I screwed the pooch!  I now have a $500 paperweight if anyone needs parts.  I’m too embarrassed to share pictures of the butcher job I did.  I should have just left the darn thing alone!

I’m going to install a PWK38 Air Striker.  I was going to save that mod for later.  Now, later is now.

There's a tip on using a torx bit somewhere to extract the idle screw.
I'll see if I can find it.

Wasn't hard to find, it's in the tech section index...

https://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1350749896/0

You’re the judge on that, I’ve never seen you operate.  
If the drill damages the threads in the carb body, it’s toast.
If you drill out the upper portion of the screw and leave the bottom portion inside, it’s very hard to retrieve that remainder.  The carb body is toast.  
You must be very accurate with the drilling and use of an easy out.


Don’t give up on working the screw in & out with a little oil, it’s your best bet, be patient, it usually works, and keeps your threads intact.

You will want a new screw as replacement since the head is damaged on this one, and also the washer, o-ring & spring.  Get the set just in case any of the other 3 items is lost or damaged…or were missing.

Keep any of the old parts that are usable as backup, just in case.

And that’s where I’m at now.  Screwed up the slot.  Is the 1/3 chance for someone as skilled as yourself?  So, I have like a 1/10 chance…right?

ThumperPaul wrote on Yesterday at 13:23:52:



The 1/3 chance applied to just the “drill & easy out”.

Well.  That failed and I screwed up the slot of the screw!  And so the fun begins!

I want to extend thanks to all who have responded to this thread during the build, in particular
DBM for "everything"
but also Dave for making the budget head available to me
The Sneeze for supplying me with a proper clutch release cam
Lancer for carburettor and flattop piston
Verslagen for inspiration to the top plug
and soon also Rycashawn for a front brake upgrade.

So how is it running?

Vibration level: Nothing worth mentioning, smooth as a whistle
Starting: effortlessly, although I still think I need a bigger idle jet.
Noise levels: No inlet sound when starting and toddeling around the neighbourhood, but at near WOT it starts to be known, not offensively though. Then again this only happens on the highway or when far from inhabited areas, where it is only me and the bike.
Exhaust is only slightly louder, my spouse did not notice any change from last year, but with a deep plaesant tone to it. I've said it before, it now sounds like a real motorcycle.
Then there is the mechanical sounds from the engine. I have to say: this is no sowing machine. There is rattle and scramble from the engine, and I am having some trouble finding out if it is serious of just what to expect from a big single. When I drive on a level road and ease off the throttle to the point where the engine neither drives the bike nor is driven by the bike, it sounds like the piston is clonking in the cylinder. I beleive this has been referred to as piston slap.

I am seriously challenged on my vocabulary when it comes to describing the sounds, and it may well read worse than it is.

We will see soon when I do the first oil change, if there is ground off allu dust in the oil.
Instead of finding a #120 jet, I just drilled the bolt with a 1.2mm drill.
No noise from that area.
The clutch engages smooooothly, there is no drag, and none of the associated CLONK when putting in the first. I can (but will not regularly) make a long sliding engagement with half or so throttle, to get going in style.
The lever-pull was excessive at first, and I had ordered a new cable. In the mean time I lubricated the old cable with a mix of copper eaze, redline assembly lube and engine oil, and this did wonders to the point that I consider putting the DR650 springs into the clutch next time I pull the cover.
The engine is oil tight, at least I have not found any leaks yet.

I have nothing bad to say of the bike yet, and the next few houndred kilometers should reveal whether the sound of the engine is normal or something that needs attention.

No firsthand personal experience, but I wouldn’t think all of the oil is bypassing the filter.  If you found small bits of metal in the old oil, it sounds like some oil did bypass the filter.  I would dissect and do an autopsy on the filter and see what you find.

I know this bike is new to you and you keep finding issues.  I don’t find that terribly unusual for an older bike purchased cheap.  Whenever I buy a used bike, one of my very first tasks is an oil inspection/change. It gives me a good sense and indication of what I might be in store for.

Many of these bikes over say 10-15 years old have likely had several owners and lived a rough neglected life - most owners unwilling to pay shop/dealership prices for maintenance and/or they themselves lack the ability or willingness to take on the maintenance themselves.  It’s often a first bike for owners and they just ride it until the wheels fall off or it quits and then they sell it.  That’s been the case on the 4 fixer-upper LS650s I’ve owned.

Sweet ride, Zip!!  Nice!!  And happy belated Big 8-0!  Heck yeah!  Tinker away, but don’t lose the awesome character of that bike!!  Does he/she have a name?!

I think you’re right, Zip!  Unless you own a Tesla or EV!  That must be where the battery-makers are sticking it to the consumers!