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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Thinking about a savage
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Message started by abicoeffect on 01/20/10 at 17:57:19

Title: Thinking about a savage
Post by abicoeffect on 01/20/10 at 17:57:19

Hey everyone, I wanted to see if anyone could give me some advice. I am looking at a used savage. a 1999 with only 9000 miles. The person is selling it because they dont have time to work on it and it needs some help. They said that the fork seals need to be replaced, the carb needs cleaning, and the head gasket needs to be replaced. all of the parts are included. The bike apparently runs well other than these issues. I have a full service machine shop and all the tools I could need and am very mechanically inclined. however, I have never had a motorcycle and wanted to know if this bike is worth the work and if these projects are very hard. I know that I can change the fork seals with relative ease but the carb cleaning and the head gasket replacement are what I'm curious about. Also I'm 6'2" and was wondering if any bigger riders have had any real issues. Any help or advice would be great. Thanks.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 01/20/10 at 18:19:46

Odds are thers nothing wrong with the head gasket. People are always thinking thats the problem, when its an oil leak from the head plug. 9,000 miles in 10 years? Carb must surely be gunked up. Its an easy one to mess with. Dont sweat it. Get some carb cleaner & a hand held impact ( the danged screws stick & theyre soft, so just cranking on a screwdriver will most likely result in stripped screws. NOW is the time to replace them, because youll be going back in to rejet it, but for now, I wouldnt do any mods, just get it running.

It might be smart to drain some fuel & see what it looks like & look in the tank, with a light.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by verslagen1 on 01/20/10 at 18:24:58

At 6'2" you'll one of the tallest, the stock setup will do, but you'll be more comfortable with extended foot pegs or a taller seat.
If you got the buckhorns you'll want to change them.

Forks, easy afternoon job, change the oil while you're at it.
Carb, easy afternoon job.
head gasket, or dreaded head plug, medium but with risk, might take a day or two.
the dreaded head plug leak and the head gasket are 2 different leaks but same area. head plug leaks in the hole next to the header. head gasket leaks below the head. some leaks can be solved by tightening the bolts alittle. check clymers for the torques.
the risk is the bolts are soft and one of them is going to strip. can't tell you which one.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by abicoeffect on 01/20/10 at 18:30:39

9000 in 10 years... yes... it sounds like a good bike to work on. HOWEVER, the term too good to be true comes to mind. considering that there is a lot of snow here in Colorado i figured it would give me plenty of time to get this thing up and running by summer. i had planned on putting extenders on it. If I get the bike I want to look everything over really well and fix/replace anything that may look suspicious. Is there anything I should look at specifically when checking out this bike?

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by verslagen1 on 01/20/10 at 18:43:09

The savage is termed a beginner bike. Lots of people get it w/o knowing whether they want to ride. And end up not. There's one '86 in frisco with a little over 500 miles.

The next problem you'll face is exclusion... from snootie HD riders. They really hate it when you ride by 'em.

The only thing that's really an issue is the cam chain. Since you'll be taking the head off, you'll have the clutch cover off, so check it before you tear it all apart. The plunger should be less than 18mm extended.

And 10k miles is nothing. I got 46k on one and over 25k on the other. Would've gone further on the 46k but the clutch cam gave out right when the other bike was ready. Now I'm rebuilding it.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by abicoeffect on 01/20/10 at 18:50:06

Don't Harley riders hate anything that isnt a Harley? hah I'm going to look at the bike on Saturday and see what type of condition it has been kept in. Is the frisco bike posted somewhere? I like the 99 because of 5th gear.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by verslagen1 on 01/20/10 at 18:55:58

the '86 was in a post here about a month ago.
listed on craig's list for a lot of money. you could get a new bike for less.

anything after '95 is alright with me.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by abicoeffect on 01/20/10 at 19:02:53

cool. Hopefully if i dont look like a gigantic ape on this bike it will all work our and I can get my hands dirty and fix her up.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by Dj12midnit on 01/20/10 at 20:05:58

I am six two and I don't have any problems. Having the buck horns helps.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by Paladin. on 01/20/10 at 20:08:20

We've had a couple of big apes riding the little Savage:
http://savage.andruschak.net/gitarzan3.jpg http://savage.andruschak.net/WD1.jpg

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by abicoeffect on 01/20/10 at 20:09:03

DJ thats good to hear, do have extended forward controls? Nice pics, i'm not too worried now... I get to pick it up on saturday if I want it... crunch time...

