Firts of all want to say hello to you all fine and fun people!! i just got this '87 savage with 14,000k 2 months ago, this is also my first bike ever, and i love it!! it's just perfect for me, being the fact that i am 5'8. this bike it's awesome!!. Anyway i have a question, since i don't know the history of this bike and don't know if it was pampered or neglected,(it's in great shape and it doesn't look like it's leaking oil) i want to check the cam chain issue most of you guys know, i read the technical section on how to check, but still have a question if once i open it up and find the plunger beyond limits what do i need to do? how do you correct it? change the adjuster? the chain? the plunger? or what? sorry if this was already answered, it's just me and my first bike. thank you.

If i recall, numerous people who went with the stock option were still less than pleased with how far the plunger extended after replacing chain/guides. I'm waiting for my verslavy to come in the mail so that tells you which direction i'm goin. Even if you do decide to get the chain/guides I'd go ahead and get at least the verslagen1 for safety sake. I wouldnt ride it until you open 'er up and see whats going on. my '95 only had about 9500mi so i figured id be safe. Put a couple hundred miles on the first few days i had it then when i finally got to looking at the cam chain its at 21mm. I beleive 24mm is the point where it falls out. I'm lucky I'm not a smear on the turnpike.

it's the hosuing part of the cam chain tensioner assembly with a slot and pin in the side so the assembly cant over extend and fall apart. To get a verslagen1 ask the man who's namesake it bears. Search cam chain club for details.

oh yes, yesterday i decided to open her up, grab my clymer service manual from this site, gather all the tools, put my laptop running the clymer service manual in my garage (it's actually an overzise shed 8x12, but the bike fits perfect in there) everything went well until.... wow! surprise, the infamous plunger 20mm sticking up.
so. since i have everything apart, decided to change only the chain , beacause the plastic guides look very good in my amateur mechanic eyes, the manual say to take the head cover off, well let me put it this way, that cover is still there.
had to take everything off, the seat,the tank,the muffler,and all kinds of little bolts and nuts that i don't know if i am going to put everything back together the same way, that and the fact that i lost a little bolt in the process that took me several minutes and several pieces removed just to find it. when i got to remove the cover every bolt came off good except for one!! surprise you?. the head of that bolt it's no longer a poligon, it's now round for so many times i tried to get it off. so i quit for the night, now i don't know if i should put it back together and keep running it like that or try to get the bolt off, or ask you savage gurus what to do here, i really want to get it fixed since i have everything apart, do you think i can change the chain without removing the cover?

go buy yourself a good set of long nose  Vise-grip pliers. ( Don't go cheap!!!).  

Then..... put the bolts around the stripped bolt back in and tighten down a bit to reduce the upward pressure that the head cover is putting on the bad bolt.    Clamp the vise-grip pliers on the offending bolt.  Then try to turn it no more than 1/16 of a turn C.C.W.  , then  turn it back clockwise, repeat couple of times.  After a few times, spray some WD-40 (or equivalent) lightly on/under the bolt.  Then try going a  little more that 1/16 turn, always going back a bit each time.  

As long as you get a good clamp on the bolt with the vise-grip pliers, this should work.