Gee, I thought you were asking all the questions in the other topic?

I be sure to check for things like flat tires, dented tanks, oil puddles on floor, dead battery, strong gasoline smells, missing headlight, missing drive belt, no brake fluid, missing spokes, or missing footpegs.  Oh, and it should have a muffler, too.

Any problems in those areas is an automatic red flag

Apart from the bits that might demand immediate expense (tyres, exhaust, disc/pads etc), I reckon "general condition" tells a lot. For example, the '89 with 13000 miles I bought recently just LOOKED neat. Fact that sound and solid underneath the mudguards/fenders for example a pretty sure sign that not been used in an English winter!
Number of owners also a consideration I think.

Good luck!

I guess this is a question to often asked for greg.

And if you'd asked somewhere else and now are asking again...

As far as I know (for someone with a '96) the starter is an issue to look out for.  But if it starts it doesn't have the issue.... yet.

Otherwise, kick the tires and spin it around the block.

If you take Savage_Greg's response at face value, it's good advice for someone who knows little to nothing about buying used MC's. Granted he doesn't say why those things are red flags, but you asked what to look for not what specific conditions might indicate about the MC's life. Without more information about yourself and your experience buying used MC's it's best to start at the beginning.  For example I might say to look for crash damage, or be sure that the condition matches the mileage and you might not have any idea what I'm talking about. If you already know to look for all of these things and are only interested in things that might be specific to a used Savage (or even more specific to the year/mileage Savage you're looking at) then you might want to rephrase your question to give a better indication what answer you are looking for.

Personally, I'd look for a MC that is stock or has only the modifications that I want, and I wouldn't pay any extra for modifications made. 17,000 miles can be a lot of wear and tear, or can hardly be noticable on a well maintained and cared for MC. For example, aside from tire wear (the rubber had been replaced and was showing wear) and a little worn off the footpegs, my Savage looked about the same when I sold it as when I bought it. I saw other Savages that were newer with fewer miles that looked 10 years older.

Listen to engine on the right side.If it sounds like a sewing machine,talk to verslagen.Get one of his tensioners,and put it in when you do the oil change.Not a big deal,cheap insurance.