Hey, BikingB, we'll have to meet up on our Savages when the weather finally gets better! I'm in a suburb of Madison. Welcome to the club. It's great to hear from other Savages in Wisconsin. You got a tremendous deal on your Savage. I haven't done the rejet, as I'm still waiting to get my first 600 mile checkup on warranty. But my Sportster muffler is waiting in the garage.  Hoping to do the Progressives in the near future.

Where in Wisconsin are you located?

well my boss at a local resteraunt (family owned, small amount of employees) was driving around a small honda 250 something? well anyway he had a basement full of mopeds and such and one day i was poking around and saw the savage sitting in the corner with a decent amount of wear on it (rust, seat tears, etc.) i asked him if he would get rid of it and after a couple shifts of flipping burgers and talking, we decided on a deal to get me the bike.  I ended up painting the building for him only taking me a couple hundred $ worth of labor.. plus all the food i could eat.  Now the bike is covered in my yard while it snows.. and im waiting for a new seat, sportster muffler and oval mirrors in the mail.. gotta love ebay.

A pal and myself got the bike to start in his heated garage during the fall after i got it, and managed to have it run enough to ride up and down his street,  rode it back to my house and then covered it for winter.  Can't wait to get some work done to it and get riding it!!

I tried buying a used Savage in '93 but couldn't find one. Checked the papers daily for a few weeks & didn't find ONE in Albuquerque. That was after the initial 2 year run. Got an '84 Honda Nighthawk 650 instead. Fun bike though! Sold it & hit lean times awhile & 11 years later FINALLY got my S40. Wanted one of these since I first read about them in 1986. Maybe not the perfect bike for me but I just find it interesting 'cause it's different & it's a thumper.

Last summer when the gas prices went above $1.00 per litre here, I started wondering how I could save gas money - I was commuting an hour to work and back in a van.  Anyway, I thought about smaller vehicles and found myself thinking about how I loved to use dirtbikes, mini bikes, ski-doos and other off-road vehicles as a teenager.   Then I thought about getting a motorcycle. - even though I'd never ridden a real one.

Well, I talked it over with my husband, and spent the next few weeks obsessing over finding out as much as I could about bikes, licence training etc.  Then we went to a few bike shops and I sat on several rather large feeling bikes.  When the salesman told me a Savage would be the best bike for me: 5'3", 140lbs.  I trusted his advice.  Unfortunately, it was later in the season and he had sold all 7 of the S40s he had in.  Yet, I checked in the Buy & Sell magazine, and on line until I saw a few ads for Savages.  I went to check out one savage at a dealership, but it had just been sold.  Luckily, I ended up getting a 2000 Savage with 7400kms. on it, for $2899 Cdn.  Well, I really love riding the bike, and managed to put @1000 km. on it in the few months since I got last November - before it got too cold and snowy.  

As soon as the roads are clear from ice and snow, I'm going to get the bike serviced, and inquire about the jetting mods.  The bike runs quite well now, but if the jetting will make it even better - why not?  I just put a windshield on it, and have saddlebags to go on too.

Anyway, that's how I got my savage!  Yahoo!

Diane S.