I bought mine in April, '08.  It's an '06 S40.

I rode back in college in the mid 1960s, then after graduation, and leaving for the Army, I just never rode again.  I was an aviator, and got caught in the flying thing, and still am.  So motorcycles became a thing of the past.

But for some reason in the fall of 2007 I got the bug to ride again.  I started visiting dealerships to see what's out there.

I was amazed at two things - the engine size of modern bikes, and the prices.  The price escalation I expected, but back when I rode, a 650 was a huge bike - my last bike was a Honda 305.

So I decided that at age 61, I didn't need some sport bike, or a 1300 cruiser.

The first thing I thought I wanted, as a surrender to my age, was a maxi scooter like a Honda Silverwing, but the price was outlandish.  At this point, any return to riding was a pure experiment, as I wasn't sure whether I would like it again after 40 years off.  So, no $10,000 Silverwing right off of the bat.

Next I considered a Honda Rebel.  Price is sure right, and 250 wasn't what I remembered as small.  Again, back when I rode, a 250 was a mid sized bike.  But, all my buddies talked me out of that idea.  And after using a Rebel in the MSF course, they were right.

So, looking around, a 650 S40 seemed about right - plenty of power, easy maint. (since I can't do my own, I didn't want to be in the shop every other week), and the price was right.

So, after a few weeks of intense looking, I found the bike I now own.  Happy with it, as it serves my needs for purely a recreational bike just right.  It's the right size, and has all of the speed I'll need.

Sold my suzi 250 30 minutes after posting it online. I looked on kijijij right away and saw the sauvage and it looked flippin' kewl. So, I called the owner saw it, negotiated, bought it, left me the keys and picked it up two days later when there was no rain ( I was a complete noob, been riding all but 3 weeks when I bought the savage so I did not want to drive in the rain).

My wife is to blame!  After 40 years of motorcycling I “retired” and took up commuting by bicycle for health and economy, especially since SoCal has the perfect weather for such two-wheel indulgence.  No contemporary production motorcycle caught my fancy after growing up on eccentric yet iconic marques like Velocette, Matchless and Ducati that inevitably honed my mechanical skills.  

So four years ago I got my wife a Yamaha Zuma scooter as a practical and economical commuter appliance.  It taught her how to ride on two wheels and was very reliable and economical.  Its disadvantage was lack of power and top speed.  Keeping up with traffic on any significant grade was a nerve-wracking experience with the little ring-ding shrieking its heart out.

We first saw a pair of Suzuki LS650’s in the mountains behind Santa Barbara when a touring couple parked their new machines, with suitably blued exhaust headers, at the summit of La Cumbre peak.  The bikes confused me at first, appearing like Harleys from a distance, then my memory was jogged as I remembered Suzuki made a big 650 single called the Savage.

So I traded my wife’s little red Zuma up to a black 2006 Suzuki S-40.  For a while it was a toss up against the Honda Rebel 250cc but the Suzuki looked better and certainly was more powerful.  The dealer had both on the showroom floor and the Suzuki’s purposeful, bold looks were a deciding factor.  Besides, I have a soft spot for big 4-stroke thumpers going back to my Velocette days.  I remember Panther made a 650cc single for their side-car rig, so the concept had to be sound.

I delivered her bike home after completing the paperwork and was most impressed with the light weight, relaxed handling, smooth engine, lazy, effortless torque and acceleration, clean, quiet and maintenance free belt drive and other nice touches that made for a most compelling ensemble.  Needless to say, I ordered mine shortly thereafter.  This was the perfect machine to comfort me in my mellow senior years.  

Now we have a “his & hers” LS-650 duo in matching black livery.  I tweaked mine with the usual mods: a SuperTrapp muffler, K&N air filter for better breathing with slightly richer jetting, a Super Brace to cure front end wobbles and Progressive shocks to round out the suspension upgrade.  

