SuzukiSavage.com - Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage

Blake YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 1	Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage 12/26/07 at 15:59:56 I was wondering if anybody could tell me how I can get access to the battery so I can check it out?
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rigidchop Serious Thumper Offline don't feed the drama llama Posts: 1105 ravenswood wv Gender:	Re: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage Reply #1 - 12/26/07 at 16:50:47 first get your key, insert it into the tool box cover on the right side of the bike, turn. lift cover, behind cover there are three phillips head screws two at the bottom and one on the top, remove them, now the cover for the battery should come off.
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Paladin. Serious Thumper Offline Hamster Posts: 4929 Sunny Southern California Gender:	Re: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage Reply #2 - 12/26/07 at 16:55:09 Before playing with the battery you should undo the negative terminal, assessable on the left side of the bike thru a cutout in the left side chrome cover. Then you don't have to worry about bright sparks if you ground out the right (positively hot) side.
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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: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage Reply #3 - 12/27/07 at 07:46:31 Very simply stated, "Get a manual!"
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Re: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage
Reply #4 - 12/27/07 at 08:22:40

The "owers Manual" has instructiuons.

If you don't have the owners manual, the dealer should be able to order one, or buy one of the two currently on Ebay, Or.....

see the 2002 maunal Kropatchek graciously gave a link to. (thanks by the way)

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?board=tech;action=display;num=1138554254

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justin_o_guy2

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Re: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage
Reply #5 - 12/27/07 at 08:22:45

I really think that getting a manual is crucial. IF someone is uncomfortable with the idea of walking off into such a task as laying hands & eyes on the battery without help, they certainly need a manual. ALWAYS disconnect the negative terminal first. Avoid allowing the positive terminal to create any sparks by shorting to ground thru tools. The gasses from the battery are very explosive. Don't ask me how I know..

Once you get started doing the maintenace, & unless you are just steeenkeeng rich, I see no other way to keep the Savage, you will get over being worried about it. It getes easier & easier to go deeper & deeper into the maintenance. REad what's on the forum, work done by inexperienced people, serious maintenance!

Not that there is so much work that needs done, but the dealerships cost a lot per hour & the bike is only worth so much. In a few years, paying someone to do all the maintenance & you will have more in costs than it's even worth.

Have FUN learning your way around the bike. Help is available here. Tools cost a lot less than paying mechanics & it's fun to ride your bike, knowing it runs because YOU keep it running.

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Dave48

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Re: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage
Reply #6 - 12/27/07 at 08:54:37

Just as likely that "IF someone is uncomfortable with the idea of walking off into such a task as laying hands & eyes on the battery without help," then "a manual." will simply be a waste of money! While I would find an owners' guide quite useful, 95% of a full manual would cover work that it is simply beyond me.
I can build pedallers from any number of small and even theoretically non-matching bits, but add in fuel and electricity and stuff like timing (which I don't pretend to understand) and I am lost.
We are not all practically minded/skilled, never mind engineers!

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Savage_Greg

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Re: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage
Reply #7 - 12/27/07 at 14:44:50

Or look at it this way, if doing their own work (with manual instruction) is beyond their ability then likely they lack most basic mechanical concepts anyway. If they want to learn the concepts and have a manual, they at least have enough information to get started and stay out of trouble along the way.

It's a matter of attitude. If someone really wants to work on a bike, get a manual. That costs $20. If not, take it to a dealer. That costs $65/hr.

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thumperclone

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Re: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage
Reply #8 - 12/27/07 at 16:07:30

Savage_Greg wrote on 12/27/07 at 14:44:50:

Or look at it this way, if doing their own work (with manual instruction) is beyond their ability then likely they lack most basic mechanical concepts anyway. If they want to learn the concepts and have a manual, they at least have enough information to get started and stay out of trouble along the way.

It's a matter of attitude. If someone really wants to work on a bike, get a manual. That costs $20. If not, take it to a dealer. That costs $65/hr.

i remember when shop rates were $65 hr...75 now

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SteveRocket1 Senior Member Offline A day without riding is like a day without beer. Posts: 441 California Gender:	Re: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage Reply #9 - 12/27/07 at 17:45:16 $80 an Hour at the Triumph dealer It pays to do some stuff yourself . Like Greg said get a manual. It will help with simple things like an oil change or cleaning the spark plug. Otherwise you'll pay a couple of hundred bucks for it to be done Steve
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Savage_Greg

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Re: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage
Reply #10 - 12/28/07 at 06:52:20

SteveRocket1 wrote on 12/27/07 at 17:45:16:

$80 an Hour at the Triumph dealer
It pays to do some stuff yourself . Like Greg said get a manual. It will help with simple things like an oil change or cleaning the spark plug.
Otherwise you'll pay a couple of hundred bucks for it to be done
Steve

Yeah, I was being conservative...some parts of the country may have lower rates. Either way, some shops charge you just to "look" at the bike, but that labor rate is what you pay for "plug & play" mechanics. They don't fix things, they just replace them.

Some modern day bikers, are relative newbies. A lot of them are Boomers with incomes higher than I've ever had. If they break down on the side of the road, they call for a tow. For myself, I feel better owning and reading a manual because when out on some remote 2 lane twistie, I at least know which cable is positive or negative.

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Demin

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Re: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage
Reply #11 - 12/28/07 at 07:06:33

When I was running a bike shop in Ohio,I had a guy call me,his '05 Road king wouldn't start.I told him to pull the plugs,and see what they looked like.He told me he didn't have a clue what sparkplugs were.He had it towed to the shop approx.15 miles on a flatbed $150.00,one hour of shop rate $45.00(then)2 spark plugs $7.00.He flooded the bike.It was fuel injected. Lips Sealed

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Next project:finish '87 Savage custom/bobber/CHOP STYLE***DONE
finish '77 Yamaha XS650 bobber Bought another one
finish'79 Harley custom bobber(NEXT)

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bill67 Serious Thumper Offline old tired Posts: 8517 genoa city wisconsin Gender:	Re: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage Reply #12 - 12/28/07 at 08:01:54 Do you really think anyone believes that.
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Savage_Greg

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Re: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage
Reply #13 - 12/28/07 at 08:04:02

I turned my sister and BIL on to the "sport" of riding about 5 years ago. Both total newbies, they initially bought a Savage and Kaw 500, respectively. Within a year they became influenced by some of their HD friends and "traded up" to the "Orange & Black" side...

Since then, they have actually "traded up" again to even "bigger and better" HOGS. All 3 sets of their bikes were paid in cash. They now belong to HOG groups, wear all the HOG gear, go on all HOG rides, and think like HOGS, yet if they need an oil change and they call the shop for a home pick-up...

...they don't need no stinkin' manual Tongue

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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: Question about the 650 Suzuki Savage Reply #14 - 12/28/07 at 08:05:13 bill67 wrote on 12/28/07 at 08:01:54: Do you really think anyone believes that. You forgot to use the correct punctuation mark.
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