Howdy everyone!  I bought my Savage about 1 month ago and really love it.  I've read others bashing it, but have found nothing to complain about yet.

Anyway, on to my question...and I hope I'm in the right place.  I'd like to lower the rpm's of the bike when I ride on the highway and was thinking about changing the rear pulley.  Does anyone have any other suggestions or has anyone done this?  It doesn't seem hard, but finding the pulley is a challenge.

Thanks and ride safe,

Scott

Welcome, you shouldn't see much savage bashing around here except for a couple of sour grapes.

your right it's easy to pull the pulleys but hard to find anything any different - there are some chain drive  conversions but no here has posted they have done it so far as I remember.

Might as well just open up the breathing, tune the carb, and let her spin.

sstankus wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:07:

I wouldn't worry too much about that. The Savage is what it is. Let it rev, you won't hurt it. I have a 20 year old four gear and usually I cruise slowly with it, but today I was in a mood, and was at full throttle more than not this afternoon. Today I let out the shaft. (That's a golf term, but I use that expression when I am riding the nuts out of Black Betty.)   I was mostly on major freeways and the Savage didn't skip a beat. Not even when I ran over a rusty muffler  exhaust pipe combo at 140 kph (85mph) on the Lodge (A Freeway in Detroit). BTW I went by Tiger Stadium to say my goodbyes, but that's another story.
So sstankus, don't be afraid to let out the shaft.

sluggo wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:07:

SO thats what you do behind the dumpster!!!

Thanks everyone.  Glad to finally be back in the club after being off a bike for 20 years. Nothing's wrong with the bike. In fact, I got a steal!  an 01 with...get this...410 miles.  Followed the break-in recommendations.  I commute 26 or so miles each way to work and thought the change might help with fuel economy and by keeping the revs down, lengthen the life of the bike.  (She'll be my son's in about 5 years.)

I've had my '98 to 100+ mph many times. She'll hold up fine. Starts a slight headshaking at 80ish, settles down by 85 indicated. And keeps pulling strong.

Th Savage/S40 is a tough little scoot. I've run mine completely out of oil (once, at a rally, in MS, in July), refilled it, and it's still putting along.

Good luck finding non-stock spec pulleys. I've looked high and low, can't find them. Somewhere in Pokey's future is a chain drive conversion... I THINK you use EN500 sprockets or KZ400/440 sprockets.
-WD