nicka
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SuzukiSavage.com Rocks!
Posts: 44
Tucson
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Bought 2003 Savage Monday; 2700 miles and garaged every day of it's life. Selection much influenced by this site - I need all the help I can get!
After having pulled off the sissy bar I felt that the aft end of the rails should really be attached to the fender rather than flapping about. So I carefully taped a nut to a ring wrench, attached a washer with a dab of grease, lowered it down the sissy bar hole, slipped the original bolt back, tightened it up and found that I had trapped the wrench! Tried again with a thick washer behind the bolt - worked perfectly, just enough clearance for the wheel. I then trimmed and pressed the plugs into the holes atop the rail.
Then I decided to attach the saddlebag supports. I removed the forward lower rail bolt, removed the middle bolt, slackened off the forward top bolt; at which point the rail pivoted down to reveal that all I had done earlier was to carefully attach a washer to the fender. The rail is attached to the sissy bar and the sissy bar is attached to the fender! Hence the 3 bolts rather than the 2 I thought it needed. So I cut the bottom 2 inches off the very hard stainless sissy bar (reminder to self: buy better quality hacksaw blades) and reassembled it. I then tried to attach the supports. As the Suzuki stock support goes inside the fender and is quite thick, it is supplied with longer bolts which are inserted from inside the wheel well and which only just clear the tire. After a heroic struggle I got the bolts in place only to find that the foward one was way too long; it is held by an acorn nut on the outside so must be of exactly the right length to work. Pulled it, measured it, cut it, reinstalled it; easier this time it being shorter and I more practiced. Tightened it all up, cleaned everything and stood back to admire my work - only to realize I should have taken off the helmet lock when the rail was down. Went and drank a couple of beers. I guess this saga is my initiation into the joys of Savage ownership. Next week I will try the stock screen attachment job, gerald.hughes assures me this is really easy, but he also told me he cut off his sissy bars without mentioning the need for an adequate supply of tungsten carbide tipped hacksaw blades.
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