My wife loves her Sue-Zook and racks up mileage faster than me on daily commutes.  I enjoy hear her returning for supper with the gentle putt-putt-putt stock exhaust, unlike the tractor resonance from my SuperTrapp. I drive less to maintain the health benefit of bicycling. Even so, I never fail to have renewed pleasure from this simple machine that performs with great character unexpected from its basic components.  The sum total is a winning combination appreciated by my fellow cognoscenti who exchange useful tips on this enthusiast website.  

Of course there are quirks, like the predisposition to loud backfires on deceleration, squeaking front brakes that wear out prematurely between 2-3K, oil leaks from the head plug, rare cases of the counter-balancer punching through the engine case or exhaust valves breaking and, worst of all, rapid cam-chain tensioner failure with potential engine destruction (anywhere from 12K to 20K miles.)  Yet it’s smooth, broad power band and effortless acceleration, coupled with light handling and stable manners make riding around town a breeze.

Naturally I do all maintenance myself, although the bike is not as easy to work on as expected.  My Ducati 350cc single was much simpler.  The Suzuki’s seat and gas tank must be removed for all basic top-end work (spark plug, valves, head bolts, carburetor) and this is a chore owing to the fuel valve jamming under the frame rail.  It is best to drain the tank and remove the petc@ck.  

Even topping up the battery requires removal of the seat and both side panels.  Still, it is a lot simpler than most modern bikes that have become a mechanic’s nightmare.  On the plus side there is little to do for routine maintenance.  Top up gas (regular is just fine, although I prefer mid grade,) adjust tire pressure and change the engine oil and filter at least twice a year.  That’s about it, except perhaps top up the battery and drain the airbox annually.  

Today I took a run in the mountains to renew my affection for our bike and reflect upon its enduring personality elevating it above the usual frivolous consumer excess for more, faster and cheaper.  Hard times are coming and the LS-650’s substance over style should find renewed appreciation.  Peak oil is behind us and the days of Caddy Escalade, cell-phone addicted, air-head trust-fund bimbettes are fading fast.  We are proud to express our cultural defiance through the Savages.

Dang! That's the second time I almost hurled at that pic of what's left of your leg there Tincanman! I got a 12" scar  (I tell all the girls it's my Heidelburg dueling scar) on my left femur where I had a plate put in when I was 14 due to an accident with my father ( A tree jumped out and bit our car). My leg looks like a cute puppy dog compared to yours. I bet it must've stung a little bit when they put Methiolate on it.  

Anyway, I wanted to ride, had very little money, saw an ad in my hometown no less, for a '95 Savage for $1200. Saw the man, he started the bike, started right up, no smoke, that was it, I didn't even try to bargain for less. I've had more smiles per mile in the last two years than all the miles driven since I was sixteen.

Ed L. wrote on 12/26/08 at 15:58:38:


O.K., I'll bite,  "...tire track on your T-shirt?"

You ran over yourself?


Although,..  I ran over my own foot once...so, I do understand...

I may have posted this before, but what the hey -- it seems appropriate here.

I guess my Savage saga starts with my daughter.  After many years of pillioning with me, she wanted to learn how to ride her own bike.  One MSF course later, we heard of a friend who was selling the Buell Blast she had learned how to ride on, so we bought it for her.



Of course, any used bike requires a few trips back and forth to the dealer for parts, tires and adjustments.  While I had a BMW at the time, I found that I was really enjoying ferrying her thumper to and from it's necessary errands, and I decided that it was time to indulge myself and start thumping!

As the Blast was a bit small for me, and clearly a novice's machine, I bought a Royal Enfield 500.  Then I set about poring through the catalog of upgrade and "performance" parts.



Truly the most photogenic bike I have ever owned!  Unfortunately it had everything except reliability, and after two years of ownership it put the primary chain through the cases.  It had spent two many times riding the trailer back from rides, and with the nearest dealer 90 miles away it was not practical, at least for me.  The dealer also carried the Hyosung line, and let me trade what was left of my Enfield in on a chrome yellow Hyosung 250 "sportbike".



