Hi all,

I need your help.  I'd like to fix up my son's Savage while he's away.  He's on a church mission for the next 15 months.  He LOVES his Savage and I'd like to get a few things upgraded.

I'd like to get him a new set of front controls and pegs, a new set of handgrips and top controls. and maybe even a new handlebar.   I would REALLY like to clean up his engine and paint it but I have NO idea how to do anything mechanical.

Where is the best place to look for these things?

Thanks in advance!!

What sort of things has he talked about ?

I second Lancer and Paladin.

I have often "upgraded" my son's bicycle with ... "things"... lights, a clip-on radio and more.

By day 2 they were either removed, or broke off.

So I learned to ask first.

The point is a motorcycle is very close to being your soul's image, it is very difficult to "guess right" without a specific hint.  

Is he as Non mechanical as You? If he is better, & you really want to see him smile, as noted above, Have it clean, battery up, oil changed, tires aired up, fresh gas, REady to Ride..
Then, offer to pay for the mods he wants & work with him, make it a Father/Son thing. You'll get some experience & if you are both terrible at mechanical things, Go Slow, laugh at yoursleves, learnm, have fun.

Youll be better at it next time.

Ho!  Just noticed you're in SoCal also, whereabouts?  I'm 6.8 miles ssw of the Flash Point of the Rodney King riot.

What you could do is burn thru a tank of gas every month or so, just to keep things lubed and fresh.  How old are the tires?  A wrapped set of new Metzelers might be a nice welcome home present (don't forget tubes and rimstrips.)

Thanks guys!  Yeah, he's wanted upgrades for a while.

I'm in OC

if it were anything but my bike or guitar I would just smile and say "thank you" no matter what damage may have been done. Honestly though, while your son is away he'll be DREAMING (im not kidding) of riding the bike he left behind. I suggest you not change ANYTHING. Clean and polish it. Buy new tires even. Don't put them on. Dont pay someone else to do it. Don't paint it. Don't add or remove anything without specifically asking first. If he wants any sort of mods offer to pay for them. If he can tell you exactly what he wants then buy it and leave it wrapped in plastic. If he's interested you can install/mod it together as justin suggested but as sweet as it may seem to you touching someone else's bike no matter how good your intentions are is potentially dangerous. IMO if you REALLY want to surprise him when he gets back learn how to ride and get your own bike. Then you can ride together. Since I started riding all I've been trying to do is to get my dad to put his '74 electragilde back together and ride with me. So far no dice. Im on the verge of putting it together myself but like i said, even if its been in peices for 20 years, touching someone else's bike is potentially dangerous.