Please post some detail pictures of the differences.
Thanks
Kropatchek

"adds a flat handlebar and new-style, one-piece seat for increased rider comfort and a streamlined look. "

from
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcsuz/04_05_Lineup/

Way to go...now we can all learn about the "Savage40".

This forum might need a name modification  

Removed the white spacer today.  Interestingly, it's exactly the same thickness as the one from my old '88.  Did not have time to uncap the airscrew, but lifting the needle may be enough because the backfiring is gone.

A note about the shim job.  Most of the info on the net about this just says "remove the white spacer".  When you get the slide piston out you will see that the needle is held in place with a small plate and two screws.  There is a tiny dimple on that plate that puts a little tilt in the needle by pushing against the white spacer.  This, I assume, is intended to help prevent needle flutter at mid to high revs.  If you just remove the white spacer and reassemble in reverse order with the dimple facing downward, the dimple will not be effective because it now rests against an e-clip.  A work-around is to replace the spacer with a single Radio Shack #4 washer.  I filed the edges a bit to reduce it's diameter to be the same as the spacer because it needs to seat into the hole in the piston.

I didn't pay much attention to the details of the LS650 over the last couple of years, but this S-40 includes a 4-way flasher setup.  It's activated on the right switch housing and works in both Park and Ignition modes.

Another surprise was finding the belt tensioner tool in the tool kit.  I recall shelling out close to $30 for this optional widget in the past.

Btw, it appears the seat utilizes the same two side attachment points as the Savage seat.  The only other retainer is a single screw back near the taillight.  Maybe the new seat will retro fit?

Can the white spacer just be filed down to a smaller size?

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Do you still have the '88?  If you do, and have the time you will find out that the jet needle and the needle jet have different profiles (tapers).  In fact all of the internal jetting is different, and even the throttle plate is bigger...
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A dial caliper measured the spacers from the 88 and 96 at .112".  The 88 did indeed have a much different carb as verified in the Suz shop manual.  It also had a louder stock muffler with less back pressure.  So, when I did the shim mod on that older bike I machined an .055 spacer from aluminum.  It ran very well.

On the S-40, to help offset the too rich tendency on decel with the spacer removed, I'm going to leave the lean factory airscrew setting alone for a while.  With the backfiring AND surging now gone, it has good manners and is a pleasant ride.

FYI... the Radio Shack #4 washer is .024" thick, so they can be stacked as needed to fine tune the needle.  Just reduce their diameter a little with a file or sandpaper.  


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Let us know how the seat feels on a long ride.
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I'm gone for a butt test, more later.

Did 120 miles today.  As with the Savages, I think I'd add 1-inch of foam to the seat on the S-40.  Not because the seat needs it, though, it's nicely wide and flat and level, but to compensate for the choppy rear suspension.  On the relatively smooth interstate, the S-40's ride is quite adequate, but (like the LS650) you get beat up a little on backroads with rough pavement.  

The ride quality is influenced a lot by the bolt-upright seating.  Around town the posture is near perfect, but when carving twisties I found myself thinking about lowering the bars.  The S-40 does not have flat 'drag' bars, they angle back quite a bit.  Flat bars would move the grips forward a little and allow the rider's spine to incline forward of vertical, thus deflecting road shocks .  With the dogbone risers and factory shortened cable, wiring and hose, there are a lot of possibilities for personalizing the bars.  Some of the other Suzuki models have shorter risers, and it looks like the multitude of Harley risers would adapt to the S-40.  This 5'7" rider thinks the grips could be forward a couple of inches and down one inch while still having armchair ergos.  The stock bars can also tolerate being rotated down about 80 degrees so the angle-back would become angle-down like Cafe drops.  More fun in toyland tomorrow.

If anyone else buys an S-40, jump in and expand this thread with some feedback.