SuzukiSavage.com - To tick or not to tick......

Hutch

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Re: To tick or not to tick......
Reply #15 - 12/24/07 at 06:56:12

skrapiron -FSO wrote on 12/24/07 at 05:31:01:

We (the older guys) grew up setting points and dwell and had to actually worry about keeping the engine in tune. Today, all that is done by a computer. A modern tune-up is no more than replacing worn spark plugs... I miss the old days... Maybe that's why I love my Savage so much!

Amen to that one. It brings to mind something my dad said when they first put "automatic" chokes on cars. "They are building cars for dummies". Kinda holds true for bikes too. There seems to be more motorcycle "riders", than motorcyclists. The way they build them now, we will all soon be just "riders". Remove and replace has taken the place of adjust and tweek. Hutch

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Reelthing

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Re: To tick or not to tick......
Reply #16 - 12/24/07 at 07:40:31

reminds me - I had an a 650 yamaha chop - was a little rough and the guy couldn't get it started - sold it to me for next to nothing - got it home and both sets of had rusted stuck together - pry'd them apart kicked the thing - boom blup blup blup blup - ran fine - he was some kind of po'd - heard it fire up the other side f the apartment cmplex

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Hutch

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Re: To tick or not to tick......
Reply #17 - 12/24/07 at 07:43:55

Reelthing wrote on 12/24/07 at 07:40:31:

reminds me - I had an a 650 yamaha chop - was a little rough and the guy couldn't get it started - sold it to me for next to nothing - got it home and both sets of had rusted stuck together - pry'd them apart kicked the thing - boom blup blup blup blup - ran fine - he was some kind of po'd - heard it fire up the other side f the apartment cmplex

Those Yamaha choppers were great. They looked so muck like Triumph choppers. Hutch

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Savage_Greg

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Re: To tick or not to tick......
Reply #18 - 12/24/07 at 08:43:44

skrapiron -FSO wrote on 12/24/07 at 05:31:01:

The engine on our thumpers is a refined mechanical beast. With the exception of spark timing (which is solid state), everything else depends on timing and adjustment. The Savage is unlike the modern era of cars and some bikes where you can basically hear nothing from under the hood.

If you hear NOTHING, you have the adjustments set too tight. If you hear an excess, you are set too loose.

To be honest, if your bike sounds like an angry sewing machine (rhythmic and mechanical without being over-loud) you have it dead on where it needs to be....

Come to think about it, when was the last time you saw a carb or mechanical lifters on a car? Mine was my 1986 Bonneville. Since then, every car I've owned has been fuel injected with an over head cam. It's no wonder people are intimidated by something as mechanical as the Savage. We (the older guys) grew up setting points and dwell and had to actually worry about keeping the engine in tune. Today, all that is done by a computer. A modern tune-up is no more than replacing worn spark plugs... I miss the old days... Maybe that's why I love my Savage so much!

Well said.

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Savage_Greg

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Re: To tick or not to tick......
Reply #19 - 12/24/07 at 08:48:58

LANCER wrote on 12/24/07 at 04:24:33:

Anytime you you go beyond 2 turns out it would be good to go to the next size. The ideal is to have the jetting such that the carb reaches its best tune when the screw is in the 1.5 turns out area.

And most motorcycle manuals state 1 1/2 turns for the position to use on a carb rebuild. That is intended as the starting point which will allow the engine to start.

I believe that even the early Savages had a setting for this screw. It was later years that it became factory "pre-set".

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eanon

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Re: To tick or not to tick......
Reply #20 - 12/25/07 at 18:25:23

Sorry I didn't reply earlier. Was out of town. Like I said in the original post, the ticking almost disappeared when I tuned the carb, so I think the engine is doing ok. You're right, I don't have much wrench time, unlike you older guys, and am used to a near silent engine (at least from the inside of the car). Whoever referenced the "pissed off sewing machine" hit the nail on the head. Thats a great description of what she sounds like, so apparently there's no cause for concern. I'm on the list for the next batch of verslavys, so that will eliminate some worry from my mind. Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but like I said in my first ever post on this wonderful board, "I just don't want to experience catastrophic engine failure at 75 mph!" Shocked

Thanks again for all the help. I also have the companion cd on the way, so hopefully I will be more of a wrench soon! Happy Holidays! Cheesy

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Red '97, cone filter, 150 main, 52.5 Pilot, half spacer, Screaming Eagle turnout, 17/43 chain drive, shield, de-badged, 4" forward control extensions. Gettin' there.

