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Message started by DNSavage on 02/21/12 at 12:55:16

Title: New Member Intro
Post by DNSavage on 02/21/12 at 12:55:16

Hey there,

Just wanted to say hi. I bought a 98 Savage with 7,400 miles in October. It's my first bike and I've been trying to take advantage of the mild winter here in DC to get in as much riding as I can.

I have had problems with the petcock. The bike likes to cut out repeatedly in cold weather. I spend a lot of time riding in the prime position as that is the only way the engine won't cut out. Not so great for gas mileage :-(

Anyways, if any of you are in the DC, Maryland, Virginia area and would like to get together for a ride, just give me a holler.

Some pics attached.
http://https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NYK1MNq6Lhg/Tr0sc1W-LJI/AAAAAAAAEys/zli1mSpiQ-0/w703-h527-k/photo%25286%2529.JPG

http://https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-pFsdLdIfGcg/Tr0seGSij5I/AAAAAAAAEy8/ysJUeu17SiA/s847/photo%285%29.JPG
http://https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ywtz-lme2e8/TtvMIdZB8nI/AAAAAAAAFeA/lqJb53ru4nw/s847/IMG_1249.jpg

Cheers,
Alex

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by 2stroketim on 02/21/12 at 16:01:32

hello alex -
hope you like the savage, its a great little stead.
I'm in So Va, and me and my brother are looking at p[utting together a nice ride here in the near future.

The cutting out issue is strange - weirdly, it just happened to me the other day. It was fairly chilly, went for a quick scoot down the ave, and Thumpy cut out about a mile from the shop. went to res. on the petcock, and brought it home. havent had a chance to finger it out yet.

Wonder if anyone here has a qlue as to our mutual woe?

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by built2last66 on 02/21/12 at 16:07:26

I'm in the heart of VA, let's doooo eeeet

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by DNSavage on 02/21/12 at 16:09:20

Hey Tim,

For the last two weeks or so I've been riding in RES and have had no problems. Then yesterday I rode out to Coleman in Fairfax (beautiful ride) and she cut out 3 times! So I went back to prime.

I suspect changing to the Raptor petcock may solve these problems, but I'm reluctant to try it as I have zero mechanical experience.

Anyways, I'm definitely interested in a ride.

Shoot me an email if you want to discuss further: alex@domainernation.com

Cheers.

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by Savage_Rob on 02/21/12 at 16:09:26

Welcome to one of the best sites on the web, especially of you ride a Savage. I'm not sure what the cutting out issue is but if setting the petcock to prime "cures" it, I'd definitely pull the petcock and check it out. It may have some crap stuck in it. Using prime over run should make no difference to mileage since it simply taps your tank at a lower point. Hmm, I don't think it requires vacuum for prime either. That said, you may have a vacuum issue.

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by DNSavage on 02/21/12 at 16:15:18

I brought the bike into a shop here in DC to have the front tire replaced. I asked them to look at the petcock and they said it was fine. They also said running it in prime would have a negligible effect on mpg.

However, from my calculations, I am getting at best 20mpg when running in prime. Meanwhile, the last few weeks I was running on RES, I was getting about 53mpg!

Thanks for the welcome! I've actually been trying to signup for months but kept getting an error message. Glad to finally get in!

7042554244467C714C41230 wrote:

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by Savage_Rob on 02/21/12 at 16:27:19

I don't see how the petcock position can make that kind of difference, unless your float is stuck and you're venting fuel. If that's the case, you need to work on your carb. Look for puddles. Maybe, just to be safe, set your petcock off when not riding.

On a side note, I personally love using the raptor petcock. It is a direct swap for the stock petcock with the caveat that you need to plug/cap the vacuum port on the carb because the raptor doesn't use it. It is simply an On/Off/Reserve valve. No vacuum required. Set it to On when riding and Off when parked. This won't fix carb issues but would fix a petcock issue.

Hang on a minute... Does RES work for you just as well as PRI or does RES have the same issues as RUN?

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by DNSavage on 02/21/12 at 16:34:13

RES has been working great for me the last couple weeks; yesterday was the first time it cut out while running in the RES position. I switched to PRI and made sure to always have the throttle rolled on a bit to make sure she didn't cut out. Keep in mind this is in DC city traffic, not fun to cut out!

"Just to be safe set your petcock off when not riding"...I always set the petcock to RES when not riding (or more recently, just leaving it in RES after riding). Is there another way to turn it off?

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by Serowbot on 02/21/12 at 16:54:14

Petcock info here...
Test your Petcock,.. don't just turn it to Prime.. (http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1251932429/1)

If your mpg's are dropping to the 20's on prime,.. you are leaking tons of fuel down the vacuum line.. a Savage can't possibly burn that much..
It's important to fix that...
Raptor swap is super easy,.. even for a newbie... read my link.. ;)...

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by busterboy on 02/21/12 at 17:00:40

My 97 Savage was doing something similar and I swapped out the petcock. Super easy, I definitely recommend it.

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by arteacher on 02/21/12 at 17:01:02

Welcome to the site. There has been more information forgotten here than Suzuki ever knew about this bike. It looks like you found a nice one too. :)

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by DNSavage on 02/21/12 at 17:03:50

Ok, I'm inspired. I just ordered the Raptor petcock.

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by Savage_Rob on 02/21/12 at 19:07:14

6076617C64717C67130 wrote:

If this is the case (likely), you probably want to drain your oil and replace it too because it may have fuel mixed into it. Testing your petcock to know for sure is a good idea anyway.

Title: Re: New Member Intro
Post by Wake51 on 02/21/12 at 19:22:02

Ditto on the petcock, had to cure the same problem on my 01'. You'll never look back, I think the raptor looks and feels better, plus it makes taking the tank off much easier.

BTW, LOVE the older 90s Savage decal on the tank. Wish my 01' had that one. ;)