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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Getting back on the horse
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Message started by ihasabike on 03/13/15 at 04:12:22

Title: Getting back on the horse
Post by ihasabike on 03/13/15 at 04:12:22

I had a couple of issues with my S40.

For example, last season I found it really frightening to ride on the interstate because every time I crossed an angled seam in the pavement it made the bike fishtail or weave briefly in a scary way. So I am reluctant to take it on road trips that involve interstates or freeways. Is there anything I can do to make it handle better, like upgrade the shocks, maybe?

Also, getting it ready for the season, we noticed an oil leak, and our mechanic says it needs a head gasket, which is an expensive repair. He said that this is a known issue with this model, and there is no way to prevent it. Should I expect an expensive repair every year, then?

Finally, I injured my left hand last year and had to have a bone graft. My hand is still sore and it hurts to pull the clutch in and hold it. Are there other clutch options I can consider?

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by Dave on 03/13/15 at 04:24:06

Tires are more an issue with "tramming"....the desire of the bike to follow pavement seams and irregular surfaces. New tire designs have wavy tread grooves to help prevent this....straight grooves in the tires tend to follow pavement grooves. Tire pressure can affect this, as can irregular wear in tires. You might be ready for a new set of tires.

The Savage does not blow head gaskets...it is a low compression engine and does not stress that area. We have never seen a blown head gasket on this forum. You most likely have a rubber head plug leak, which is very common.

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1256079122

I can't think of any clutch options that would help on the Savage. You might be able to bend the lever to reduce the reach a little bit - but the lever does need most of the available travel to function properly. Maybe taking the clutch lever apart and cleaning and lubing the pivot bolt, and a thorough lubing of the clutch cable will help. There are cable lubers you can buy that will force the lube down the cable, Oldfeller pokes a hole in a baggy and secures it to the top of the cable and puts oil in the baggy...then lets gravity flow the oil down the cable over a couple of days.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by ihasabike on 03/13/15 at 04:54:06

Thanks.

Maybe I misunderstood the mechanic. I thought he said gasket. I will check with him.

If it is the head gasket, is it possible the previous owner did something that could have led to this issue? It was outfitted as a drag bike when I bought it. Do people ever use nitrous in these?

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by Dave on 03/13/15 at 05:04:04

32333A283A3932303E5B0 wrote:

No reason to use Nitrous that I can see. If they did use Nitrous.....the clutch and drive belt will give out long before the head gasket does.

If he keeps saying head gasket....you need to find someone that works on the Savage regularly and get a second opinion.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by Gary_in_NJ on 03/13/15 at 05:11:17

Dave is 100% correct on tires and tram-lining. But I have another thought on your uneasiness and how it can lead to spooky handling...

Be careful of the "death grip" while riding. The death grip happens when the rider gets tense or panics and normal inputs to the bars (for counter steering) and movement on the bike becomes restricted. A "frozen" rider will actually fight with the bike as it attempts to naturally traverse a varied surface.

If you are anticipating that crossing an angled seam in the road will create a spooky feeling, then I can almost guarantee that it will. Loosen up and just go with it. You'd be amazed at how well a bike handles without undue rider input.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by jcstokes on 03/13/15 at 12:13:42

Your avatar pic shows a pretty new bike, Are you still on the original IRC tyres? When I first brought mine new the fish tailing, tramming scared me. A decent rear tyre solved the problem immediately, there will be plenty of advice here on good tyres. Most people here hold the IRC"s in low esteem.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by Ed L. on 03/13/15 at 16:23:07

Stock tires will make the bike feel unstable at superslab speed as well as wrong tire pressure, you might want to look into a fork brace, it helped a lot on my '02. The head plug oil leak is common but no big deal, what year is your bike and how many miles on it?
Watch out for the "death grip" on the handle bars, a gentle touch will make a big difference.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by KennyG on 03/13/15 at 22:04:46

The Tkat fork brace on my 2013 S40, with the original IRC tyres, really helped with the front end following the road rather than the grooves in the road.

Within a couple of week after installing the Tkat I acquired an air compressor, between properly inflated tires and the fork brace the handling couldn't be better for this style motorcycle.

Kenny G :)

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by atomikchicken on 03/14/15 at 00:39:56

Internal clutch may help.

http://www.viciouscycleworks.us/khxc/ccp0-prodshow/eu_5.html

http://www.garageinc.net/throttle.html

http://www.custom-motorcycle-parts.com/parts/throttle-assembly-internal-throttle-twist-clutch/throttle-assembly-internal-throttle-twist-clutch-list/

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by Dave on 03/14/15 at 03:00:39

The internal clutch that atomikchicken listed is an interesting option. It would require new handlebars (no big deal), as the stock bars have a big hunk of steel in each end to help reduce vibration in the handlebars.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/14/15 at 06:19:58

Stay AWAY from that mechanic..

