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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> The Cafe >> What is a Savage good for ??? /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1490125865 Message started by Oldfeller on 03/21/17 at 12:51:05 |
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Title: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by Oldfeller on 03/21/17 at 12:51:05 I do this Savage vs ..... generally every time I buy a new motorcycle to complement my Savage. I have tried this complement trick 3 times now and every time I post what a Savage is good for vs whatever it was I just bought. My original Savage was bone stock, was down on the RPM range and down on HP and torque levels compared to my current engine, so please understand I actually have used different length yardsticks over the years -- so I will only talk about what applies to my current Savage. One more powerful bike, a V twin 535 Virago got lapped by my mods power-wise and was sold off the following spring, so my next V twin foray was a 800cc bike so it wouldn't wind up getting lapped so easily. The current other now is a Barcalounger, a heavily modified VS800 Suzuki V twin Intruder camping trip & touring motorcycle. This one was built strictly for long distance body comfort as I am also an aging stage 1-2 diabetic & warfarin rat (post mechanical heart valve patient) and I am also relatively poor dollar-wise as I am heading off into retirement soon, so well maintained used bikes and bike camping is my steady modus operandi now. The LS650 Savage isn't a really a comfortable bike, it is purely aggressive and nimble and loud and snarly, complete with backfires and rumbles. The Savage is FUN to ride around town and up in the mountains. Nothing romps better than a modded Savage when down on the low budget side of things. The Savage simply isn't an interstate bike as it flat beats you to death over a long trip on the fast tilted slabs of the interstates. It has low tank capacity and gets relatively poor gas mileage (post mod anyway). The Barcalounger is exactly what is says it is, COMFORTABLE and it handles just about like that. Not bad, it feels very much like a slightly bigger heavier Savage and it handles almost identical except for the sensations of extra size and weight. My feet can rest flat on the pavement and I can move the bike around on them slow parking lot turns very easily. Gas mileage is a relatively bike normal 50-60 mpg and it has enough grunt to easily get out of the way of stupid things out on the interstate. However, tilt it over far enough in a tight corner on either side and you find a scary "hard touch down" on a solid across the bottom frame section which is always the very first thing to touch down on the pavement. And the foot pegs are relatively immobile on this bike because the FRAME cross piece hits the ground first ...... Having literally ground off the stock muffler mount on the Savage, having the frame hit first isn't totally unknown to me up in the mountains, but I modded my way away from that condition accordingly. I have also ground through on one set of Suzuki pegs on one side by grinding the outer portion off until the inner rods were free to go their merry way. FAST hard mountain turns require more bike tilt than Suzuki provides with either bike. So, Barcalounger for longer trips (with camping carry capacity) and a trailered Savage for mountain Romping is my current bike mix. ;) ..... Oh, did I mention the Barcalounger carries 8.5 gallons of gas for far fewer open road gas stops? |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by Gary_in_NJ on 03/21/17 at 13:08:17 Yamaha FZ6 for when I need a comfortable chair to ride. It could use tires...not sure it's gonna get much love this summer...didn't get any last summer. Rode it once in December to get allergy shots and again in January to a party for motorcyclists (got bonus points for showing up in January on a bike). Probably time to sell it. Nice bike, but I don't like nice bikes - too boring. Building a DRZ400 Street Tracker for a play bike. This one will be a fun bike to ride and it's getting all of my wrenching love. Both complement my LS650 based cafe racer which is my cool as F bike. I haven't enjoyed a motorcycle so much since I can't remember. Looks great, rides great, handles great...reminds me why I have loved motorcycles for 40+ years. Saw a Honda Grom that made me look three times. It reminds me of the '71 CT70H I had growing up. I loved that bike...I'm sure I'd love a Grom for a play bike. It better not make me look a fourth time. |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by old.indian on 03/21/17 at 16:38:55 Age and $ limit me to one bike. Modifications have made the S40 near perfect for my requirements. Longer shocks and 4" FC greatly improve riding comfort. Engine now has the oomph for high altitude and the gearing to cruse comfortably all day at 60-65 MPH , AND get 50-55 MPG. |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by philthymike on 03/21/17 at 17:55:24 I now have highly modified LS666 and my better half has a lightly modded Vstar 650. The V is a darn good bike. It has nice ergonomics (except the clutch which sucks), Is very predictable, handles nicely but in the nicest nicely predictable way, and is quite smooth on the highway if a bit rough around town. A better seat might cure that. Then there's my Thumpy, which snarls and growls and makes this guttural machine gun popping that clears city streets of pedestrians crossing against the light like rats leaving a sinking ship. Yes I have an exhaust leak. No I won't bother to fix it. Thumpy runs amok on backroads, kicks ass and takes names around town, beats Herley Hefferson's to snot in acceleration and overall handling :D And gives me the Don't worry be happy grin the whole way home from work as I blast past the endless lines of cagers stuck in their queue that guarantees a long painful stop at every single light along the way. I respect the limits and capabilities of both bikes. The V is like a cautious old codger that focuses on getting there but not on how you get there. It couldn't care less. Thumpy is this cantankerous little