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by Dj12midnit on 01/20/10 at 20:27:17

I have no extensions on there cause my wife rides it on occasion. She is not so tall. I am used to it now. I have put about 14000 miles on it in two years. I have been known to slide on to the back seat if I am doing a long ride. If the weather holds up I have to go down to portland about a six hour ride, we shale see how I feel after that.

http://dj12midnit.savageriders.com/Image1.jpg

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by abicoeffect on 01/20/10 at 20:50:48

Cool. I have to look into all the extra costs now, registration, insurance, and motorcycle license. uh a little off topic but is that a FREAKING BEAR!?

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by BurnPgh on 01/20/10 at 21:11:50

replacing fork seals may or may not require a special tool. Some here have used a broom stick cut up on the end but that didnt work for me. I'll unfortunately be going to a crappy dealership i hate to get one bloody bolt. Other than that, being mechanically inclined you should have no trouble. PM verslagen about his modified cam chain tensioner. Whether the tensioner plunger is extended too far or not having one of his modified tensioners is worth the $100. The plug leak is really quite easy and if I can do it most anyone can. Get the new styled plug. I fixed my leak twice with the old plug and it started leaking again both times. Got the new one and havent had any problem since. Cleaning the carb wont be hard, just tedious maybe. I'm also 6'2" and the bike fit me well stock but I got a set of forward controls off of Ed L on here and it gave me much appreciated leg room. As far as looking at 5 speeds over 4 speeds...5th is practically useless. Its only 4-500rpms lower than 4th at a given speed so keep that in mind while looking around. Might get a super steal with mileage approximating the '99 on an 80's model.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by verslagen1 on 01/20/10 at 21:20:52

Naw, it's a cub.

The reason I'll take a '95 or better is for the starter torque limiter. That little bugger will keep the engine shutoff backspin from busting out your case.

Otherwise 4speed and 5speed have the same top end rev's.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by BurnPgh on 01/20/10 at 21:28:41

312235342B2620222976470 wrote:

Forgot about that little gem seeing as I have a '95. Good call.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by abicoeffect on 01/20/10 at 22:13:18

im all pumped up to see this bike now... and i've already seen so many mods and bad @ss savages. Ive seen quite a few people with backfire issues... is that a common problem with this bike?

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by verslagen1 on 01/20/10 at 22:14:56

everyone has epa written all over.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by BurnPgh on 01/20/10 at 22:17:23

585B505A565C5F5F5C5A4D390 wrote:

im all pumped up to see this bike now... and i've already seen so many mods and bad @ss savages. Ive seen quite a few people with backfire issues... is that a common problem with this bike?

It comes standard. Its likely a carb rejet is in order though you may get rid of the backfire simply by adjusting the idle mixture screw.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by raggedred on 01/20/10 at 23:09:08

how do you tell a new style headbolt plug from the old style

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by BurnPgh on 01/20/10 at 23:32:58

old style could be used as a thimble or super tiny rubber shot glass. New style is solid with rubber.

Title: Re: Thinking about a savage
Post by serenity3743 on 01/21/10 at 05:17:24

596E69754B7C731B0 wrote:

[quote author=585B505A565C5F5F5C5A4D390 link=1264039040/15#16 date=1264054398]im all pumped up to see this bike now... and i've already seen so many mods and bad @ss savages. Ive seen quite a few people with backfire issues... is that a common problem with this bike?

It comes standard. Its likely a carb rejet is in order though you may get rid of the backfire simply by adjusting the idle mixture screw.[/quote]

Come on, BurnPgh! Does anybody ever really get rid of the "backfire" (correctly termed an after-fire)? It comes back after you least expect it. And it's part of the charm of the Savage.