Hutch, just giving my personal observations of mine.  Now I have never had my speedo calibrated by radar, so my readings may be off a little, although I think they are pretty close.

Have you considered a Maxi-Scooter?  Such as the Yamaha Majesty or the Suzuki Burgman 400?  Both scooters are fuel injected and can safely carry 2 adult passengers up to interstate speeds.  Both scooters also weigh in at just over 400lbs. The Scooter seats are much wider and more comfortable than the pillion seats on most motorcycles.

I can ride with my wife in pillion on my Vespa GTs 250.  A 400cc scoot, like the Majesty or the Burgman would be that much better....

I have had other riders tell me my speedo is the same as their calibrated speedo, and I have had some tell me my speedo reads on the slow side.  I ride most of the time within my comfort zone, and what sounds like the comfort zone of the bike.

Spotrot, I will probably get crucified for saying this, but here I go. The Savage is a great bike from 0-60mph with one rider. Some people ride the interstate and some don't. The Savage reminds me of a 60's Triumph 500  without the top end accelleration the Triumph had. The Triumph 650 single carb(TR6) had 13 more horse and only weighed 15 pounds more than the Savage. The twin carb Bonneville had 17 more horsepower at 365 pounds. The Savage doesn't leak oil(mine does at the case) and needs very little maintainace. The Savage is a niche bike. I love the look of the Savage. It reminds me of a mini Harley with a single cylinder motor in it. In your case, knowing that you ride a very fast crotch rocket, and have owned a Savage before, I do not think you will be satisfied with it's performance with 2 riders on the Interstate. I would buy a trailer, as suggested, and buy a bigger bike, with more power to fit your needs.I just hope I didn't tick anyone off with this summary. With all the bikes I have ridden and the 30+ bikes I have owned, in all sizes and power ranges, I was only trying to be truthful. Good luck in your search Spotrot.     Hutch

Hutch wrote on 03/12/08 at 06:53:45:


Anything past about 86 mph required my feet on the passenger pegs and my helmet between the handlebars (before I got the risers and drag bars).  The main reason I started to ride that way was to shift the weight off of the hurty parts.  Once I realized that I was moving faster, it became my preferred way of riding.

FWIW, I agree with Hutch 100%  My wife's bike is stock, and I'm 6' 200, and I find it miserable to ride for more than 15min around town by myself, let alone with her on the back.  I usually ride on the pass seat to stretch out.  I don't know how anyone that is really tall or big framed can ride these bikes.  My wife is 5' 3", slim, and mostly enjoys tooling around at 35-55mph.  It's a perfect bike for that.  
For a 200lbs person (or for 2up), IMO it would be a dangerous bike to do interstate travel in stockish form, with very little power in reserve.  I rode my wife's to work once, that was enough for me.   A host of mods may help the power situation, but won't help the cramped quarters.  This is essentially a 250cc framed bike with a big ol 650cc shoehorned in.  How many people are comfortable with the space going 2up on the Zuk 250 or Honda Rebel?
I would personally look at a trailer to tow a bike that has the performance and comfort you really want for that kind of usage.

A side note, her speedo reads ~10% higher than actual speed, so does the one on my Mean Streak.  AFAIK metric bikes tend to read high rather than correct or low.