Hi, everyone. New guy here. I am going to look at an 86 Savage tomorrow (Tuesday). I have the guy talked down to $1000 and he says it is in perfect condition with very low miles. I am not sure if this is the best idea, but my wife really likes this bike - the way it fits her small frame. I just bought a VZ800 Marauder for us to share, but she can't handle it - it is just too tall and too heavy. She told me she could handle it but then it almost fell on her and she won't get back on it again. So, we went to look at Honda Rebels and VZ250s, etc. We found an '02 Savage on the lot at a Honda shop the other day and she fell in love with it (not that particular bike, but the model). It feels really good to her and I thought it was probably the coolest thing I've seen in a long time (a one lunger - a big one lunger!) I think my jaw dropped when I found out it was a 650!!
My question is this - if this bike is in as good a condition as the seller says, is $1000 a reasonable price for a 20 year-old Savage? Also, being the first year, should I stay away from it or was it okay out of the gate? Are there any things I need to watch out for on an early Savage in particular. I know the tires and the belt might be bad from age, but are there other things specific to the engine, brakes or electrical and such? I read about some "kick-back" problem on some earlier model years. This, I assume has to do with the large displacement single. How do I know if this bike has that problem and is there a fix for it (it sounds serious).
This is a very interesting motorcycle (mechanically) to me and my wife is wild about it because it doesn't feel like a toy (as she described the 250s we looked at) but she can still toss it around. I just don't want to buy something that is going to be a love-hate thing (I love it because it is different and a little odd - I hate it because it is unusual and has unusual problems). I am guessing that, because it has been in production for so long, it must be pretty bulletproof (that, and the fact that there is an entire web site dedicated to it). It seems that everyone who understands the Savage / S40 loves them. I am guessing that this is not because they break down every week.
Any advice or comments would be very welcome. I know there is not much time - I have to make this decision tomorrow evening. Thanks in advance for your time and sorry about the long post. I may soon be a Savage owner so I will probably be in here a lot!