SavagePielk wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12:no, as far as I know the best way to make sure your bike lasts a lifetime, just start it seconds before you ride off and just don't make it work too much the first 5-or-so miles. Warming the bike up before you ride off will let your engine get too warm and damage it in time. It may sound silly but it's the way it is.
The SAVAGE owners manual says...
"ALLOW THE ENGINE OIL TO CIRCULATE BEFORE RIDING. Allow enough idling time after warm or cold engine start up before revving the engine or placing the transmission in gear. This allows time for the lubricating oil to reach all critical engine componets."
But the manual gives no aproximate time for this to happen. I've heard that the Savage has a particular problem in this regard because of how far the oil needs to travel.
I've decided that I will wait 2 minutes for this to happen. This is usually not a problem when first starting out since getting dressed usually takes up most of that time. However, at a gas station it's a bit inconvienient.
Richard in Boston, MA, USA