When you get your brakes done at a shop they do more than just replace the pads/shoes.  They turn the disk/drum.  On a disk, they also repack the bearings.  That's why it's more expensive.

I've done freeway and backroads. She was gotten me around just fine. I wasnt a wrencher until I bought a savage. The longest part of an oil change is waiting for the oil to drain lol.

stumusic wrote on 01/09/09 at 13:06:28:



Another easy DIY project you should not be shelling out $90 for. Sounds like they are referring to boring out the brass plug over the idle mixture screw. If you have a cordless drill, a drywall screw and screwdrivers, you can do this job in about 10 minutes.

It's documented here  ->http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1221818822

The bike may cruise on the pilot jet, but you won't be doing highway speeds on the idle jet. Stock S40's are tuned to idle lean to meet EPA standards.

I agree with you all. DIY. As far as cruising, With a passenger I cruise 75 mph (5000 rpm), up hill, down hill, with a pack of Harley's till it's refueling time.  

Take this from someone who self-describes as allergic to anything that begins with "Remove the seat..."

Changing the oil & filter takes me less than an hour (it includes chasing the filter cover bolts down the driveway several times).  Compare $15 or so to what the shop quoted you, with Mobil 1 or Castrol synthetic.

Believe it or not, changing the fronts was even easier than changing the oil.  I put on Vesrah Sintered Metal pads from Ronayers.com (about $50 including shipping).  Just a few bucks more than the OE quality but you'll love the durability.  I love the feeling of more control that they give, and they don't make nearly the noise that the OEs do.  I just couldn't believe how quick and easy it was.  But do read the directions in the owners manual or Clymer, it'll save you a lot of frustration and explain what others have said.

I had the dealer install sintered metal on the rears too--that I wouldn't attempt.  The tech there suggested that he recommends SM on the rears but not the front because of their durability.  I love having them on both.

Ive ridden my 06 on 30 mile (1 way) commutes several times without problems.  I would think twice about having to do it often and routinely, just for comfort issues.  I tend to keep pretty alert and busy on the superslab; idiots in cages come up pretty quickly and behave unpredictably.  I'd suggest you do to, not because of the bike but because I want you to be riding next year too.

I'm not so sure that I'd like being that on edge for that much of my time.  But if you're comfortable enough I wouldn't worry about their comments.  Even at freeway speeds I've always had plenty of throttle left when I needed it.

A heavier bike might be more comfortable on a trip that long and might be worth it to ya, but not necessarily.  I know I like a lighter more maneuverable machine like the S40 for the riding I do.  And don't mind at all taking it on the I's, at least occasionally.

A lot of folks here are happy with the rejetting.  Mine is stock and I plan to keep it that way.  I don't mind it being a bit lean, after a few thousand miles the backfire almost never occurs (might have something to do with my riding learning-curve).  And I like the better gas milage the leaner mix gives me.

we win then, right?

I've got 17,500 miles on mine. Well over half of them are from commuting to work on Los Angeles freeways. She'll do just fine.

If you can set up a DVD player... you can do the basic maintenance required for the s40. .