I've heard howls and screams about the long oil path between the oil pump and the camshaft, and how we need to be a little gentle for a minute or two with the engine after it starts to give the oil time to reach the camshaft.

Is there a check valve in this path? Other engines with long oil paths place a check valve in the oil line to prevent the oil draining back, .... when the engine starts, oil is immediately available to the cam area.

Even though the factory saw fit to not use cam bearings or rocker bearings (inexcusable penny-pinching in my opinion), the proper placement of check valves in the oil system would extend the life of the engine tremendously.  Hmmmm, might extend it TOO much, maybe that's the issue

borne2fly wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:05:

Okay, they don't rely on splash... Feel better now?

it's better than splash - it's the sling method - see that pool of oil right under the cam?

When I did the cam, I filled that little bathtub up with fresh oil. I like that little idea. Looking at the zuki manual, page 4-10 it shows the oil circuit & shows the rockers as being positively oiled from a pressurized galley if I am reading it right.There are little black arows & dotted lines( which indicate internal passageways, I think) The solid lines indicate passages in the block, dashed lines indicate passageways inside the cam & rockers. I didnt do well in mechanical drawing. ( I am being way too kind)

Don't think that I recall anyone ever seizing the Savage motor from oil starvation.  Most problems seem to involve oil in the wrong places

If you do a rebuild it is a good idea to use engine assembly grease on all the head parts anyway.  It kinda dirties up the appearance of the oil, but it's good stuff.

I didn't have the moly stuff when I redid mine so I poured 1/2 quart thru the valve inspection cover to fill up the bathtub for the cam.  

It's a friction modifier, liable to screw up the clutch.  

Is this still about that silly Wikipedia entry?  

Days of discussion over something written by one disgruntled guy about one bike?  Things you are struggling to see how it "could have happened" and are having to make up theories to how it mighta coulda maybe possibly take place?

Have you guys even READ the offending Wikipedia entry that caused all this fuss?  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_LS650_Savage

I found it quite conclusive, very rational and informative.  Indeed, I have to say I agree with it totally and fail to see why you are still even discussing it -- what it says is completely true and has authorative reference conformation sources listed that I feel I can trust.

Oldfeller