Hello to everyone, especially the regulars. I've been lurking for a few weeks and feel as though I know some of you from your regular postings. I purchased a 2000 Savage this past June and have been enjoying riding it after not riding a motorcycle for 20 years. I've done the white spacer (1/3 regular size, less backfire), 1" raised seat (more comfortable) and Sportster muffler (lower and louder sound) mods.  I thank all of you for the information that allowed me to improve my ride.
What finally got me to post is that I have developed a oil leak and need your advice. It seems to originate from between the cylinder head and the cylinder near the front where the exhaust pipe is connected. I took some pictures but haven't been able to figure out how to attach them to my post. The oil seems to travel along the cooling fin between the cylinder head and the cylinder towards the back of the engine where it evetually spashes on to the battery case. This leak wasn't there when I purchased the bike. There are 7300 miles on it now.
Would torqueing the head bolts fix it?
I live in Du Page county in NE Illinois in case anyone wants to get together for a ride some time.
Thanks for listening.

http://www.bikepics.com/pics/pics/suzuki-savage-00-bikepics-418796.jpg
LombardLuzer
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Yup, that sure sounds just like the infamous Savage plug/cap leak.  It's sort of a pain but pretty straightforward.  It wouldn't be a pain at all if the engine was not in the frame.  That link above is very good.  Be sure to print that bolt placement diagram and tape it to an empty cardboard box.  There are a lot of bolts and several are very similar.  Punch holes in the diagram/box and place the bolts in the appropriate spot as you remove them.  It helped me a lot.  There are some additional photos here, only some of which pertain to this exercise.

It's very straightforward but it is time-consuming and requires some patience.  The difficulty is access because of the bike's frame.  You will have to remove the seat and tank but I've come to believe that's necessary for pretty much anything except changing the headlight.  Look at the link provided in the previous post by Reelthing.  It explains it pretty well.  Also, in the Technical Corner there is a post showing how to build a quick and easy bike stand for about $20.  I did and use mine all the time.  I would STRONGLY advise getting a torque wrench.  Borrow one if you have to.  I don't know for sure where your leak is, so I can't say whether or not it's a gasket or the plug/cap.  The plug/cap is quite common though.

Thanks to all for responding. Hey Soupah, let's definitly get together for a ride. I'm pretty busy these days but can always find an hour or two for a ride and since you're so close it can even be during the week.
The oil leak fix sounds like a big job so I'll leave it untill the weather gets nasty and there's less time for riding. I do have some mechanical aptitude but not alot of ambition.
This group is great!

LombardLuzer

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

I did it on the bike, so I'm guessin' it can be done there...
I do wish I had skinnier fingers, but that's mostly for adjusting the valves. Seriously, I think almost everyone who's done it did so with the engine on the bike.  I'm not sure about Greg_650.  I think he takes his bikes apart, cleans 'em and puts 'em back together like most folks might a revolver.

LombardLuzer, looks like Sunday might be a good night for a ride for me if you can swing it. Why don't you drop me an email at tinidoper(at)yahoo.com and we'll set something up? I haven't ridden with anybody since I got back into 'cycles, much less another Savage rider. That'd be great.

BTW, I didn't have to remove the engine either...it seemed like I had lots of room, though YMMV.