I have wondered how the acceleration of my LS650 compares to the Harleys. My savage is pretty quick up to 55-60 mph. I have not ridden a Harley so I have no basis of comparison.

Some of you have ridden Harleys, so how does this LS650 compare? ??? Now, I have done the modifications shown below, and this makes a difference, say 5hp.

I suspect my LS650 is no match to the crotch rockets.

Should I be embarassed with the performance of this bike relative to other cruiser type bikes? ??? Is the LS650 worthy of respect? ???

the savage is a good match for the HDs, there are several of us husband/wife couples riding that combo as pairs. debby's suzuki will get with most stock/mild HDs and give 'em a good run for their money. she keeps trying me ('84 fxrp, cammed, carb'd, piped, etc), i can give her a head start and beat her with one of my daughters two up on mine    but i can pick the front tire up through third gear  

Don't be ashamed of the Savage. I have owned several Harley's over the years and love my savage. My sons father in law just spent another $1000 on his 1200 Sportster to beat me from 0 to 70. Total investment for him $12,000. My investment $4,500 with jardine pipe and new carb jets..

Hashbrown wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:11:



Yea, or just slow down, like "I don't WANT to ride that fast".

I actually think my Savage accelerates faster than my friends kawasaki 1000cc police cruiser and my others buddies BMW (I believe 1200cc) Duel Sport  Only to about 60mph tho, after that they seem to out accerate me a bit. If we all go to pass a vehicle traveling maybe 55, sometimes I have to back off a bit to keep from going up the back of my friends bikes  Granted, less motor  than my old 880 cc Sportster, but like 100 lbs lighter. Id say my Savage was a bit quicker til maybe 50 then  the twin cylinders opened up and thenit wasnt much of a contest. The Savage shifts gears alot smoother and quicker on my Savage then the Sporster.

my dads stock 2006 sportster 1200c,always killed mine and jim-r's modded savage's,from light to light.it'd do a wheelie while spinning the wheel but on my new bike the sporty's always in the mirror .one of our freinds just bought a 2005 triumph bonniville and damm does it look good,but it does not take off for sh!t ,and it really doesnt want to keep rolling either.no performance whatsoever

yes sir! open her up, there is a completely different animal hiding inside that demure appearing little ride. consider the math;
harley=80ci@700lbs
suzuki=40ci@350lbs
it is easier to get less weight in motion, you will be pleasantly surprised how it performs, after you get away from the factory lean condition.

When I "punched" through the middle of my silencer´s baffles using a 1" drill bit   (and made it essentialy a free flowing muffler) and opend up the carb´s gas/air screw to make the mix it a bit richer (about 2 1/2 turns out) the bike went immediately from 75mph to 85mph w/o rejetting (.150 main jet, I think) and got insane mid-top end acceleration and a great sound.  

Luv it!



(*Note: I also used the same 1" drill bit to make about 9 holes on the side of my air filter box to insure a better air supply).