This bike turned out to be a LOT more reliable than the Enfield, also more suitable to my style of riding.  Still, it was a bit tall for my daughter to ride when she came back home, and just not suitable for my wife to learn on.  And the nearest dealer was still 90 miles away. So after the second time the vacuum petcock failed and was replaced under warantee, I traded it on the Savage -- actually a Boulevard S40 to which I promptly added the sissy bar and luggage rack!



OK, the upgrade stuff, along with the gel seat, a Superbrace and Hagon shocks were added after this photo, but you get the picture...

The Savage is simple, reliable, fits my daughter (and now son-in-law, too), and should my wife decide to learn to ride, fits her too.  Around town it is a super solo bike!  But hey -- I'm preaching to the choir here!

Why... no one else bid on it so I got it cheap (rolling frame, engine in pieces in a box).

But the story starts in the late '70's while I was in the Army.  Rode a couple of friends bikes and liked it.  The early '80's had me Jeep'in so no bikes.   In the late '80's I got into 3-wheeling and dirt bike'n.  Early '90's, sailing and marriage killed the bikes.    In '94 had a son....  can you see where this goes.. someone to buy toys for    .  In '02 we got into mini-bikes.     Then in '06 I said to the wife,  can I get a "fixer-upper" to commute to work on.  Her response, no more than $300....   Found a '71 Honda CL175  for $100.... another $250 to get it running.... but it had no title because the Estate couldn't find it in time for the Auction.  Since it was a PA bike and here in PA if it was ever titled here you had to go the hard way to get a title.   Got ready to get a lawyer to process the paperwork when the neighbor offered his '82 Honda 250 for $600.  Sold the '71 Honda for $600 cash (w/o title),  handed the cash to the neighbor.  Rode that for half a year and realized that it didn't have enough power to take my then 12 year old son and I on the hills here on the east side of PA.   So started looking for something bigger.  Wife said we could spend a grand max, but had to sell the '82 Honda.   Well,  started looking on EBay for any bike within 100 miles for $1000 or less.  Saw a few LS650's that started low but went much higher.  But.... I liked the look and the simplicity.    So, I started to look for LS650's too.    Found a 2001 in Erie, Pa that started at $450 for a rolling frame and the seller would throw in the dead engine.  I figured it had at least $850 in parts so... not really wanting to drive across the state of PA for a dead bike, I bid $600.    Well, no one else bid.   Got it for $450 plus $50 for all the parts and books not shown in the auction item.   Before I left for the 6 hour drive, I sold the '82 Honda for $800 ($200 profit , plus the '71 Honda was sold for profit to....    )
  My machinist buddy (also a biker) bore the cylinder for free and in a month the bike was running.  
  I'm happy with the LS650.  I like the looks, it got the guts enough for me, and it's already paid for itself in gas savings.
 Do I want a bigger bike....   well my son is now 5'9" and we don't fit on the LS650 together.  My wife is too nervous to be on the back.  I could use a slightly longer bike, but the money issue comes into play.  I'll keep the Savage for a while longer....  it goes good and I get bugs on the teeth (Happy biker syndrone   ).

In February of 2008 I was called to testify at a civil court hearing. With time to kill before the hearing my son and I wondered into  the Suzuki dealership in the town of Lock Haven, Pa. As my son and his friend were looking at the Sport bikes and new cruisers, I went to look around the store. There in the back of the used equipment area was  this awesome LS650. In was a 2000 and only had 3400 miles on it. The sales person looked at me and said, you look like a good fit for that machine. You know how sales people can be and I thought,"here we go, snow job".Well he left without saying anything else. I'd walk away ,then go back to this same bike. After court, I went back to the shop walked in and said can I test drive it. To my surprise they said sure.Gas up and ready, they handed me a helmet and said, we close in 2 hours, please try a be back by then. Dropped a hundred bucks to hold the bike. Picked it up a week later, and it has been smiles and good times ever since. No need for a large bike,I've got a bike with a lot of heart and a joy to ride. Also great people to interact with on this site. Ride Strong, Ride Proud, and Ride Safe
                                                                  Jimmer