SuzukiSavage.com - Alrighty...chopper time.

Yonuh Adisi FSO Serious Thumper Offline Savage Jedi (Knight) Posts: 3622 Pilot Valley NV, aka Tatooine Gender:	Re: Alrighty...chopper time. Reply #15 - 07/12/07 at 19:45:00 I am very sure this has been asked before but I have tried the search function and didn't get a clear cut answer. What is the OD of the Savage fork tubes, and will tubes from another bike (preferable with longer tubes) fit into the Savage's triple trees?
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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28768 L.A. California Gender:	Re: Alrighty...chopper time. Reply #16 - 07/12/07 at 21:58:32 The fork tube diameters are 38mm took me about 10 min to search for the answer even though I already knew the answer. So don't feel bad.
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vroom1776 Serious Thumper Offline Posts: 2110 Gender:	Re: Alrighty...chopper time. Reply #17 - 07/13/07 at 06:37:35 .
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allan Ex Member	Re: Alrighty...chopper time. Reply #18 - 07/13/07 at 11:10:00 Yonuh Adisi FSO wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:07: will tubes from another bike (preferable with longer tubes) fit into the Savage's triple trees? we currently are looking at a dr650 which by all accounts will fit the stock trees and should give about 4 inchs in length, allan.
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justin_o_guy Ex Member	Re: Alrighty...chopper time. Reply #19 - 07/15/07 at 08:31:24 vroom1776 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:07: anyone know what the fork ID is? I would like to replace the fork springs with progressive rate ones. or better yet, derake the neck and add a short springer. I cant walk past a springer without stopping & gawking.
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srinath

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Re: Alrighty...chopper time.
Reply #20 - 07/15/07 at 18:15:59

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

we currently are looking at a dr650 which by all accounts will fit the stock trees and should give about 4 inchs in length,

allan.

DR650 prolly has 43 mm legs. I slapped a KX500 triple set (fits into the savage neck bearings and is long enough for the top triple to fit on the stem - huge problem), and am running YZ250 legs and wheel and disk etc. Had to make 2.5 mm spacer ... I had to do that, it was all I found unbroken at my local junkyard.
Presumably, whole DR 650 front end, triples and stem and all will fit the savage ... Just make sure the stem is long enough for the top triple to fit. Savage is 7 and 3/8 th inch from top triple to bottom triple. Incontrast, my GS500 is 5 and 1/2. Almost all street bikes, and most dirt bikes are too short.
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chuck

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Re: Alrighty...chopper time.
Reply #21 - 07/15/07 at 19:32:08

Just by the way, the Suzuki Marauder (2001) has a -longer- stem, much to my chagrin, by about an inch.

Also the top and bottom bearings are identical to our Savage ones but the stem itself (when you press it out of the bottom tree) is just so slightly thicker than the savage stem. This means the savage stem isn't an interference fit into the marauder tree, but is barely loose. At least for the stems and trees I've got anyway.

Which is a bother to me as I want to use the Marauder upside-down forks and trees with the savage stem so I don't have to mess with the neck of the savage frame.

My two options-- a) build up the savage stem, b) turn down the marauder stem. I'm going to go with a.

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Rockin_John

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Re: Alrighty...chopper time.
Reply #22 - 07/15/07 at 20:40:04

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

we currently are looking at a dr650 which by all accounts will fit the stock trees and should give about 4 inchs in length,

allan.

More important than the increase of 4" in length, the DR tubes should give much more suspension travel.

I wouldn't mind having a set of DR tubes on the front of a Savage, and some 13" or so shocks on the back. But even jacking the back end up with high shocks, and/or relocating their mounts on the swingarm won't be enough... with forks that will travel as much as ones from the DR, the rake really should be reduced a few degrees.

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Rockin_John Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Posts: 1562 +36° 10' , -95° 48' Gender:	Re: Alrighty...chopper time. Reply #23 - 07/15/07 at 21:38:46 I was hoping the DR tubes would fit too, but upon looking it up, the above poster is right. DR uses 43mm and Savage 38mm. Too bad, but there may be some long travel 38mm legs to fit.
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srinath

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Re: Alrighty...chopper time.
Reply #24 - 07/16/07 at 07:22:30

The whole dirt bike front end swap ... its possible, but dirt bike suspensions are like 12-16 inches of travel and the bikes weigh what, 250 lbs ... its going to be like riding through potato salad.
You're going to need massive increase in preload, and prolly get it re built with 20wt fluid at a minimum.
Its also closer to 6-8 inches longer and just slapping it on, tips the bikeover so much that the neck is~42 degrees, up from a 33 (and that is as the bike stands right now) without modding the suspension.
Oh yea, its literally on its side with it on the side stand.
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Rockin_John

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Re: Alrighty...chopper time.
Reply #25 - 07/16/07 at 10:07:03

Srinath, all what you're saying might be true if using a "modern day" dirt bike or enduro front fork legs with their huge amount of travel and length; but what about some legs from the 70s? You'd get a lot less travel and less of a spongy feel to the suspension; but also it wouldn't raise the front so high. I'd be surprised if there aren't some stock OEM 38mm fork tubes of a reasonable length and travel which could be made to work.

I'd hate to get into a deal of having to lengthen the frame tube, or shorten the stem, and a lot of tree mods... but the reality is that the frame would need other alterations anyways.

I wonder what trees and fork tubes are on this Savage:

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srinath Serious Thumper Offline I love YaBB 1G - SP1! Posts: 5349	Re: Alrighty...chopper time. Reply #26 - 07/16/07 at 10:35:22 I dunno ... but the swap with trees and stems is easy. Get a DR 350 through 650 and its almost direct bolt in, just need spacers the adjuster collars can be added for that purpose too. Like get a DR FE with an extra adjusting collar. Cool. Srinath.
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Rockin_John

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Re: Alrighty...chopper time.
Reply #27 - 07/16/07 at 14:06:51

I have been watching eBay for likely candidate parts to swap onto the Savage from other bikes... And I've noticed that lots of the dirt bike parts go for a lot of money compared to old street bike parts. I suppose its just supply and demand, since the dirt bike guys are so likely to bend something and need a replacement, it makes the supply short, and the demand high.

We're lucky in that way with our stock Savage parts, as I've had real good luck finding parts reasonable. Some of them from folks in this group.

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Yonuh Adisi FSO Serious Thumper Offline Savage Jedi (Knight) Posts: 3622 Pilot Valley NV, aka Tatooine Gender:	Re: Alrighty...chopper time. Reply #28 - 07/16/07 at 14:48:11 I know a guy here in my town that has a lot of old salvage bikes, that's where I got my new/used tank. I really need to look him up again and see what he's got that might fit the Savage.
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srinath

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Re: Alrighty...chopper time.
Reply #29 - 07/16/07 at 21:41:18

One more point about dirt bike parts ...
Dirt bikes are usually owned by kids or other people who literally ride and ride and ride and never ever maintain it.
Just cos its got dirt in the name doesn't mean its meant to live in the dirt all the time.
I have had the whole hub of the front wheel shatter while trying to knock the axle out ... had this beautiful upside down FE, only to have 3 of the 4 lower triple bolts strip and never come off, and the steering stem tore and didn't come off ...
I had to tear open 10 different bikes to get 1 useable combo.
But ... 84-89 KX500 ... everything will fit straight in if you got one as a unit. Wont cost ya more than 200 ... if ever I find it at my local place.
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Srinath.

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