Hello all and greetings from a new member.

After a long time on 4 wheels I'm considering buying another bike and the Savage is at the top of my list as I love big singles with the classic look and I'm only about 5'4" (wish they still made the SR500, though!). I have a few questions I hope someone can answer...

I've read lots of posts about the carb settings and the backfire caused by the factory settings running the engine a little on the lean side, but does anyone know if this also afflicts UK/EU versions of the bike or is it a US-only emissions workaround?

Do any UK/EU owners know of a good one-stop shop for accessories? Google isn't giving me much at all other than manuals and spare brake handles. I'd be looking at crash bars, maybe a new muffler and re-jet after a while, saddlebags and the usual kind of cruising add-ons like a windshield.

I only weigh about 150lbs so I don't know if the hard seat and the stock rear springs would cause me any bum/back issues - anyone got experience of stock shocker/seat performance with a relatively lightweight rider?

Is the lack of a centre stand a big pain when carrying out maintenance on the bike? I've never had a bike that had no centre stand.

Has anyone carried out the carb mod to sand down the spacer and re-jet the main jet without changing from the stock muffler? If so, did you get a power boost or just get rid of the backfire?

I know it's torquey, but will it pull a caravan?

Safe riding!

StevieK wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:01:

Make a 2x6/pipe bike lift thing.

I bought my with the stock muffler.  I think the previous owner had done the carb as (1) screw is uncovered (2) have minimal backfires and (3) it loves my more open fishtail.

I pushed a '61 Mercury Convertable with my 36hp Volkswagen.  Could only get it up to 15 mph.  At the end I found that the guy had left it in gear.  The Savage will pull a small caravan if I could only find a hitch for it.

I tried unsafe riding -- it hurts.

i've pulled a 88 ford ranger with my savage for over two miles with my brother steering the truck,i got it up to around 40 mph on the straights,i put the tow hook around the sissy bar...can anyone say wheelies

Thanks for the replies guys. If I do get a Savage and can find some good UK/EU sources of bits and pieces I'll post in the marketplace.

Given some of the luvverly piccies I've seen of people's paint jobs and mods I reckon the temptation to tinker will be too much for me. Dang - and we just knocked down the garage to make way for more living space  

I never could be bothered messing with a car as it's just a tin box with wheels on the corners that gets you from A to B, but as soon as I think about a bike I start hearing socket wrenches, impact drivers and muffled curses.

My Japanese model didn't even come with a plug over the idle mixture screw, but it was still lean and backfired a lot  before adjusting the carb.  Suzuki probably just makes them all lean.

I put a Dynaglide mufler on my wifes bike along with 1/2  white spacer 152.5 main jet and 2 1/2 turns out on the air screw. Those small changes stopped the backfire and made the bike a lot better to ride.

They allow Hummers, 5 litre jeeps, Range Rovers that get 10 to the gallon with a following wind and goodness knows what other environmental disasters wallowing around on four wheels, yet they make a small number of bike owners suffer hot lean-burning, backfiring engines.... sigh....



r80rt - thanks. I'll search for sites that might be good places to try for stock Harley mufflers that have been swapped out by the owners. I also like the look of the Supertrapp slip-on but it's probably a lot more cash.

If any UK Savage owners read this, I've started a thread in the marketplace to list UK Web sites that sell spares and accessories for the bike. Chip in with any you know of, coz they seem to be in short supply!