yo, i'm 20 year old unemployed college student who needs to a replace a downed "bike". My old "bike" or scooter prefferably, was a performace modified vespa gts 250ie (10k). I loved it, put alot of mods on, and drove 12k on it (farthest was 482 miles both ways).

i was thinking about buying a honda rebel, but after comparing it to my dead vespa 250 it seemed useless (more comparable to a 150cc baja)

then the S40 was sitting right next to it, looking beautiful of course. problem is no one at the shop knew really anything about it. after some research i'm finding out it tops at 70? and i believe i read that "someones had it at 60mph for a 3 hour ride." I hear it backfires, but thats normal with bikes.  But! does it get too warm in traffic? ever have trouble switching gears? does the seat fade? etc. so tell me why you love it, and give me a reason to convince someone to co sign for it.


please...

gotcha, any recommended accesories sites?

lol, i read the posts there before posting, but was hoping for some more specifics.

I like that it is so easy to work on that it makes it worth getting to me. Go find a co-signer.

It doesn't top out at 70, more like 85-90. It can easily cruise at 60-65. I have had mine to 90 before and it is stock.

Whisky:

On 11/11/08 I walked in to the HD dealership and wanted to purchase the $2900, 2008 Honda Rebel 250 "trade-in" that they had on their showroom floor. (You know just to ride around town and back and forth to school.) Well sitting next to it was , "Black Beauty", a $2500, 2003 Suzuki Savage LS650, and the salesperson starts telling me how she now owned a Sportster, but her first bike which she still owned was a 1996 Savage and it was far superior to the Rebel. More torque, more power, faster, better able to carry the weight of a rider and a passenger. And on and on she went. (By the way there were many used Sportsters on that same showroom floor). By the time she had finished weighing in, (as you will find most Savage owners will do), I was sold. I took the bike home, took the MSF Course, got my license, and found this really awesome forum. The rest is a story of the fastest metamorphosis into a true Savage owner I could have ever imagined. The resources available here have enabled me to do these mods:

Changed oil and oil filter
Raise Seat Mod
Idle Mixture Screw Mod
White Spacer Mod
Sportster Muffler Conversion

While you may hear that there aren't many accessories available for the S40/ Savage, and in fact a lot of Savage owners like to take stuff "off" their bikes (chop/bob), I like to add bells and whistles:

Here's what I've been able to add:
      Windshield, Chrome Highway Pegs, Chrome Rider Heel-Toe Pegs, Brake pedal pad, Chrome Passenger Pegs, Saddle Bags, Chrome Luggage Rack, Digital Tach, Go-Pro Wide angle camera, Garmin GPS, Chrome Brake Fluid Cap, Oil tempature gauge, Flashing LED Brake light, Driving lights/ visors, Fork brace, Throttle lock/Cruise Control, Throttle Rocker, Whitewall tires, Sportster "Pillow Seat" Upgrade, BeadRider seat beads, and I put together a "real tool kit" I keep in my saddle bags.

I picked up many of my add ons right here in our "Marketplace" and others came from "ebay" and other online sites. I have hard saddlebags, and license-plate mounted rear turn signal lights waiting to be installed

In addition to this forum I joined the SE Virginia Chapter of the Suzuki Owners Club and I visit both sites on a daily basis to soak in as much of "all that is Savage" as possible. I have participated in poker runs, charity rides, and "BB" & I rode "Tail of the Dragon" in April, and on invitation entered the Bike show at the OBX HD Bike Week, where once a few hard core Hd'ers realized they had invited a "metric" to join them it was too late: their true feelings for my bike were already revealed---I often appreciate the admiring comments and looks from the HD crowd for my (Is that a Sportster?) bike.

In conclusion, you can't go wrong with a Savage. The bike is economical, versatile, and has a fantastic history and track record, as well as fantastic (almost fraternal) support. You can make this bike whatever you want it to be, then change it if you care too without huge investments. The innovation in the mechanical minds of some of this forum's members is mind-boggling. (Research the Cone air filter, the forward controls, the Pam Spray Cooking oil Air Filter,  Cam chain & adjuster mods,  etc...).

Whisky, I'd say buy the Savage. As a P.S., I went back in March and the HD salesperson needed quick cash, so I bought her running 1996 Savage for $400. Still not sure what I'll do with it. It only has 2,600 miles on it and only needed a battery and a muffler. (I bought a battery and installed the stock muffler that came off of "BB".) Maybe one day I'll bob/chop so I can have one of each. Right now I have little time for extra projects because I want to ride "BB" every chance I get!

Hope I didn't give you too much input, but like most here, I love my Savage!

Regards,
Darrell

I've had my Savage for a year and couldn't be happier.  I was looking for a small starter bike and mostly looked at Honda Rebels and GZ250s.  Problem is they were really too small.  I'm only 5'9" and 150lbs and my knees were in my armpits.  Also, they lacked the power for highway riding.  

I paid under $2,500 for a 2003 with only 5k miles on it.  I've ridden the bike for 3+ hours in heavy city traffic and it really only gets warm when it's bumper-to-bumper for more than a half hour at a time (it's air-cooled, so it needs to move!)

I regularly take it on the superslab at 70-80mph for longer rides (read 4-5 hours).  The seat is plenty comfortable for a little guy and can easily be modified for larger riders.  In fact, I'm leaving this weekend to take it on a 1,200 mile trip from the heartland to the east coast.  I have no qualms whatsoever about making this trip on this bike.  The 650 was considered a larger engine back in the early days of motorcycles and will give you plenty of torque.  You'll wear out before it does.  

The only difficulty I've had with the gears is that I have to be certain I've kicked down to 1st rolling into stops.  It likes to stay in 2nd, which can provide a bit of a surprise rolling off the line.  

i have to admit that I don't take the best care of the bike cosmetically- I ride in the rain, and leave it out uncovered.  The seat hasn't faded a bit and there's no rust.  I wash it about every couple weeks and use a spray polish afterwards.  

I really thought once I'd done a few thousand miles I'd upgrade to something larger.  I may eventually do that, but after 4k miles, I really like this bike.  It easily handles my daily commute, and is great for the occasional road trip, too.  Even if I do ever get a larger bike, I'll be keeping this one too.  It's too much fun.

The best part is the "What IS that?" question I get from HDers.  (I don't have any brand labels on the bike anymore).  

And at 55mpg with the $4/g prices last summer, the bike paid for itself the first year.

I've got an '06 that just rolled over 6K miles and it definitely goes faster than 70, even it is still 100% stock.  The last time I rode it to work, I had it at 85 indicated with a little left to pass a bunch of slow moving cars so I could get over to get off the interstate.

id still get a windshield. Mine broke and I rode for a week or so without until I fixed it. It was kind of fun for short runs. It was nice to feel the wind press on my chest but once you hit 50 or so it gets tiring for long distances. I got used to no windshield and when I put it back on I found myself very relieved to have it back.

Whiskey89 wrote on 05/12/09 at 21:19:09:


The guy who told you that the s-40 tops out at 70 has a weak right wrist.  He is not strong enough to open the carb past halfway.
Or maybe he has back troubles. Maybe a yellow streak up the center.

Phelonius
Or he doesn't want you to buy it cause he wants it.