My longest trip was 3rd week June 03 when my brother and I went from Moses Lake to Lander Wyoming and back via Eastern Oregon. Purpose was to attend the FSSNOC Rally there.(FSSNOC = Four Stroke Singles National Owners Club - serious thumper guys and gals)) About 2400 miles. Left Moses Lake in beautiful weather on 2 laners and got to Idaho that night. Was raining the next day but we forged on over hill and dale and finally called it a day after lots of rain and cold weather. Last day enroute was over a 9000 ft pass and it snowed and was cold. I have an edging on my windshield and the snow was built up about 1/2 in. on the shield.  I'm sure had there not been a Rally we would have turned tail and headed for home or warmer places. Great Rally and then we left via the southern route on the slab. Slabbed across Idaho to Boise (got some HD brake parts for him) and then headed over two laners again from Vail OR to John Day OR where I have relatives. spent the night there and visited and the headed home, was 105 deg and no wind coming down the hill on the south side of Pendleton, OR. Glad to have mesh jackets for that part. Savage ran great, used over a qt of oil in the cold part I can only attribute to the cold air from my fairing distorting the cylinder to the point the 20/50 sythentic went by the rings. It doesn't seem to burn as blue as dino as my brother said he never saw any smoke. Has not reocurred so is the only explanation I can think of. Ran with traffic on the slab, but I was running a 140/90 tire at the time and it changed the sweet spot up some in MPH. I have very little vibration at any speed and would encourage any who do to check all engine to frame fasteners for correct torque. Over the years I found that loosened fasteners make singles vibrate. I also have a full fairing and a shield before that so may change the tendency for the handle bars to vibrate as they clamp on there.  Couple other 3 -4 day trips with my brother and his wife around WA, he rides a HD bagger and she a VS800 here and a Savage in Juneau AK where they live. she has ridden the Savage from Anchorage AK around AK and the Yukon to Haines AK, then from Prince Rupert BC to WA and around, they are bike campers. Now they leave a set of bikes here in a trailer as moving them to and from SE AK was getting expensive. Hoping for a big trip next spring to SE WA with them to our equivalent of "Deals Gap".  Many turns in a few miles up and down to the Grand Rhonde river. Max

the longest trip on my savage is more a philosphical trip than an actual trip.

it's the 40 ft walk from the grarage to the house after i've put it away for the day.  

earler this month i did a 500 mile day ride though the mountains of washington state.  saw mt rainer, mt st helens.  and a couple of more i dont know the name of.

cphilip - Have a blast and ride safe! We'll be thinking of you.

My wife and I did a 2600 mile trip. She on her savage me on my sportster. Took two lane Roads. Rode from maryland to tennessee. Rode the Dragon, and part of the Blue Ridge Pkwy. Ran about 250 miles per day in  August. Weather in the 90s. Rain all day for 3 days on way back. Absolutely no problem with Bike. We were camping and both bikes were loaded. we were two weeks on the road, including days spent in camp grounds.

Hard to answer the original questions directly... Some general answers: I've not taken either of my Savages on any long road trips. Probably never will, as I don't deem them or myself fit for such. These bikes (87 and 99) are happiest in the 55-60mph range, but capable of cruising at 70+ if you are tolerant of it. I'm not without a windshield any more, and neither of my Savages have one. Hence, longest stretch of 'slab' at or about 70mph so far is probably about 50 miles. I'd rather ride the back roads.

My typical riding is just heading out with no particular place to go. Often turning down roads I notice, just because "I've never been down that one before." This is also typical of me, as I did the same on foot and bicycle as a kid. No telling how far from home I'll roam on any given trip when I do that. I also have some standard 'circuits' of two-lane blacktop close to home that I run around for short occasional rides. Sometimes those rides are as little as 10-25 miles just to break boredom. These rides are usually in the 30 to 60mph range, and can be ridden either at leisure or more aggressively depending on my state of mind. Sometimes I just want to putt along, and might stop just to have a smoke and moo back at the cows Other times I feel like riding the piss out of the poor little Savages, and scrubbing some rubber off the tires here and there!

