I've been reading and looking up what I can on this site but it seems like it's taking me forever to gleen the info I need so I decided to start my own thread. Okay, here's my many dilemmas...
I just bought a 1986 Savage from a woman who's (now) ex hubby put a bunch of Harley stuff on the bike.
1. He put a Harley sportster muffler on (my former sportster wasn't nearly this loud) so upon my inspection, I found that he yanked everything out of the insides on it (now it's a straight pipe) and in doing so, also ripped up some of the wall inside.
Way too loud for where I live. She did send along the original muffler. When I went to install it, I saw that her ex had drilled 4 big holes in the end of the pipe around the center hole. I still put it on hoping for a quieter sound but it's only minimally quieter than the HD one. What I'd like to do is get an original muffler in decent shape that isn't going to p!ss off all of my neighbors or at least find an aftermarket one that isn't loud. We have noise ordinances here and this is just waaaaay too loud. I'm not looking to make this a big, nasty, faster machine than when it was built. Just one that runs well. Any suggestions on where I can get an original stock muffler or at least a quieter one? I also don't know if it's connected the way it should be. There is something wrapped where the pipes come together. Should there be anything else there besides that when I clamp it down?
2. He took off the rider and passenger pegs and rigged up some thin HD passenger pegs in all 4 slots. They don't fit and actually sag pretty much. I won some almost new original stock pass pegs on ebay a few days ago, so I'm okay there but I'm having a hard time finding something to fit the unique configuration for the rider pegs. They don't seem to have a "normal" bolt in that other bikes do. I haven't been able to come up with any on ebay or craigslist. I don't mind going for some aftermarket ones that are a bit chromed up or whatever, but it seems pretty hard to find them for this bike so that they actually fit. Any ideas on this one?
3. The bike came with the almost-straight handlebar but I really need one that pulls back to the rider a little more. I'm a 5'6" female and I feel okay riding like this, but on a longer ride, it's gonna kill my shoulders. I'd like to keep the bike as stock as possible. Any replacements ones out there that you know of? I've also thought about just putting pull back risers on it. Anyone out there done that and have a pic of what it would look like?
4. The carb jetting as far as I know is still original. (yeah, he messed with 2 muffs and never rejetted once) I'm figuring out from this site that these things come lean. When I do finally get the muffler situation straight, can I keep the jets that I have now or should I still rejet? Maybe the white spacer thing is all I need to do? Any help you can give me to understand this part is greatly appreciated.
5. The front rotor is a little warped. I've never had to turn down a cycle rotor before, only on my cars. Is that a possibility or do I need to just buy a new rotor. Then again, who the heck sells Savage rotors?
6. When I ride, I can hear a definite tapping/popping from the engine area. It's a hollow kind of sound. Gets faster as the bike revs higher. My cycle mechanic friend took it for a ride and thinks maybe my exhaust seal is leaking at the header. I read on here to do a candle test. I bought a crush washer just in case. I'm about to go out and test it and redo the seal. Are there any other things that could be causing the sound? I'm hoping it's not a rod or something.
When I bought it, I didn't hear it because the exhaust was so loud. I put the other muff on and wonder if I may have created an air leak at the header somehow.
Okay, that's it for now. I know it's a lot. Thanks for any help you can give. Off to check the exhaust.