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Savage_Greg

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Re: To tick or not to tick......
Reply #21 - 12/26/07 at 05:28:40

eanon wrote on 12/25/07 at 18:25:23:

Sorry I didn't reply earlier. Was out of town. Like I said in the original post, the ticking almost disappeared when I tuned the carb, so I think the engine is doing ok. You're right, I don't have much wrench time, unlike you older guys, and am used to a near silent engine (at least from the inside of the car). Whoever referenced the "pissed off sewing machine" hit the nail on the head. Thats a great description of what she sounds like, so apparently there's no cause for concern. I'm on the list for the next batch of verslavys, so that will eliminate some worry from my mind. Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but like I said in my first ever post on this wonderful board, "I just don't want to experience catastrophic engine failure at 75 mph!" Shocked

Thanks again for all the help. I also have the companion cd on the way, so hopefully I will be more of a wrench soon! Happy Holidays! Cheesy

Another thing to remember is that topics on this site can be a little misleading because of their overall subject matter. What you read about the most are problems, and that can lead to a misconception (for newbies anyway) about the Savage40...it's kinda like the "nightly news".

People seldom write about how well their bike is doing, how long since the last maintenance, or the rides they took on the bike. So, in a way, it might even be a miracle that people actually buy one after reading this forum anyway.

Oh yeah, "catastrophic engine failure at 75 mph" is extremely rare...that's possibly due to our conversations about fixing them and keeping them in proper running condition. If you just listen to your bike, it will tell you when something is wrong long before that could happen.

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LANCER Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Savage Beast Performance Parts Posts: 10661 Oklahoma Gender:	Re: To tick or not to tick...... Reply #22 - 12/26/07 at 06:00:03 Quote: If you just listen to your bike, it will tell you when something is wrong long before that could happen. *Yep, the foundation of any relationship is good communication.* It is true.
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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: To tick or not to tick...... Reply #23 - 12/26/07 at 06:59:22 You study the manual, perform regular maintenance, and pay attention to detail. With a motorcycle you must become a "Bike Whisperer"
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eanon Full Member Offline Thump-Thump-Thu mp Posts: 219 Austin, Texas Gender:	Re: To tick or not to tick...... Reply #24 - 12/26/07 at 13:00:27 "psss psss psssp....." What? Harder? Faster? Oh wait, that's my girlfriend, not my bike!
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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: To tick or not to tick...... Reply #25 - 12/26/07 at 14:00:34 Oh gee...Someone thinks they're a Thumper
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Hutch

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Re: To tick or not to tick......
Reply #26 - 12/27/07 at 11:44:06

I only hope the same thing doesn't happen to our Savage as that has happened to the Royal Enfield. The motor that powered it for 50+ years has been discontinued. It was replaced by a new motor about 5 years ago, and that is being discontinued, because neither can meet epa standards. The newest motor is now fuel injected with a fuelpump bolted to the tank and gobs of sensors and wiring. The days of people like Greg, Lancer, myself and others here are numbered. I too took pride in listening to a motor talk to me and telling me when to quit turning the carb screw or timing plate. I guess that is why I have become a classic bike rider. These new contraptions can't be worked on in the backyard. It won't be long and everyone will just be motorcycle RIDERS, and not motorcyclist. That is all you will be able to do is ride it. Gone will be the pride of knowing the bike runs great through your own effort. I believe the Royal Enfield company will continue, because the Bullet is the only bike they make. What I am afraid of is that Suzuki will not be able to justify the cost of upgrading the Savage to keep it in the line up, and will drop it. That will be a sad day. Hutch

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Savage_Greg

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Re: To tick or not to tick......
Reply #27 - 12/27/07 at 14:24:43

Hutch wrote on 12/27/07 at 11:44:06:

I only hope the same thing doesn't happen to our Savage as that has happened to the Royal Enfield. The motor that powered it for 50+ years has been discontinued. It was replaced by a new motor about 5 years ago, and that is being discontinued, because neither can meet epa standards. The newest motor is now fuel injected with a fuelpump bolted to the tank and gobs of sensors and wiring. The days of people like Greg, Lancer, myself and others here are numbered. I too took pride in listening to a motor talk to me and telling me when to quit turning the carb screw or timing plate. I guess that is why I have become a classic bike rider. These new contraptions can't be worked on in the backyard. It won't be long and everyone will just be motorcycle RIDERS, and not motorcyclist. That is all you will be able to do is ride it. Gone will be the pride of knowing the bike runs great through your own effort. I believe the Royal Enfield company will continue, because the Bullet is the only bike they make. What I am afraid of is that Suzuki will not be able to justify the cost of upgrading the Savage to keep it in the line up, and will drop it. That will be a sad day. Hutch

And that's the day that the Savage really becomes famous Tongue

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Savage_Rob Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Mechanically Inclined Amateur Posts: 6972 Texas (Dallas area) Gender:	Re: To tick or not to tick...... Reply #28 - 12/27/07 at 14:35:23 Never cared for ticks myself. Try to avoid the cedar when hunting.
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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: To tick or not to tick...... Reply #29 - 12/27/07 at 14:47:55 Savage_Rob wrote on 12/27/07 at 14:35:23: Never cared for ticks myself. Try to avoid the cedar when hunting. But I bet you wouldn't mind "Checking someone for Ticks" Ticks
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