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General Category >> The Cafe >> S40, LS650, Savage - The Good Stuff
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Message started by HAPPYDAN on 10/15/16 at 11:41:49

Title: S40, LS650, Savage - The Good Stuff
Post by HAPPYDAN on 10/15/16 at 11:41:49

On another forum, I read where a poster posted many negative comments about a product, and was threatened with a defamation lawsuit by the manufacturer. I realized that, most of my posts here, regarded what I considered problems with my 2012 S40. So, that said, here comes the good stuff.
1. 4 years and +5,000 miles, only 2 small issues. The petcock and turn signals. The petcock was replaced with a Yamaha raptor and the turn signals was a connector under the seat that came apart. Easy fixes, NO other problems.
2. Great mileage, 60-65 mpg, and the low compression thumper will accept regular gas.
3. The quality build is top-notch. Other than periodic adjustments, everything stays where it belongs and is made to last.
4. The drive belt is.... tops. Hasn't yet needed adjusting and is so quiet.
5. The seat and riding position fit me perfectly. I'm 5'10", 170 lbs.
6. The handling is nimble and precise. I passed the endorsement test on a GZ250 and was impressed with the handling. The S40 is it's big brother.
7. The styling. Suzuki set out to create a simple, functional design and nailed it. IMO, it begs to be bobbed! Personally, I think it would look boss with a metalflake flame job and 4" over tubes. A mini Hopper Chopper!
8. Tons of torque. I could pull a trailer with it.
9. Outrageous braking. Smooth and effective. Saved my bacon more than once.
10. Easy to do maintenance and repairs or mods. And, she's been on the market long enough to have repair parts and accessories readily available.

So that's my Top 10 list, why it's still here and will be for the foreseeable future. Oh, did I mention this great, helpful Forum? :)

Title: Re: S40, LS650, Savage - The Good Stuff
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/15/16 at 19:54:05

rum, I read where a poster posted many negative comments about a product, and was threatened with a defamation lawsuit by the manufacturer.

Hmmm,, the time to type the questions I would ask...

Title: Re: S40, LS650, Savage - The Good Stuff
Post by Dave on 10/16/16 at 02:57:14

I would think that any negative comments on this forum that involve the petcock or cam chain tensioner could be easily backed up with enough documentation to support the negative comment(s).

And the brakes......they could be improved. The back one locks up easily and the front one is about 60% of what it should be. Someday you will ride/own a bike with good brakes and feel the difference.....a good front brake can be operated with 2 fingers.

I do like the bike a lot and agree the bike is easy to work on, the big single is a hoot, and I have fixed those other issues...including the brakes. The Cafe' conversion and midset pegs has made the rear brake less touchy, and I have Shawn's big front brake on my bike.

Title: Re: S40, LS650, Savage - The Good Stuff
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/16/16 at 05:39:35

The 02s rear brake is spot on. I can modulate the pressure on the pedal and the tire doesn't suddenly start sliding.
The 05? I could sneeze at the pedal and be sliding. After I tried to learn to be gentle,, nothing about How I operated it made it useable. Before I could feel feedback from the pedal, it was locked up.
So, I cut grooves across the face of the shoes, eliminating 1/4 or so of the contact surface. It was Less touchy, but needed more removed.
Taper edges, grind grooves,
If I had it to do over I think I would angle them across to move dust toward the outside.

Title: Re: S40, LS650, Savage - The Good Stuff
Post by Kris01 on 10/16/16 at 08:57:55

I guess I have a different experience than some people. My rear brake works as it should, although, it's a little weak and could use some help. It doesn't lock up unless I make it. That becomes my fault, not the brake. The front brake also is a little weak but it does a decent job. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the brakes a solid 5. Not great but useable.

The rest of the bike...I'm very happy with it. It does everything I want. I've had zero trouble out of it.

Title: Re: S40, LS650, Savage - The Good Stuff
Post by HAPPYDAN on 10/18/16 at 06:36:56

Interesting comments regarding the brakes. Perhaps later year models had some improvements, or maybe with time, wear, and/or abuse things get worse. The GZ250 I rode with MSF (heavily abused) did have the rear lock-up problem, as some have reported with older TU250x.
Here's the scary legal-speak:
In law, defamation (also called vilification, slander, and libel) is the communication of a statement that makes a false claim, expressively stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government or nation a negative image. Slander refers to a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report, while libel refers to any other form of communication such as written words or images. Most jurisdictions allow legal actions, civil and/or criminal, to deter various kinds of defamation and retaliate against groundless criticism. :o

Title: Re: S40, LS650, Savage - The Good Stuff
Post by Kris01 on 10/18/16 at 17:48:26

So if we say "X" is a garbage product, and it's true, it's legal. This bike has a long history of specific problems that have been addressed by the members here. These are facts! ;)

Title: Re: S40, LS650, Savage - The Good Stuff
Post by Kenny G on 10/18/16 at 20:35:31

Dan,

Slander is something we do not use on the forum.

However, there is a certain number of problems that have been with the Savage/S40 that can easily be proven in a court of law...

Kenny G

Title: Re: S40, LS650, Savage - The Good Stuff
Post by Nigel-in-SoCal on 11/03/16 at 22:52:16

My front brake is marginal at best and tends to fade quickly. However, I have read that the original pads wear out pretty fast. My aftermarket ones don't. So, is the front brake more effective with OEM pads?

Title: Re: S40, LS650, Savage - The Good Stuff
Post by Gary_in_NJ on 11/04/16 at 05:41:12

I'm free to say what I want, my bike only has a handful of LS650 parts left on it:

Frame
Engine
Wiring Harness (modified)
Rectifier
Ignition Module
Key Switch
Rear Hub
Front Hub
Handlebar Switch Gear
Front Fender
Axles

He's the other thing. I've never ridden a Savage in my life. I never even sat on one. My bike was a rusty rat when I got it...at the end of it's lonely, unloved and ridden life. It sat in a shed for decades rusting - with only 2,500 miles on the clock. I didn't test ride the bike when I bought it (I just cared that it started and everything worked) and when I got it home I wheeled it right onto my bike stand and tore it apart. Took about an hour.