I just did a run of the search function and can't see a previous thread on the topic so I'll start one.

If I come to a standstill in 2nd gear and want to click down to 1st to pull away I can't unless I release the clutch lever and pull it in again while in neutral.  Is this normal? At first I thought it might be because I'd let the oil level drop too low but having topped up with some of the slimy stuff (10-40 synthetic - hey it's what I had in stock) its still the same.  I read somewhere else that the gear-lever is fairly easy to bend so I'm wary of kicking down with too much verve, and anyway, anything you have to force is probably not doing it any good.

My riding style could be described as enthusiastic as The Lettuce is taken to the max every time I go out with 130kph seen on the clock each ride, sometimes 140kph/87mph, but easing back to 120kph/75mph as the road dictates.

Meanwhile the infamous head oil-leak is bugging me.  Last time I cleaned The Lettuce I had to wipe oil smears off the tool box cover. I know there's a plug available but unless I had to take the head off for something else it seems like a lot of bother especially for a mechanical bodger like me for something so small, so I content myself with keeping a close eye on that sight window and adding a drop or two as needed.

Reading back the last two paragraphs makes me wonder how much riding at speed influences the oil loss to the point where I wonder just how burst-proof this thumper really is.  Assuming the oil level is correct just how much top speed "abuse" can a Savage take?

Same here most of the time on a '95 and '02 if I stop in 2nd but I just don't and pop it to first before I stop.

on the oil plug in the head cover - it's a gravity leak into the air passage - it might leak more in stop and go traffic if it's vibrate'n around like the one Max had - but the oil is sure going to fly farther and square on the battery box with more air blowing through there. It's really not hard to fix if your careful - few hours and a couple of cold ones should do it.

so far as high rpm reliable - do know if your bike is stock but if you going to run it hard I sure the get the carb's lean condition squared away, and of couse a freer flow pipe and all that.

I do appreciate the swift replies - this is one special forum.

I'm the second owner of this '97 Savage and is stock in all regards except seat height.  I've not personally adjusted the richness/leaness although I note that it never backfires which I had expected to do after doing my homework before buying by reading up on things over at Bert's site (RIP).  What does no backfires mean for the carb mix?

Salad_Shaker wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:02:


Peter is available on the International Suzuki Savage 20th Anniversary - Säkylä Finland site.


Also, the downshifting issue is normal.  Feather the clutch and then shift... one gear at a time.  Don't stomp it or you'll bend the linkage - been there and done that.

Probably, if I feel the urge for more, er, urge, I should get a different bike!  I love the Savage just as it is -  its just that I don't want to ruin a good thing by too much thrashing.

My S40 does the same thing at a stop. I either downshift into 1st before I stop OR when I'm stopped, I gently push myself forward or back just a little, and then she shifts easily into 1st. Try it, it works.

Same on my '03, presently box stock.  I try to shift into neutral when I stop; and if i then can't shift into first (often) I shift up to 2nd, let the clutch out till I start to inch forward and then downshift into 1st.  Thought about adjusting clutch pressure but this is usually easy enough.  Occasionally I just start off in 2nd riding the clutch for a little bit. (Downhill mostly) Not to nit pick, but my wife doesn't think there is anything "normal" about motorcycles

I think every bike I've owned or ridden was a little hard to downshift at a stop without fanning the clutch some. Some were worse than others. Once in a while I'll forget & roll to a stop in 2nd so I'll just roll it back a little & find neutral.