Personally, I would not want to bet what is possibly the trip of a lifetime on a first-time teardown and re-build. Odds are those Suzuki production people put it together in a fashion that is more reliable than you will be able to do.
If you try hopping up yur engine you may be in the same predicament as a good friend of mine. He had a perfectly nice Aprilia but wanted more horsepower. "It's all about speed, baby!"
Hot cams, high compression pistons, etc. He paid the local "V-Twin Guru" to do all the work, and the guy was so particular that he insisted that all the break-in miles had to be done while accompanying my friend. The Guru really did a nice job, and boy was that thing faster!!! They both were absolutely and supremely confident that this four month project was about as perfect as it could get.
What happened? That engine let go on my friend on a short and not-that-fast 200 mile trip through the Jemez Mountains nearby. The cams were too hot for his riding style and some high performance springs were way too strong. (Maybe valve springs?) My friend spent the rest of the summer tracking down another engine and installing that one so he could get back on the road. He missed the entire season. His sport touring style just didn't go with the new racing engine.
After spending about $7,000.00 total on a $5,000.00 bike, he's right back where he started from. But with an engine that he doesn't really know, instead of the one he had babied all its life.
High performance is attainable, but if it's at the expense of reliability, IMO it's not worth it unless you are going to race it. And the Savage is not a race bike. Hot cams and racing pistons are not needed on commuter cruiser that will be pressed into service as a cool and retro long distance tourer.
Racers can rebuild after every race. You don't want that to happen 100 miles from town on your trip.
But I'm just a girl, and I could be wrong.