photojoe FSO
Serious Thumper Alliance Member
Offline
I did warn you to brace yourself
Posts: 1379
New Jersey
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I feel like I lucked out when I bought my '87. Was away from riding for around 15 years and just wanted a cruiser with ballz. never thought I would be riding a Japanese bike, but after looking at how high the prices were since I'd been away, I decided to leave the HD thing behind. Had no idea what a Savage was but after taking a test ride, I knew right away that this would be the one. PO was asking $1300 for it, but took my offer of $1050. Came with with custom paint, SuperTrapp, mirrors, new cables, brakes, Guardian cover, new tires, an extra front rim and new helmet thrown in. Oil leak was also included. Bike was on Craigslist for weeks with really bad pictures that didn't do it justice.
To be honest, I have no idea what's been done inside of the bike, but I can see black sealant in the middle of the cylinder and gray on top, so the PO did work on something in there. Bought it in March 2008 with 12XXX miles and as of today, I'm up to 20,200 miles. It's been running so well that outside of oil changes, battery and a new air filter, I've not had to perform any serious mechanical work on it yet. She runs like a dream. It's one of the best motor vehicle purchases I've ever made.
Bought front brake pads which I'll be installing soon. Inside of tank is rusty and bit of paint lift by the gas filler neck, but I'm leaving it alone for now.
But yes, shine a flashlight in all of the nooks and crannies, up around the header and top of the cylinder, and, also in the gas tank. The rust will be staring you in the face if it's there. If you can get the owner to allow you to take the seats off, you'll be able to see most of the wiring. Listen for that Cam Chain noise also.
Depending on the seller, who can be honest or not, oil leaks can be pretty easy to hide. They could simply clean the oil off and it will not show itself until after being ridden for a while. Well, depending on the severity of the leak of course. I would just ask them about the well documented Savage plug cap leak, or any other oil leaks.
What really led me to the decision to buy mine, outside of the price, was the test ride. The low end torque blew me away.
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