furious70 wrote on 04/02/08 at 11:21:10:The Savage does have advantages, mostly what is mentioned here already, great first bike, great for short/slight folks, good mpg. IMO it is not a bike to comfortably ride all day on or at interstate speed (having done it with my wife's).
I have put over 17,000 miles on my Savage since July of last year. My longest one-day ride was from Pittsburgh to Kings Mt., Nc. It took me a little over 11 hours to get there, but my Savage had no trouble handling the trip.
You speak of the guys modding their savages and spending big $$$ to do so? Shocks: $250.00 shipped (progressive suspension) Carb mods: $40.00 for K&N filter, spacer mod (free), $8.00 for new jets. Seat mod: #7 bottle stoppers, $2.99. Exhaust: Harley take off pipe, $30.00. Long Distance comfort: Factory engine guard, $89.00 Kuyikan offset highway pegs, $105.00.
So, what, for $525.00, I have a Savage that has plenty of power to ride with the big boys (I know it does because I do it all the time), gets nearly twice the mileage that the big boys do, is more comfortable to ride than most stock bikes and its paid for. Heck, most serious riders spend more than I have in total on my bike for just a seat!
Don't be doggin the Savage. Its a better bike than most people give it credit for.......