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Message started by polarpilot on 04/25/13 at 18:30:38

Title: WD
Post by polarpilot on 04/25/13 at 18:30:38

I have not posted here for more years than I care to admit.
Imagine my delight today when I made a small donation and then decided I should look around a bit and out of no where WD pops up with a question

I have been tracking and following him since about 1999 I think - I was thrilled to exchange a bit of information with him today

Now I know what I really like about this board - lots of good folks will to share!

Title: Re: WD
Post by Serowbot on 04/25/13 at 21:40:18

Was there internet in back then?... ;D...
Dude,.. You've only made 9 posts in all that time...
You've got some catchin' up to do!...
We need more 2 cent's worth around here...
;D ;D ;D...
;)...

Title: Re: WD
Post by ToesNose on 04/26/13 at 04:27:54

Glad you found your way back PolarPilot, so how does your Savage fair after all that long time?

Title: Re: WD
Post by polarpilot on 04/26/13 at 06:00:58

Only nine posts in how many years? I guess that is what happens when I am having fun. ;D ;D ;D

To catch up, I purchased my 1989 Savage in 1999. That year I trailered it to the Sturgis rally and had a blast thumping our way around the kills and dales with the thousands of other riders. I rode two up most of the time at Sturgis.

A couple of years later with the same kind of set up - me in a car and th Savage on a trailer - I call her Ole' Yellar - it was time to head for Daytona Beach. Again a great ride and a great time. That was a long run with about 11,000 kms turning under the wheels by the time |I was home.

Then in 2004 - :-/ disaster. :'( I changed the oil - and made sure everything was in order. The a couple of days later my daughter in the car and me on Ole Yellar headed off for an overnight trip. I had only ridden about 200 kms after the oil change so I did not check the oil levels before pulling out. At the 100 km mark we stopped for gasoline and I could hear the tappets rattling and NO oil was showing in the window. I found some oil and topped up the engine but the rattling did not stop. Sure enough about 70 kms down the road suddenly there was a bang, the clutch slipped free and a coasted to a stop. A valve had seized, the piston smashed into the valve and the damage was every where.

Oh no - now what to do.

I decided I wanted to continue riding the Savage and with the very few changes to the engine over the years I decided to find an engine on ebay and drop it in.

That exercise took about three years to complete. The only issue was the need to change the alternator stator - or something - the exciter was upgraded and did not work with my old wiring. So pulling it apart install the old parts and away she went.

Over the years I have very slowly added a few bikes to what is now a collection. And with the collection my Savage has kind of slipped back into a quieter location in the garage.

I do have a fly screen windshield - metzler tires, a custom made luggage rack ( Thanks to Peter the Blacksmith) and a )Protach backrest.

I considerr the Savage to be one of the finest motorcycles I have ridden - and I have now been biking for 53 years.

I have toured with it, cruised with it and ridden it for specific purposes. And, it has always done exactly what I wanted it to.

The mere fact that it is now approaching 30 years in the Suzuki catalog surely tells us something about the machine.

Title: Re: WD
Post by polarpilot on 04/26/13 at 06:11:23

Picture was taken in 2003 - near Asheville NC - bike came off the trailer here and we rode the rest of the way down to Daytona.

Title: Re: WD
Post by LANCER on 04/26/13 at 07:28:09

Howdy P-P, nice to see you again, alive and kickin still. ;)

Title: Re: WD
Post by WD on 04/26/13 at 10:40:13

There are a few (very few) of us still around from the original forum, Bert's old site out of Germany. Which I joined in February or March of 1998.

I still wish somebody had archived that forum for posterity, lot of very good info has been lost forever. I had saved a lot of it to disc, but, all my computers that could run a 3.5" are long since crapped out...

Title: Re: WD
Post by PerrydaSavage on 04/27/13 at 01:56:13

Even though I am an FSO (current scoot = 2006 Honda VT750DC Spirit), have been a Member of this website since 2003 ... this place is home ... with many, many fine folks contributing ... nice to see some of the Originals still around here!

Title: Re: WD
Post by polarpilot on 04/27/13 at 03:45:09

WD - if you can remember the url for Bert's sight - it might be archived and you can get to it through

http://archive.org/web/web.php

I cannot remember what it was called - but you are 100% correct - it was a totally useful encyclopedia of information on the Savage

Title: Re: WD
Post by polarpilot on 04/27/13 at 03:57:45

Hot damm - look what I found

http://www.heise-workstations.de/ls650/LS650-e.html

Title: Re: WD
Post by WD on 04/27/13 at 08:25:19

And of course the most interesting parts don't work anymore...

Title: Re: WD
Post by polarpilot on 04/27/13 at 09:42:28

try through that archive slight
It has saved my bacon a couple of times on some work I am involved with