thumperclone wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12:


chain conversion

vtail wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12:

That one is definitely true under the right circumstances.  My Savage really likes to run at 75 on the freeway but her mileage isn't a good as it could be when she does (42-45 MPG).  If I reign her in a bit to 65, there's a noticeable improvement (about 52-53 MPG) and it gets better if I take it to 55-60 (55-56 MPG).  Below that it varies quite a bit, but that's mostly due to a lot of stop 'n go sort of conditions in the off-freeway portions of my regular daily drive routes.

I get about 40mpg at the moment. I ride quite  hard between 65mph and 85mph on the freeway
Steve

OK, here's the figures...

in the 1st leg of the trip, she returned 18,5 Km/l @ 5000rpm;
in the 2dn leg of the trip, she returned 21,5 Km/l @ 4500rpm, so I'm quite happy.

She rides well frmo 3000 up, although I do admit she changes character once she's up to 4500... she turns from a well mannered lil'old one into a wild big single, and DEMANDS to be ridder harder, HARDER, HARDER ...
...which reminds me of a certain Green Door from some 25 years back   ...

On the other hand, she's difficult to start (manual choke) and difficult to keep going at all until she's warmed up a little, there's a veritable gap up from idle until 2500 rpm.

BUT THERE'S MORE...
She leaks oil like a 1960's Norton, this morning I commuted to work and got my trousers peppered with tiny black dots - not to mention my right boot !!!


Is it possible that, once installed the new camshaft and refitted the head (they claimed it was a "head-off" job) they didn't tighten the head bolts up enough?
I actually have a thin film of oil running the full length of the cooing fins where the head mates to the cylinder ...
... and there's a tiny pool of oil in the morning (one spoonful?)
I suspect I may have to go down on all fours and inspect that oil window soon...  

(but why couldn't Suzy engineers fit an oil pressure light?

mpescatori wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12:

I had the same problem, thought it was a bad valve cover seal and replaced it to no avail.  And I was loosing oil about 1/2 a qt. every week.  Then I retightened all the bolts on top and the problem went away.  And I know I torqued them the 1st time.  And I found one stripped out.

verslagen1 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12:


Hey, Verslagen, you been ridin my bike  ? ? ? 8)

Exactly what the mechanic said when I called him and complained...
...so why didn't he fix it? (proper, I mean ?)

I kept having trouble with the right-rear head/cyl bolt ... threads stripped a bit and it would not hold enough to keep from leaking a little oil.  When I did finally take everything apart this year I drilled it out and installed new threads.  So hopefully I will not have any more trouble.