I'm new to the message board and a new rider as well. The Savage is my first bike. It's a 2001 and I bought it direct from a suzuki dealership with only 20 miles on it. I originally didn't think I'd make any changes since I was a first time rider and it was basically a brand new bike, but having 3 cycle enthusiasts as best friends seemed to take me in that direction faster than expected. When riding with some of the guys, they kept saying how quiet the bike was. So they encouraged me to drill some small holes in the baffle to give it some more volume. Soon after doing so, I noticed I was getting some pretty loud backfires once in a while. They would only happen when I roll of the throttle. I briefly tried getting rid of it by adjusting the mixture screw without success. So, I ended up purchasing a Dynojet Kit and K&N filter thinking that it may help to correct the backfires, and if it didn't, then at least I'd have a little more kick. The backfires were not corrected. In fact I think they got worse. So, I figured I'd change the exhaust all together while I was at it. If I was going to have to fine tune it to get rid of the pops, I might as well have a more desirable exhaust as well. So, I bought a screaming eagle off of lancer. Not as simple an installation as the sportser instructions implies (http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=tech;action=display;num=1114360126). But I managed to make it work. The stock muffler has a slight bend where it connects to the header pipe, so I had a friend weld a piece in to give it the necessary angle to send it straight back like the stock one. Works and sounds great. I also made a good seal by purchasing the stock gasket and inserting it into the new pipe.


Anyway, back to the problem. So now with the Dynojet kit, K&N filter, and Screamin Eagle I still can't get it to stop popping. I get lousy gas mileage, a little black smoke out the pipe, blackened spark plugs, and frequent backfires. So, it has to be too rich. Which I don't understand because I installed everything as directed. I tried dropping the needle and going to a smaller main jet and it seems to have made the backfires and popping worse still. Now it backfires or pops almost every time I roll of the throttle to shift gears. I'm at a complete loss for how to fix this? Maybe someone has the same set up and could tell me their settings? Help me please!!!!

I kept the white spacer in just like the dynojet kit instructions said. I'm pretty sure I'm not getting leaks because I used a brand new gasket to seal the muffler to the header pipe. So what you'r suggesting is to lower the needle to help with the overall richness and then back out the mix screw to do away with the pops? What size pilot jet should I use if I need to switch it?

I'm using a 55 and it's working for me but that really doesn't need to be changed unless you can't get your idle mixture rich enough using the idle mixture screw.  So far as the white spacer and the DJ kit, you can keep it or toss it and simply adjust the clip on the needle to compensate.  Personally, I kept it just so I wouldn't lose it.

If the slow mix screw is more than 3 turns out you must go up on the pilot jet, less than 1 turn out go to smaller pilot jet.

Clive W  

Everybody keeps telling me I have a gasket in the end of my header pipe. Through your discussions I have learned this can cause leaks and backfiring. I have a new 05 boulevard. It has backfired every since I got it. It doesn't appear to have a exhaust leak at the header pipe. I have had the exhaust off and have confirmed there is no gasket at that location? Should there be one here? Is this my problem as well? By the way YOUR BIKE LOOKS REAL SWEET!

there is not a gasket at the end of the head pipe i know becuse i went to the dlea to buy one for the new muffler i was going to put on but there is not one there
the guy showed me on the part  fisher no gasket


shawn

shawn_b wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:08:

Shawn,
there is a gasket at each end of the pipe, moreover there  two different types at the muffler - one a copper clad and the other feels like it's made out of mica or some such and is slightly larger than the copper clad - they seem to inter change and both tend to stay inside the muffler once installed.

You are putting too much faith in your dealer - they do not know much about these bikes and are the source of most of the oil leaks because they do not seal the head plug after they remove it - let alone replace it as they should - to me it is a one time use gasket like any other gasket - but no dealer stocks it that i have found - so no dealer replaces it normally.

I'd have to looked back through the part numbers - But i think it's that #5 that is different through the years -

anyway - It may not be these dealers fault - I just do not think they work on savages very much and maybe experts on complex machines they work on all the time - but just do seem to know jack about these.