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!"
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!
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.