My budget has opened up a little, from 2500 to 4000.  I am also looking at an 05 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 for $4000.  I've had several Kawi's in the past and like them.  The 800 weighs less than most cruisers and has a well respected engine in terms of power and reliability.  I like the Savage because of the low price and utter simplicity of the machine.  I like how customizable the bike is.   I find the engine power to be just adequate.  My main concern is still the physical size of the bike.  I previously had a Virago 1100.  With forward controls and a Corbin seat the bike was very comfortable to me.  I'm thinking I'll be able to get the Savage to a similar level comfort level.  Does it sound like I should spend the extra money on a bigger bike or go with the Savage.  What other pros are there to the Savage?  Talk me into the Savage!

The Savage is fun to ride, very agile in traffic, simple and easy to do normal maintenance on, good milage, great for those day off rides in the country to unwind, and I find it capable of running the interstates all day at 65-70.  I have run my 06 S40 at 80 for around 50 miles with no problem, although it rides beautiful at 65-70 at around 58-62 MPG.  I have put as much as 450 miles on it in one day, with around 350 of it on the interstate.  It has beautiful looks, and if you like attention, it will get that.

sluggo wrote on 02/27/08 at 21:15:30:


I appreciate your response, but I don't know that the VW has any of those qualities besides ease of maintenance!  

Keith_T wrote on 02/27/08 at 20:23:15:


Which bike excites you more? Why? Does the simplicity of the Savage overpower the "big bike" feel of the Vulcan? Are you going to be fixing it when stuff breaks? If so, would you be comfortable fixing the Vulcan? Does the Vulcan have a good active user group with good tech ability to support you when something breaks? Does your preferred driving style tolerate the Savage's only "adequate" power at highway speed? Is the Vulcan more expensive to fix or maintain than the Savage? If so, do you also have the extra budget for that? What would you do with the extra money if you bought the Savage?

My previous car was a Toyota Corolla. I bought it because I got a good deal and it was a practical car. It drove great and was reliable. The only problem was it just wasn't the right car for me. It didn't excite me. Every time I sat in the car I felt that I had settled for something inferior. I was happy the day someone rear-ended me and totaled it. My current car is an Audi A4. A4s are known to be a bit unreliable. I worry a bit about how long it will last me. This makes me take better care of it though. When stuff breaks I fix it because I am very mechanically inclined. Sometimes I miss the reliability of the Corolla. That's the only thing I miss about it though. The A4 excites me and I can't imagine owning the Corolla again. I am very happy with a slightly unreliable, more expensive to own, much more complicated car.

Keith_T wrote on 02/27/08 at 20:23:15:


If it is comfortable stock, you can make it even more comfortable.
If you have to work to make it comfortable you will probably not be able to match the above's 'even more comfortable.'

'Way back when I was looking for a hunting rifle.  Stopped by the store at the end of the street and told the guy what I was looking for.  He handed me a Browning BAR.  Looking at a spot on the wall I shouldered the rifle and the spot was dead center in the scope; no fumbling, no adjusting, no nothing -- it was there, a perfect fit.  So I bought it.

Looking for a bike I sat on a few, the Rebel poked me, another's tank was too wide for my knees, stumbled onto a Savage, sat on it, oh my gawd I'm home.  Zero accomodation required.  So I bought one.

Without that perfect fit, when you need to do something there is just a little bit of adjusting to be done.  With the rifle a poor fit means the deer might not die.  With the bike a poor fit means you might die.

For me, having that perfect fit takes priority over everything else.

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Also depends on how you plan on riding.  Me?  I'm a city boy.  The Savage is the stoplight king.  Putting across the Mojave under the Full Moon -- perfect.  2700 mile/10 day tour -- the bike handled it fine but days 11 & 12 I couldn't even think about touching the Savage.

Echoing what others have said with my own personal experience.

For a 1st MC for me the Savage couldn't be beat. However after I figured out where and how much I was going to ride, I discovered that I didn't care for the riding position of a cruiser as well as a couple of Savage specific items (small gas tank) and shopped around until I found a sport tourer that fit what I wanted/needed. The Councours isn't perfect for all kinds of riding (in a parking space it's a fat topheavy pig), but I can ride it fast all day and look forward to getting up and doing the same thing again tomorrow. And it has a 7 1/2 gallon gas tank so I'm not having to stop every hour and a half for fuel.