I know I've ridden the tank from full to empty in one sitting many times, several times on each bike. And then some more on the way home. But I've never been more than two tanks from home and back, so that means no trips over 200 miles in a day yet. Probably a bit over 150 in a day has happened a few times, and that is plenty to wear me out, and make the butt plenty sore, whether it is the shaved foam stock seat on the 99, or the Sportster seat on the 87. As some have mentioned, the miles get easier on the butt the more you ride, but the Savage's cramped riding position and seat position still isn't the best suited for 5' 10"+ and 250+ pounds.

Only been caught out in the heavy rain twice on the Savages. Once about 30 miles from home, and wearing only a light shirt in cool (60s?) weather. 60s feels like 40s when you are wet and moving 40+mph! The other time I got caught in the rain, I had on my full riding gear, but had no rain suit with me. (I need to buy and carry a rain suit, as should any real biker.) Had to ride about 10 miles home in the driving rain. It was a real toad floater, and I had to ride a two-lane blacktop home with cars and trucks smothering me with tire wash very often. That sucked. My overalls and jacket felt like they weighed about 50 pounds when I got back home and dismounted the bike.  

Like I said: Not easy to answer all the original questions straight out, what with my type of riding. But within the above, all the questions are answered in one way or another.

Addition: Thought I'd mention that; though I've only ridden the two Savages less than 3k miles since starting back riding this time, I've not had a road-stranding failure of any kind on the yet. They've been extremely bulletproof compared to many other bikes I've owned over the years. Rivaling my favored Yamaha bikes from the past in reliability. That's pretty good in my book.

The most recent trip I've done was this last week. I did about 2,500 miles from wednesday afternoon through this evening (thursday) round trip from south central Minnesota to Chapel Hill, NC. There was a three day layover down there for a high school band reunion, but I don't think that wrecks the concept of long haul bikin'. I was averging about 450 or so miles a day. Two of those days included about eight hours each in chilly rain and wind. Another was about three hours in nasty, windy, thunder storm downpour out on the big slab. Bike did great. I froze my tukus.

Last summer I did a 4,200 mile round trip from here in MN to Miami, FL. Hundred degree days every day with a five day layover down there. Don't do Miami in August if you can help it. Ran syth oil and changed it when I got back and it was still a pretty greenish yellow, sort of.

On both trips I got backed up for time on the way down and had to push the poop out of the bike and it just cruised. This last trip I was blowing a little oil out the bottom, but I blame that on pushin' 75-80 mph for long stretches at a time. One time I "had to" sit around 85 mph for around twnty miles. Bike likes to rattle up there, but kept pulling and still had throtle left even hauling 180# of me and about 70# of stuff. All the gunk washed off and on the return trip there was nothing to speak of but road/rain dirt.

Get over 60 mph and the vibration's gonna get to you. Keep the stock seat setup and you'll be looking for a therapist to rub novacane on your bottom for you. Since I now have about eight gallons of fuel on board I seem to keep torturing my hinnie which gives me a great excuse to stop and read in the shade with a diet coke and such for a spell.

I got the bike 'cause it was easy to work on, not too heavy to pick up "when" it lies down and seemed to have enough power to do long trips. It was my first bike and so far I see no reason to "trade up". I do a lot of backwoods boonies trippin' with dirt roads and it does the job. And now I've got a trailer hitch too.

I wouldn't mind a more comfortable bike for L-O-N-G highway trips though. I have a friend with a 1200 Kawasaki who gets around 52 mpg on the highway and rides nicer than most Wings, which might be the bike to get her to hop on the back for trips.

But, bottom line, you want to go the distance the Sav will do it. Watch the oil.

Jack

last year  i rode from portland or to illinois, traveled thru 11 states. Put on almost 6,000 miles on my savage in 6 weeks. Rode all day at 65 to 70. rode from missoula montana to portland in a blinding rainstorm. 550 miles. Bike ran perfect