I drove a bike all through college (first a Honda 750 and then a Yamaha 650) but that was 15 years ago.  I just bought a '98 Savage and finally had a chance to take a drive on it.

It feels really light in the rear and I find myself being afraid to take curves and turns without slowing down to a crawl because I fear the rear end will slide out from under me.  Granted, it has been a while since I last rode so I am still getting comfortable with it, but I don't recall feeling this unsure on my last two bikes.

Both tires are original, I think, with 14,000 miles on them and they both have decent treads.

Am I just over-reacting to a newbie fear or would new tires make a difference?

Thanks.

Tire compounds harden over time, so if you have the $, you'll probably want new tires before it rains much. I find the bike quite stable (I ride a dual-sported XR650R with DOT-legal knobbies, that might be part of it).  Perhaps you can find a parking lot or other space and practice progressively leaning the bike over.

enophile wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:05:



yet, you did notice it.    time for a tire change.

as you practice that feeling will go away. so get out and ride ride ride.

Try firming up your shocks and see if that helps.

And check the pressure in the tires as well. My bike will handle diffrently depending on my pressure. 1 pound is alot in a tire that has that low a volume.

when i bought my wife's '96, it only had 6700 miles on the clock, the rear tire was/is a brand new dunlop K555, the front WAS origional, good tread but hard with age. the first time i went to stick it into a corner and it washed on me, it immediately came off, and a new dunlop d404 went on. now you can put that bike anywhere you want and it sticks. the tire compounds in use today harden quickly with age, regardless of miles.

The Savage in front of my house has a Cheng Shin rear and IRC front (my second one, it was free). Get yourself a set of premium tires, the Dunlop 404s on my Vulcan have 6K miles on them, and still look brand new. When I get the Savage ridable again, it is getting D404s or Metzelers.

If you run at what Suzuki recommends, you are running with dangerously underinflated tires. They set the factory recommendation so low to compensate for the stock suspension.

Get yourself some good tires, swap the front end oil out for 15 or 20 weight, add some HD shocks, and go ride the wheels off of it. It will be at least twice as responsive in the twisties with the shortcomings repaired.
-WD

enophile wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:05:

When you say you can feel the back end wanting to give, do you mean to say you can sense the tire is about to break traction?  More likely, what you feel is skittish suspension. Did you try firming up your rear shocks? No offence cstout, but maybe it's you. Do you find yourself changing speeds and lean angles in the turns. Try holding steady through the turns and nail your apex before increasing your speed. Go back and do the same curve numerous times until you are smooth and at 80 percent of your skill. Keep your eyes where you want to go. If after this, you still believe your bike is stepping out, preventing you from riding comfortably,  we can come up with some options to rectify your Savage.