07 - a European standard thing for new riders first 2 years, and the small matter of raising the difference over what my Savage would be worth, currently about 2000€. With some wistful looks as it went up the street to its new home I had to let it go. Opportunities like that don't present themselves every day. Sigh. |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by lancer on 10/29/06 at 05:02:02 Boy, I just totally missed it on that one! :-X |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by Trippah on 10/29/06 at 11:54:53 Congrats on buying oneof the best kept secrets in motorcycling. While everyone loved the old r series, the flying bricks are supperb bikes. Olde tymers couldn't get with the tripple, neue rydrers wanted a four..the blue smoke specials are really very competent bikes..you done good. One of my patients rode his down to Maryland one Saturday for a familycrabb dinerefest then back home (I live near boston, MA) He had no doubts about his ride, ever reliable. |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by Banger on 10/30/06 at 09:19:12 Trippah wrote:
Thanks, Trippah. I had a feeling about the K75. I did a lot of reading about it before I made any decision, and that was the general sentiment I seemed to get. While the bike might lack the character of the old R-bikes or any number of more Americanized cruisers from a variety of manufacturers, the K seems to have a good reputation for reliability. And since I've always been a guy who puts function over form any day of the week, I was really drawn to the good deal. Thanks everyone for the well-wishes. Interestingly enough, for those of you who might one day find yourself in a similar situation, when I put my insurance on the Beemer today, the premium only went up $6. I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. The blue smoke is reminiscent of the old '70s Japanese two-strokers. Both Suzuki and Kawasaki had a few triples in the line-up. The difference is, once the BMW is up to operating temperature, the smoke stops. Roll on the throttle on a GT750 Water Buffalo or the equivalent Kwak triple, and the blue smoke would kill every mosquito within 250 feet. ;D Regards, Banger ======== |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by Banger on 10/30/06 at 09:22:54 Tim_C wrote:
Oh, I forgot to take the owner's manual with me when I traded off Zook, so I'm writing the website on the inside of the cover before I hand it back off to the dealership where I traded. I'll make sure and point them at the forum. It's been too helpful for me, as an owner of the bike, not to pay the future owners such a favor as directing them to this place. Regards, Banger ======== |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by mornhm on 10/30/06 at 12:00:21 Be safe on your new ride. (They're easier to enjoy that way) Stick around, no one has thrown me off yet, and I sold my Savage in the spring. |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by Fido_the_Cat on 10/30/06 at 19:05:46 Hello and Welcome HeresPaco. Good Bye Zook. Ride Well! Hay Banger. No one asked you to leave. Your experience and knowledge are great assets to this forum. Sure life happens and we get on with our lives and the clock continues to run. Remember your welcome this side of the rock anytime. Treat your new steede well, she will always bring you home. |
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Title: Re: So long to my Savage- wishing her many happy m Post by Banger on 11/01/06 at 15:50:12 Thanks. I plan on sticking around..."lurking" if you will. Now it's just a matter of overcoming the cold, rainy weather and figuring out how to get rid of all the little bugs that come from sitting in a barn the majority of this bike's 20-year lifespan. It starts misfiring pretty often, usually once it's up to proper operating temperature. Gonna change the oil and filter, then the fuel filter (which is in the tank-- not the easiest to get to), and depending on whether those things do any good, I'll replace plugs and wires next. But mostly, I think it's just a matter of knocking off the cobwebs. How fitting, then, that I've been doing it over Halloween. Regards, Banger ======== |
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