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by ihasabike on 03/14/15 at 12:36:08

He confirmed it was the head gasket and when I told him what you guys said, he replied that he gets 3 or 4 head gasket jobs a year on this model. He said it's the Texas heat, and people riding on the highway in high heat long distances with the throttle wide open, or sitting at long lights with the engine running. He also said he puts some special lubricants on it to handle the heat better when he does them and he has never had a repeat.

It is a 2012 model with almost 3.5k miles on it.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/14/15 at 14:34:56

Do a compression check?
Just exactly what are the symptoms?

The oil leak is common. He is right on that.. But I've been here long enough to see hundreds of new riders come and go.

I don't remember a single head gasket. I'm aware of 2 motors destroyed by dealerships.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by pgambr on 03/14/15 at 15:19:29

0B0A031103000B0907620 wrote:

He confirmed it was the head gasket and when I told him what you guys said, he replied that he gets 3 or 4 head gasket jobs a year on this model.

Do you know this mechanic well? My initial thoughts are they do not know what they are taking about or they are full of crap looking for a reason to justify an expensive bill.

Best regards,

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/14/15 at 15:40:12

3,500 miles,, blown head gasket,,, or, leaking head plug.

Which one is common?
How many times have we Stopped someone from paying for a head gasket job ? At least 10..

Ever seen a blown head gasket on anything? If it's busted then the pressure of compression is going somewhere... you feel it? Hear it?

Oil Plug,, not head gasket,,
You're about to get screwed,, and the mechanic may actually believe it has a bad head gasket,, but I don't believe that.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by Ed L. on 03/14/15 at 15:53:05

3500 miles on it? it's not even broken in yet and still needs the 4000 mile head bolt retorque which most of us don't even do because it is not needed.
Get a compression test from somebody else just to see what it says. The big single is pretty tough even in the heat of Texas. Give the engine a good cleaning using some Gunk or another degreaser and track down where the oil leak is coming from.
3-4 head gaskets per year on Savages in Texas at one dealership, humm doesn't sound right to me. I'm the only one who wrenches on my bike, learned the hard way not to trust most mechanics (monkeys with hammers)

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by ihasabike on 03/14/15 at 20:03:02

It was already too late to stop him by the time I posted. He called the next day and said it was ready. I picked it up today. It does sound different. Quieter. Less sibilant. Like an air leak is gone.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/14/15 at 20:26:40

Naturally he handed over the old bad gasket.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by KennyG on 03/14/15 at 20:37:14

IhasA & Justin

I too am losing faith in most of the dealers here in Texas.

My S40 was delivered right after Thanksgiving, it is a brand new 2013 leftover. Every time I work on the bike I find something wrong or missing.

Today I serviced the battery. The dealer promised me that the battery would be serviced before the bike was delivered.

When I took the chrome cover off of the battery compartment the first thing I noticed was the tool kit is missing, along with the molding around the tool holder, etc.

When I examined the battery I couldn't find any fluid in it and the battery was manufactured in Reading, Pennsylvania? What? I did fill the cells with distilled water and shook it a lot and then put on the Battery Tender overnight.

I will order the missing parts from Ron Ayres, but I think I am going to skip the tool kit.

Kenny G :-[

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/14/15 at 20:45:03

Has, what did he charge?

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by ihasabike on 03/15/15 at 16:41:01

505. 145 for parts and 360 for labor.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by KennyG on 03/15/15 at 17:17:02

I am sure thankful that I found this forum.

I can no longer afford to have a motorcycle repaired at the rates I see charged, and the help on this forum will get me through any fixin' that I need to do.

Thanks A Lot Guys!

Suzuki parts have to be the most expensive of the Big 4. So far I have been able to get everything I need from Ron Ayers and their prices are a little lower than most places that I have checked.

Kenny G :)

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 03/15/15 at 17:26:49

687771766B6C5D6D5D65777B30020 wrote:

Naturally he handed over the old bad gasket.

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by pgambr on 03/15/15 at 17:37:08

4140495B494A41434D280 wrote:

505. 145 for parts and 360 for labor.

$145 for what? I'm guessing 4 * 90 for the labor?

Best regards,

Title: Re: Getting back on the horse
Post by Boofer on 03/15/15 at 21:05:13

First, tires and inflation make a big difference in handling. I got to ride three miles of "stripped" asphalt last year where the big road eating machine leaves grooves. They even put up signs showing a mc picture and "Grooved Pavement". It was a rural 4 lane with plowed fields on either side, so no deer surprises. Around 6 PM with little traffic and I was in the groove. Used orange cones as slolam markers at about 50-55 mph. I run Metzeler ME 880 Marathons at 38-40 Lbs. They are very good, imo. But someone mentioned the death grip. I agree whole heartedly with that. Locked elbows just let the bike wander around under a rigid rider and cannot find its happy place that is dictated by physics.