OK folks......I'm totally out in left field Went back and looked at the bike again and I made a mistake. It's not a 1400 but an 800. Sorry about the mis-information, but lets start over again. 800 or 650? Sorry!

still the intruder,its a newer bike,less miles,better engine
more power,sounds better,and the 800 is about the same seat height as the savage.and its a v-twin so u wont vibrate bolts loose when u ride above 60.

I have both sitting in the driveway. The Savage gets better mileage, handles better, and is 1000% easier to maintain. Yearly service on an Intruder 800 is a day long process. Coolant change, oil change, 2 air filters, 2 carbs to synch, shaft to lubricate, differential to change the lube in...  They don't hold idle settings any better than the Savage. The shaft drive takes some getting used to. Tires cost 3 times what Savage tires do, as you NEED a 71H MINIMUM rear sidewall rating.

Both have lousy brakes if you stick with stock pads/shoes. Both have too good of brakes if you swap to EBC or SBS pads/shoes.

Both have horrible stock seats. Neither have good ergonomics (riding positions) for over 6 foot tall riders (the 800 is worse, centerset pegs).

Taking all that into consideration, I'd buy the Savage, IF the price is dropped to real world levels. IF you haul a passenger over 4 foot tall, neither one has adequate seat/pegs/backrest (my wife has ridden on both p-pads, they are equally awful in her eyes). But, the 800 has a slight (very slight) edge.

The savage will flat spank an 800 in town. And on the highway to about 4th gear. After that, the Intruder walks away and doesn't look back. The Intruder doesn't blow around as easily when crossing grated bridge decks or passing semis and RVs.

Both are good bikes. NEITHER is a beginner bike.
-WD
83 Yamaha XT550
96 Suzuki VS800 Intruder
98 Suzuki Savage custom
99 Kawasaki 800A Vulcan

All in my driveway, only the 800s still run.

Savage ran like a dream. It's torn down for a re-do after my stepson low speed dumped it. I should have said operable. The motor is almost bulletproof, I got it to 100+ miles per hour at least weekly for two years. Rode it as much as I could, loved the bike. But my stepson needed wheels, so I gave it to him.

The XT is a project bike, nothing more. I bought a new battery for it, too lazy to put it in the chassis. Does it run/will it run? I don't know. Don't care, if I get it running, I'm likely going to give it away anyhow. Know a Boy Scout camp ranger who has more need of it than I do, his "driveway" is 30 miles of hardpan, potholes and washout.

The 800 Intruder is Lisa's. I refuse to ride it, ever again. I thought my 1920 HD boardtracker was uncomfortable...

I'm riding the wheels off my 800 Vulcan. Much easier on my back than the Savage, faster, seat is better padded, and saddlebags actually make sense on it. My Savage was a great "fun" bike for short trips. I was just too tall for it. If my stepson goes in the Coast Guard as planned, I'll stretch the Savage frame and ride it, a lot. He's my height (6'2"), the frame stretch would make it more enjoyable for him to ride it as well.

Savage should be back on the road by Sunday afternoon. I'm between jobs, have some time and money to play since I got part of a settlement for a severe back injury (85% disability rating, permanent, expected to worsen as I age). I'm not fixing the tank dent until winter, he'll just have to live with it until then. The rest of the damage? Oh, about 2 hours worth of drill and rewire, and it will be good as new. And 20 minutes to hammer the right peg straight again. Kids...

Take it from someone with both a thumper and a v-twin, you won't go wrong with a Savage, IF it fits YOU. If it is a simple matter of changing the bars to make it fit, do it. If the Intruder feels better, buy that. If you want a functional suspension and power to spare, buy the Savage and hit up Lancer.

As for me, I'll probably pick up another Savage to play with. My Vulcan is a killer bike, but I miss 75+mpg in town on the Savage (the Intruder knocks down less than 40 by the way, the Vulcan around 50).
-WD

There are 2 ways to look at the question -  If we are talking what You can buy and sell and make money- The Intruder should sell for at least $3500 and the Savage You can buy slightly below $2000.
If We are talking to ride the bike, especially with the higher gas prices- for a beginner the Savage is better choice /lower, lighter and enough get-up and go/.

Thanks to everybody who offered info, appriciate the time and effort. I just had an offer I couldn't refuse, so I picked it up. 1983 850GL - 21K / $1200. Just had the carbs sync'd and new cables installed. Rode well and shifted smooth. Lots of power to boot. Needs a good cleaning but mech very sound. It's not a Savage or an Intruder, but it's still a Suzuki....

WD wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:09:


WD,  What makes you say that?  Pretty light, easy to steer, not ridiculously powerful (like a sportbike), easy to maintain...