Ok so about 2 weeks ago i purchased a savage im a customizer at heart and cant leave anything alone so i was wondering the best things to do to get alittle bit more power and to handle better... i thought about straight pipping it but i heard its loud but how loud is loud? and what size pipe would i need to do this? and i have seen people talking about a cam... where could i get one and about how much are they? thanks for the info

Gotta get it breathing right & get the mix right in the carb. Even then, its no rocket, but its more fun than stock. I put a cam in when it was cam chain time. Supertrapp is pricey, but is tuneable, so its the best for performance. Performance on a budget? Harley take off muffler. I think the best looking one is the Dyna. Make sure there is no X-over tube if you go that way.
People go a long way on the exhaust end, making it flow right, but seem to neglect the intake, except for tossing in a low restriction filter. If you want a high flow filter, look at Old Fellers homebuilt. I would love to see it stacked up against a K&N on a real test machine. I'd bet dollars to donuts it flows as well & catches more junk.
We have some guys here who savvy exhaust design. Im not sure anyone has dome the same amount of work on intake theory. An engine has a piston to shove exhaust out, but relies on the vacuum pulse to drag the charge in. I think the most power will come out for the guy who works on this end.
All that is outside the whole Port & Polish & lining up intake with head, grinders & stuff. Thats a whole nother thread

Since you are new to the Savage/S40 LS650 world I would suggest taking a little time and doing the simple steps first to get a feel for how the engine responds to changes.  For a new stock bike an adjustment of the pilot air adjusting screw to richen the low throttle range and eliminate the backfiring issues and smooth out the power delivery is the first step (drill & remove the brass cap covering of the pilot screw is necessary... see tech section for info), then swapping the stock muffler for a HD Dyna muffler of '04 or earlier vintage is a good follow-on.  Those two simple changes will make a noticeable difference in smooth running, responsiveness and power.

Step 2.  If you want more then you have to start changing things.  Thats where you get into the Performance Carburetor, Performance Camshaft, and high flow exhaust system.  More Money = More Power

-Perforamance Carburetor Kit:  $399
-Performance Camshaft:  $199  ( plus cam core exchange or $50 core charge)
-Performance Exhaust System:  At least a Supertrapp or similar high flow muffler, or Jardine system.   Removing the stock header with its restrictive 1.3" ID is necessary if you want full benefit of other changes.  The Jardine system has a 1.5" ID header which is a good size.   You can also make your own if so inclined...I did a 1.75" OD/1.6"ID pipe and added a high flow muffler which has worked great for me.  
The engine was still at stock compression of 8.5:1 and the exhaust port just slightly opened on the outside and the engine produced 45 hp at the rear wheel.  A stock engine has about 25 at the rear wheel.
Performance runs produced 0-60 mph times of 4.9 sec consistently.  It could have done much better if I could have kept the front wheel near the pavement.  90% of the run was in 1st gear and hitting 60mph just after shifting to 2nd gear.    Installing a clutchless shifting mechanism will also help improve times.
!/4 mile times were at 14.2 sec @ 90+.  
Top speed to date was 105.  Just did that once ... seemed to be a perfect engine day.  Hitting 100+ several times with 95-97 mph routinely.  This is with a Veypor unit installed so the speeds and times are exact.

Since then material has been removed from the head/cyl (0.040") to raise compression about a point to 9.5:1, and the exhaust ports have been significantly opened for better flow.  
The engine was assembled and started but had an issue with oil leakage on the head ... seems I had some brain cells that were not functioning properly and left off the valve stem seals...................... the oil really runs through the valves when you do that  

So a bit more work is needed to correct the stupid mistakes before it is ready for the road.  Hopefully there is no damage as a result of my lapse.
I expect to see 50+ hp with the higher compression and exhaust flow.

An additional mod to the Performance Carburetor with the UFO from Thunder Products is in the works which may improve the low-midrange power and responsiveness....and  you guys who have the UFO in your carb now thought the UFO was great already ?  wait till this new mod comes out !!!  UMM UMM, it is a good one and it is as easy to do as changing a pilot jet ...  sort of ...  
I makes tuning the low throttle range soooooooo simple ... stay tuned ... same Savage time ... same Savage channel  

wow there r some real performance upgrades then!!! right now a buddy that builds bikes said a straight pipe on my bike with no baffle would sound good and make a bit more power.. and truth to that? right now im trying to fix a few problems seems im running a bit rich and seems like its getting way to hot some im putting synthetic oil and an oil cooler to help matters out and see how that goes!!!! im really interested in a cam swap and a different carb set up!! any one know any good carbs that are better then the stock one that is a bank breaker? and i think im gonna try to build my own intake to see how it works and looks!!! well i appreciate all ur comments..

THE ENGINE SOME BACKPRESSURE TO RUN DECENT IN THE LOW RANGE SO SOME FORM OF BAFFLE IN HER MUFFLER WOULD BE GOOD.
I HAVE SEEN THAT MUFFLER BEFORE BUT CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE YET.
STRAIGHT PIPE; NOT SO GOOD.  OK FOR VERY HIGH RANGE BUT PROBLEMATIC FOR LOW-MID RANGE TUNING/POWER/RESPONSIVENESS.  LOOK FOR MORE TYPICAL TYPE MUFFLER, THAT'S WHY SO MANY FOLKS USE THE DYNA/SPORTY MUFFLERS  IT FLOWS AND SOUNDS BETTER THAN STOCK AND IS EASY TO JET & TUNE FOR

Ok so this might sound stupid but what is a UFO?

BurnPgh wrote on 07/07/09 at 16:43:35:


It mounts on the underside of the slide (throttle valve) of a Mikuni VM roundslide carb, filling in the cavity normally there and thus creating a smoother roof area in the carb throat which enables the incoming air to flow faster and with less turbulence which creates a greater vacuum in the throat which picks up more fuel than other wise and thus creating more power and responsiveness.

Not bad for a single sentence eh ?

oohrah ... more power  

would probably work in the Amal carb as well if the correct size is available

How much is a UFO and where could i get one? do i have to upgrade my stock carb first?