brat, much in common with the household puppy, that just wants to go go go and go some more and wants to do it as energetically as it can. It takes no prisoners and makes no excuses. And slobbers your face afterwards. It actually doesn't do that ;D As far choices go there aren't better matches for the personalities of the respective owners of said bikes. My better half loves the V for everything it's worth and I the same with my LS666. But I'll gladly borrow the V if I have to leave for an extended trip beyond my casual riding zone. |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by philthymike on 03/21/17 at 20:04:10 Upon review by my better half I need to amend my previous posting. She felt I needed to add that her bike is very intimidating to hear. Much like she is (shhhhh ;)) She's got Vance & Hines pipes that make her bike about twice as loud as the big HD across the alleyway. To me it sounds at idle much like a trawler - but you didn't hear that from me. So mild mannered but very, extremely intimidating Vstar. Thumpy runs circles around it ;D |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by Kenny G on 03/21/17 at 21:07:49 Mike, There is a guy that makes a fix for the lousy clutch on your V-Star. The product is called The Clever Lever: http://theclevver.com/index.htm The Clever Lever makes the clutch function like it should and it is not a lot of money. I had one on my V-Star and when I sold it on Craig's I got $200.00 more than Blue Book because of how good the clutch was. Kenny G :-/ |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by Ruttly on 03/21/17 at 21:08:48 Tha Savage is a fine machine. It takes many forms for many different purposes. It is a blank canvas , it is a ball of clay make what you will with it. It has it's faults , most of them have been corrected by our outstanding members. The most important thing that everyone seems to forget about, a old timer passed this on to me,the true pleasures of riding a big single can be measured by the grin on ones face as you step off it after a good ride ! It's just freakin fun to ride ! In any form ! |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by IslandRoad on 03/21/17 at 21:29:17 I've only been riding for a few months and the S40 is my second bike (I started with a 2010 Ninja 250 and quickly discovered I really wanted a cruiser). In my short time I've formed the opinion that the Savage/S40 feels like a bike that has nothing to prove, and yet could probably prove it anyway :) As for looks, I find that people either don't even see it - or they love it. There seems to be no middle ground. Personally, I just love the torque - no frantic gear changes to get up to speed, just twist the throttle and do what ya gotta do 8-) |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by IslandRoad on 03/21/17 at 21:31:49 Oh, and it's a great bike to learn maintenance and mods on. |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by MMRanch on 03/21/17 at 22:00:14 The Little Bike that Could ! I did one 150 mile trip on my Savage , came home and went to work on the Seat ! It has had a HD Soft-Tail (?) Dyna (?) seat ever since . Yea , the seat is as wide as I am and is GOOD . ;) I found that HD FloorBoards (modified) fit into the factory slots just fine and are very comfy ... I found the Handlebar of my Sportster work better on my Savage and give me great leverage for tight turns. I found a Fork-Brace is a VERY-GOOD thing to have on a Savage while doing those tight turns ! I found HD-Sportster shocks (12.5") gets the Savage up off the ground enough to help me make those tight turns. I'm beginning to think I drive a Suzuki/HD Hybrid .... but then I get on my Sportster and remember what a Light weight toy the Savage really is ! ;) and then there is the 25 tooth front pulley , WoW --- 6th gear , O.D. !!! :o |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by IslandRoad on 03/21/17 at 23:14:10 MMRanch, did you need to modify the cables or any of the wiring when you changed to the Sportster handlebars? I've been looking at options for handlebars and really like the Sportster bars. |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by MMRanch on 03/22/17 at 07:33:45 Oh yea , that's what a Savage is best at ... Modifying ! ;) Been so long ago on the bars ??? I think I already had a 4" longer S.Steel braided (Stronger no expansion ) brake line . |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by philthymike on 03/22/17 at 13:31:27 557B705D6C7F6D761E0 wrote:
That's ideal! And not terribly priced. I will get her this for her birthday along with those highway bars she wants. Thanks! |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by Kenny G on 03/22/17 at 13:48:26 mike, You are welcome. I know she is going to love that V-Star with the Clever Lever. Kenny G |
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by IslandRoad on 03/22/17 at 14:19:14 Thanks fur the reply [ch9786] I'll look into it some more 2E3C2E3C31222D202B630 wrote:
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Title: Re: What is a Savage good for ??? Post by philthymike on 03/22/17 at 14:19:19 6E404B665744564D250 wrote:
I know she will. She's been having a tough time learning the clutch on that bike. She can operate the clutch on my bike no problems so she knows what to do. Even I've managed to stall her bike a few times while getting rolling from a stop. There's like only a 1/4" of travel during engagement. The remaining 2.5" of travel is dead air. Can't imagine why they would produce a bike with such a dreadful control. Over the Fall her Brother in law and I whipped up a foot brake pedal extension for her and it's working like a charm. She has a fused ankle and cannot twist her foot inboard to hit the OEM pedal at all. Now she's got plenty of pedal in reach with her foot at its natural angle. With this clutch lever and those crash bars she's going to be in real good shape this season! I think I need to look at adjusting her shocks though. I think the previous owner was a much heavier gal and set them stiff to accommodate her bulk. My other half is a little tiny bug sized person, she needs softer shocks. |
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