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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1186056754 Message started by ian522 on 08/02/07 at 05:12:34 |
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Title: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by ian522 on 08/02/07 at 05:12:34 Hello all, I am thinking about getting a savage/s40 for my next bike. I am still riding my first bike, an '82 honda cm450 which I have put about 2000 miles on so far this season. Its been a good bike but is seriously dated and im getting bored with it. I like the savage because of the simplicity, air cooled single with belt drive...seems like a low-maintenance dream come true. I am a relatively small guy, about 5'10 150 pds., so I am not worried about being too big for the bike. I am only concerned about the bike's power, and will it will be enough for what I use it for? My riding style consists of riding around-town, some secondary highways (around 50mph), and occasional short (less than 1 hour) freeway trips (around 65-70mph). I am a bit worried that since the bike is a single, the vibration might be excessive at 65-70. My questions are, 1. Does the Savage/s40 seem like a suitable bike for me? How does it handle freeway travel? 2. What is the maintenance schedule like? Its seems like all you would have to do is keep on top of the oil changes and valve checks. Am I right? 3. How bad is the notorious "backfire" I hear about? Does a aftermarket pipe and rejet help reduce it? Thanks for the help guys. |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by justin_o_guy on 08/02/07 at 05:22:04 This bike will do everything you said you wanted & more. A 150 pounder on this thing will enjoy excellent acceleration. The maintenance is easily owner managed.The people here will help, every time. Get one & have fun. I would have gotten a used one IF I had been comfortable with doing the maintenance myself. I didnt find this site until I had been riding for several months. If you can get one with the mods already done, you wont have to mess with it, AND, you wont GET to mess with it, so it cuts both ways. Have fun & welcome, |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by mornhm on 08/02/07 at 05:43:15 Assuming you like riding cruisers" if you stick to the riding you have described you will do fine on the Savage. It's when you start pushing the limits (longer trips on the interstate, higher speeds, etc.) that the shortcomings of the Savage (or any MC) show up. Maintenance on the Savage couldn't be much simpler. I was able to "tune" the backfire out of my Savage without rejetting. |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by ian522 on 08/02/07 at 06:34:36 Thanks for the quick responses. Yea ive been thinking of getting a cruiser for a few reasons. Mainly because of the cheaper insurance, and also I think a sport-style bike would tempt me to want to go fast all the time. The only mods id be interested in doing are maybe an aftermarket pipe for a nice sound and a rejet. Im either thinking of financing a new s40 in order to help build my credit, or finding a used savage a few years old. Mornhm, how did you "tune" out the backfire? |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by skrapiron on 08/02/07 at 06:50:48 For around town and short freeway rides, I think the Savage/S-40 is a great bike. It is light enough to not get tiring, especially when riding in traffic and the single large displacement cylinder has torque to spare. The only down side is high speed performance. At speeds over 55mph, the whole bike shakes. It's a little discomforting at first, but you will get used to it. The backfire issue (as I have found out) is common to ALL single cylinder 4 stroke engines, regardless of displacement. The stock tuning on the Savage/S-40 is very lean. Almost too lean. This lean condition leads to the backfire issue, especially on decelleration. If you go to the technical/reference section of the forum, there are several threads about the backfire issue and what can be done to correct it. If you have a modecum of mechanical inclination, it can be done in under an hour. (I did mine and it took longer to figure out how to re-route all the gas tank cables than it did to do the mods.) Please check out the technical/reference section. There are GOBS of useful knowledge there. |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by mornhm on 08/02/07 at 07:58:18 ian522 wrote:
By first making sure that nothing was leaking air or vacuum from the front to the back (this pretty much took care of any rattles and most of the backfire). Then I adjusted the idle mixture (this took out the rest of the backfire) choke, and throttle mechanical responses. When I did that, I couldn't really make it backfire on a consistant basis even if I tried, and if I wasn't trying the backfire was reduced to a pffft once in a while. A little operator "tuning" (smooth on the throttle) made it run just like I wanted. I went over the bike for loose things on a regular basis (the exhaust bolts or something needed tightening every couple of thousand miles). |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by LANCER on 08/02/07 at 08:43:40 The comments so far have answered the questions you started with, I just want to fill in a little between the lines. Keeping in mind that this is a large single cylinder motorcycle with 25 year old technology, it WILL VIBRATE when running .. it is supposed to. It is only a relatively recent thing (past decade or so) that most riders nowdays expect