The savage is a perfect first bike.  It's my first and I love it!  I've heard mixed feelings on the vibration, but as for myself, I don't get much vibration at all.  After hours of riding, yes your butt will be a little numb, but there is a seat mod in our Technical Documents section that will pretty much cure that.  It costs a few bucks and takes a few minutes and makes a WORLD of difference.

As for power, this is no ordinary single-cylinder.  I ride with a V-Star, a Dyna Glide, and a VLX.  I have NO problem keeping pace wherever we go.  It will out-maneuver all of them because of its light weight and smaller size.  I'm not a small man either--I'm 6', 230 pounds!  They are easy to work on and so much fun to ride.  WHATEVER you want to do to it, there is someone on this forum who can help guide you through it.  We have the best forum on the Internet in my opinion.  FWIW

I had somewhat of a bad vibration coming from the right foot peg.  Someone suggested to tighten the two bolts that hold the heat shield on.  These also are engine mount bolts. I Put a little 'mo-jo' and them and things got a whole lot better.

Kuryakyn ISO grips with the stelleto bar ends help in that area.  Pillow top gel with seat mod makes a big difference.

I've had a number of bikes (various brands) over the years with a Yamaha Virago 750 twin being the largest and I would say the S-40 has got to be one of the most fun! The vibration isn't bad for a big single and it is easy to maneuver. It doesn't cost an arm and a leg and gets very good gas mileage. What more can I say?

For a single, the Savage has very little vibration.  As mentioned above, the stock seat can be uncomfortable for longer than a short trip.  There are a lot of paths to a better seat.  I've used an S40 gel seat and while it's better than the stock seat, I much prefer the HD Sportster seat I got from eBay.  However, depending on your bobbing plans, you might want to go for a springer seat... a wide police version, if you can find it.  It'll take a little modding to make it fit but that's half the fun.  Gort just did one and it looks comfy.  Oh, and I agree with Verslagen1 too.  Upgraded shocks help a lot for ride comfort.

marina wrote on 05/12/08 at 09:49:32:
As others note, Suzuki did a fabulous job with the counterbalancer and this thumper mostly doesn't.  As I remember it, my '82 or so GS450E Twin buzzed a lot worse at Interstate speeds.  Both with the twin and the single, limiting speed to about 70 mph cures the buzzing -- AND you don't have to worry about Johnny Law!

I heard of the GEEIA reunion in OKC, planned to attend.  Wasn't too sure about my physical ability to endure a roadtrip, so after work one Friday I got home, took a nap, got on the bike about 9pm, road 100+ freeway miles to the Palm Springs area, refueled, took a leisurely putt through Joshua Tree National Park (ain't nothin' prettier than the Mojave under a Full Moon,) refueled, took the freeway home.  Surprized myself -- didn't get tired, didn't get sore, but the Flyscreen is no good with 30+mph headwinds.  Did it again, with the Street Shield and airline carryon luggage -- much better (especially as I was able to brew a cup of tea about 3 am.)

So I did it, rode Thumper to the Reunion:

Started by doing L.A. to Amarillo, 1085 miles, in two days.  My butt and feet didn't care for it and I knew I would not be able to do Jonesboro AR - Needles CA for a BB1500 back from visiting #1 daughter which reverted to plan B, 300 mi/day on two lanes back to L.A..      BUT.....

That's a 60-year-old butt that gets stiff and sore on the livingroom sofa if I don't move about once in a while; a younger butt might not have that problem.  I don't think a multi-cylinder bike would help as the problem was not vibration, but was instead a matter of not being able to shift position much.  I definitely need floorboards before the next long trip.  Already have a wider sprung saddle that needs mounting.

As others note, convert to chain and you'll be able to reduce the RPM at speed and reduce the vibration from a buzzzzzz to a rumble -- think the prankster's handshake "joy buzzer" versus a motel's vibrating bed.

And please note that this is all subjective.  What is comfort for one is pain for another.

If you want to yank their chains, tell the guys that you enjoy having something hot and throbbing between the thighs.

Jerry Eichenberger wrote on 05/12/08 at 15:14:39:


jerry - is that a stock seat?

Like Paladin, the pain in my rear comes from the seating position and inability to move around.  The only vibration I've noticed is the speedometer squeaking away at me.  I'm building a seat, and if it turns out as comfortable as it seems to be during testing, I am going to climb on the Savage and ride to Hawaii.  Just gotta do the water wing and snorkel mod.  I'm sick of this lousy weather.

I've put about 1200 miles on my bike now, 5-50 miles at a time.  Haven't done a long stretch, but I'm looking forward to a road trip, not dreading it.  I LOVE my People Eater.