SuzukiSavage.com /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Buying first bike what to look for!!! /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1357959183 Message started by Jerry on 01/11/13 at 18:53:03

Title: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by Jerry on 01/11/13 at 18:53:03 So i have found a 97 Savage LS650 for $800 and since this will be the first bike that i am ever buying and planning to learn on i am wondering if this is a decent price for the bike and also what I should look for with these bikes as far as areas of concern. I am goin to look at the bike in a few days and would be very gratefull for any assistance.

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by Blinky on 01/11/13 at 19:02:07 Welcome Jerry. Go to the Tech Section and then to table of Contents with Links. The very first one is Buying Tips. How many miles on the bike? Good hunting

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by Jerry on 01/11/13 at 19:07:01 the guy told me it only had 3500.

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by Blinky on 01/11/13 at 19:14:11 If it is solid, with only 3500 miles, it sounds like a decent deal but use your common sense and take your time. You said if everything comes together, this is the bike you will learn on. It can be a great bike to learn on if you ride with some maturity (and I don't mean age) and take the Beginning Riders Course offered by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. if you have been known to say "watch me do this" and plan to have a friend teach you, then you might want to consider a 250cc as a first bike. Just my humble opinion. Good hunting

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by ZAR on 01/11/13 at 19:16:17 07283F3F342C393F242E7C7E4D0 wrote: the guy told me it only had 3500. Welcome Jerry! 3500 miles is very low for a 1997. It should look and run like new with those miles! $800 is a good price if the scooter is in the condition that equals the miles. I gave $1500 for my '96 last June with 8400 miles but it looked and ran showroom.

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by Jerry on 01/11/13 at 19:17:25 Yeah i planned on taking the course and yes i plan on riding with maturity thats why i have waited as long as i have so that i wasnt just another young kid jumping on a bike and ripping around to show off.

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by Jerry on 01/11/13 at 19:22:36 Thank you Zar. I am still kind of worried that with the bike being a 97  that it might have some problems with that few of miles but then again this is my first bike so i am not sure what most bike of that age should averages as far as miles. But then again how the previous owner stored it should say a lot as well.

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by verslagen1 on 01/11/13 at 19:22:46 here ya go... http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1295653542

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by raydawg on 01/11/13 at 19:29:51 Hey Jerry.... I'm a newbie too, tho I'll be 60 next week. I have been riding a year and a half, but have clocked almost 8000 miles in that time frame. I started with a Rebel, she was a very forgiving bike, but quickly saw too less of CC's can be a safety issue, as you don't have the ability to run out of dangers way. What has worked for me is to ride well within my means, don't push your ability...it will come. The course is wonderful, I felt way better to handle the road after completion....remember, ain't no fender-benders on a motorcycle, you must always pay attention on a bike, even when your not moving, as a lot of accidents are people hitting a bike from behind as they waited at a light... I love my 650, bet you will too!

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by Jerry on 01/11/13 at 19:34:16 ok thanks raydawg. like i had said i had always worked on sports cars and stuff like that but bikes are completely foreign to me and i will deffinately remember your advice and thanks for the imput man.

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by mikey2004 on 01/11/13 at 22:05:02 i just bought might 2 weeks ago 99 savage with 16k and an oil leak for 500.00 im fixing my oil leak today but can warn you that it is common on this bike. the head cap leaks but its not a hard job to fix and it really is a great bike with unlimited ways to make it your own. there really is so much you can do to this bike.

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by jcstokes on 01/11/13 at 22:21:56 Take the professional riding course, check the oil level in the window at the bottom of the right crankcase cover. You need to have the bike warmed up a little to do this. The oil should be about half way up the window or just a little over. The bike needs to be vertical to do this, so you will need someone to sit on it to keep it upright while you are checking. Tyre rot could be an issue with a low mileage bike that old. The battery may also be an issue. Some on this forum suggest that a heavily blued exhaust pipe may indicate a lack of engine oil at some time in the bikes life. Check tyre pressures before test riding. If you do buy it, enjoy it stock for a couple of months before rushing into bobbing, tuning, modding affairs.