to have NO vibration on a bike. What??? No vib's??? I am dating myself a bit, but a REAL motorcycle is supposed to vibrate !! That is part of the whole experience. Vibration on a bike is kind of like a message chair (my wife bought me one... good wife), so you can think of the vibration as one of the benefits ... a message while riding down the road. Since you are going to replace the muffler for better sound, and the need to rejet as a result, that will take care of the backfire issue in the process. |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by PhotoProf on 08/02/07 at 13:56:05 I experience very little backfiring... mostly when downshifting. Did notice it more when carrying a passenger. Maybe weight is an issue as well. A little phffft when shutting off once in a while. I agree with operator "tuning." |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by Paladin on 08/02/07 at 15:05:15 Let me add my two bits here. I bought my Savage totally untested, just as well as I was unlicensed then. I had stopped by a dealer looking for a new one, he didn't have any in stock and basically bad mouthed them -- leak oil, shake so bad people keep returning them. (That last a bit suspicous as he didn't have any of those returns sitting around.) I was thinking, "huh, it's a bloody THUMPER! Of Course it'll vibrate!" But with that dealer attitude I got a used bike, dude rode it up from Laguna Hills to Gardena which I figured cinched any questions as to ridability/reliability. Took the CMSP course, got licensed, got riding. The vibration is A LOT less than what I expected or would have accepted. I'm actually a bit disappointed that it doesn't vibrate more. I have done a few medium-long trips, 350 miles after work. Bike runs smooth upto 65mph, doesn't get annoying until 85. It runs smooth enough at 65-70 that I am planning on a 3-4000 mile scoot (http://paladin.savageriders.com/LA-OKC/) next month. HP=Speed. Torque=Acceleration. For HP you want a multitude of cylinders spinning fast. For Torque nothing beats a Thumper. Stock, the Savage is remarkably quick off the line. If you get bored go talk to Lancer. |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by PhotoProf on 08/02/07 at 17:51:36 The S-40 is my first Suzuki but it has got to be one of the most fun bikes I've owned! Finish and quality may not be quite as good as Honda but bang for the buck it runs rings around the VLX 600 I had before. You don't have to worry whether the puppy is going bog down and die when you take off. The VLX was the worst bike... even my CL 100 was better. I worried about safety... especially with my wife aboard... not with the THUMPER! |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by skatnbnc on 08/02/07 at 18:16:29 Paladin wrote:
Paladin is right - this bike is just plain FUN. Without even trying to go fast I have a little smile on each time, looking in my rearview mirror and seeing the little spec of whoever tried to catch up to me at the last traffic light. Torque is gooood. ;) And goodness knows you have the right forum for mods if you get the tingle. |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by skrapiron on 08/02/07 at 18:39:03 I took my wife out for a ride yesterday up to Beaver Falls. Just for giggles, I pegged the throttle from a stop light. The acceleration with two grown adults on board was startling. It caught my wife off guard and she grabbed my waist as hard as she could. Even when we were moving, if I pegged the throttle in lower gears, it took off like a man with his pants on fire. It was QUITE exhilerating... |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by TVR on 08/02/07 at 18:58:59 Go for it ian! You wont regret it. Nice bike, lots of fun! Not like its gonna burn a crater in your pocket either...at least, not comparatively... |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by ian522 on 08/03/07 at 07:43:20 Thanks for all the great feedback. So the vibes arent that bad at 60-65? Tolerable enough to go for a hour without stopping? And I was lurking around the forum here and saw something mentioning cam chain failure...is that a common problem? |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by verslagen1 on 08/03/07 at 08:03:31 Well the cam chain issue is a maintenance issue. Ignore it and it will become a monster and bite your a$$ right in the pocket book. But watch it, and feed it dollar bills once in a while and it will remain a puppy dog. |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by KenGLong on 08/03/07 at 08:22:47 ian522 wrote:
60-65 is very comfortable for me on the freeway. One of my favorite Friday-after-work rides is to blast down I-25 about 50 miles then get off and head back home on the back roads. Only time the Savage shows it's weaknesses is when a semi blasts past me doing 80. I get blown about a bit but nothing dangerous. Now, if you want to do 80 all the time, I would look for a different bike. But 60-65 is fine. Ken in Albuquerque |
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Title: Re: Thinking of buying a Savage/s40 Post by BigWes on 08/04/07 at 16:35:44 the savage does just fine, i ride the heck out of it way faster than 70 and the only negative is she eats up the fuel more quickly had speeds higher than 65. and the back fires are cool man! great way to wake up the neibghors. :) if you get one, trust me youll love it. this bike has serious personality. I thought i wouldnt like mine too much, but with in 2 weeks and 1000miles, i am in love! |
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