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by Serowbot on 01/11/13 at 23:26:53 It's a good bike to learn on,.. and to keep for a good while (possibly forever)... ...as long as you avoid that initial,.. panic, and lock the throttle WFO... (that's the stuff Youtube was made for)... ;D... If you can avoid that,... or take a rider course on a 250 for a bit,... I'd say it's the ultimate... Seems like you just need 10 minutes on any bike to know... Some people seem to have an instinctive... freeze... upon panic... ... and if you freeze, at full throttle,.. that will be bad... ;D... (even a moped, just not as bad)... Just remember.... if you panic... let the throttle go... Practice,.. releasing the throttle, a dozen times before you start your first ride... You get past that,.. and a Savage is a great stater bike... It's just capable of shooting you a good bit faster than a 250,.. on those first couple of launches... That's why a safety course is such a good idea for a noob rider... Don't be sacred,.. I don't mean to make any new rider scared... just be calm,.. and wise... (Funny,.. I never thought about it before... but, in a car, it seems much more natural to release the gas pedal in a panic... so many people on bikes, lock the throttle-hand wide open)... So many more videos of bikes shooting through fences and sheds than cars on Youtube... ;D...

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by HoustonBussa on 01/12/13 at 01:29:19 I wish I could find one for $800. lol.. Congrats on the find!

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by strang on 01/12/13 at 03:53:46 Normal savage wrongens: - only happy running on the half choke setting - ignore it, this is a simple $1 fix and is detailed in the tech section, "white spacer mod". - oil leak from cylinder head. everything else tally up on a bit of paper and haggle your arse off. even tally up the two I said are normal and act like they are the end of the world - depends how good you are at this game  ;)

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by diamond jim on 01/12/13 at 05:26:41 Glad it worked out for you. You are never too old or too experienced to practice, especially with a new-to-you bike. I started riding 22 years ago. Strokes a few years ago then a blood clot in my spine that initially paralyzed my entire pelvic region and left leg (corrected most of that with emergency surgery with time and  returning me to 90%) derailed my riding. Got another bike recently. My brain knew what to do from years of riding. Didn't know if the body would fully cooperate. So I spent most of the first few weeks practicing all the maneuvers in a local school parking lot that I had learned at MSF classes and through experience. You are never too good, too experienced to practiced. To keep somewhat on topic, I've bought bikes that had a sticky throttle. Almost alsways turned out to be a fraying throttle cable.

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by Jerry on 01/20/13 at 17:54:33 OK guys i have an update on the bike and a couple of questions. After about a week of haggling with this guy about the savage i bought it last night for $550 dollars. It was leaking oil, he didnt have the key to lock the front forks, the seats were dry and ripped due to sitting, and finally the exhaust was scratched badly due to him dropping it while backing it out of th garage. So first question is how hard and expensive is it to get the key to lock the forks or do i just go up to a dealership? Secondly does anybody on here have an extra seat that they would be willing to sell. Thanks again for any imput gentlemen.

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by Blinky on 01/20/13 at 18:18:36 Jerry, Congrats. i bought mine used and also did not have the fork lock key. I contacted both the dealer and Suzuki with the VIN and was told they do not provide keys based on the VIN. Unless you have the key code that came with the keys when the bike is new, or want to fork over the cost of a new lock set, you are probably out of luck. I use a cable lock when traveling. Don't have a seat but they come up from time to time. Welcome and good hunting

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by Jerry on 01/20/13 at 18:24:18 Thanks for the info and the idea with the cable lock Blinky.

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by houstonbofh on 01/20/13 at 20:16:12 I have never used the fork lock on any bike I have owned.  I have used the disk brake locks. http://www.twtouring.com/images/ShoppingCart/DiscLockPouch.jpg

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by Jerry on 01/21/13 at 17:15:39 ok ill have to look at picking some up then and try em. Thanks

Title: Re: Buying first bike what to look for!!! Post by ToesNose on 01/22/13 at 06:26:10 Yea the fork lock is convenient, but that's about it. They typically are easy to break.  If you live somewhere where theft is a major concern a fork lock is more effective as it's not easily broken and will stop them from rolling it away, if there are a couple of guys they can still drag it onto a flatbed or even heft it up onto a truck, but I doubt many people will go through that trouble for a LS650 there are alot of bikes worth alot more money.  If you are going to have saddle/luggage bags a chain is great, you can chain the bike to something or if there is nothing around just through the wheels.

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