Hi all,

New to this forum but have been riding for about a year. Shopping for a bike for the wife. She's 5'1 with thick legs and the S40 (and maybe the S50) is the only bike that fits her well without extensive modifications.

She sat on one and just loved it. Now I need the rest of you need to convince me that these bikes are good mechanically.

What is their longevity?
Are they pretty reliable?
What are the common failures?
What are the most common initial mods?
How do they compare to a V-twin 650?
How is aftermarket part support?


Sorry for the interrogation.

We're looking to buy during the winter when prices are low. We're also juggling this purchase while trying to sell our townhouse and upgrade to a bigger place.

Thanks!

Good answer serenity.

From a female perspective, I'm 5'2, about 110 lbs.  This bike is easy to handle, and I don't feel "over-powered" by it, but it is HUGE on power carrying a small female.  I guess the fact that bigger guys ride it too proves that.

Mechanically, I've only had mine for this season, but it runs like a top!  And with this forum for support, you couldn't go wrong, even if you aren't mechanically inclined yourself.  These guys know this bike inside and out, up and down, and every which way!  Just browse around this forum and see the weird things that come up, and how quickly people respond.  I don't think you'll find this support with any other bike!  The bad part is, the more I read, the more things that I want to do to mine.... but it really needs nothing....  just to be ridden and enjoyed!

Oh, check Craiglist in your area for ones for sale too.  "S40" ... "Savage" .... "LS650".  There are usually plenty out there, cheap.

~ 

Thanks guys, this is all very helpful. I'm mechanically inclined, with a full set of tools (metric and imperial), I just lack proper workspace.

I've checked eBay and Craigslist and one thing that I've noticed is that the Savages seem to hold better resale value than the V-Star 650's. That is, they cost more used, than the V-Stars. Since the cost between used and new is pretty narrow (depending on how old a used bike is), we might just buy new.

I hope to report back soon with a purchase. Oh, one final question:

Are the older Savages (early 90's up to 2000) the same dimensions as the 2000-09 models? The design seems mostly unchanged throughout it's life but I want to be sure.

Thanks!

I bought new, because I thought I needed a warranty. Had I known then,,, well, I wouldnt buy new again,
Easy to maintain, no carbs to synch up, no chain to lube, Disk front, easy to swap pads, Rear drum, shoes look to be good for many more miles than the average person even rides.
As time has passed, the valve adjusters seem to have work hardened, longer & longer times between needed adjustments.
The weakest point ( IMO) is the cam chain/adjuster. But, its easy to keep up with whats going on in there & head off any problems. Verslagen has a modified part available that keeps the chain tensioner from being able to spit its guts out into the spinning gears. A new cam chain should be good for at least 15,000 miles & putting one in is no big deal. Doing the work yourself will save the $$$ to pay for the tools to do the job.
OIl changes are cheap & easy. Some of the v-twins out there require pulling the front exhaust & right foot peg just to change the danged OIL,, (IIRC, the Suzuki 83 is like that).

Every bike out there seems to have some issue that is a detractor. Having the field of potential choices limited by inseam makes it tough, but thankfully, this bike has a lot of things going for it. Its small & light, but it has the OOOmph to clear an intersection if someone accidentally does mess up & pull out in front of oncoming, unlike a little scooter.
It will handle running down the highway all day for days & days on end.
Delivers good MPG. Handles easy, its not twitchy. Some folks say the brakes arent good enough, but I can make the front tire start to squeal & thats as good as it can get IMO. The rear typically locks up too easy to really be able to get the max stopping power out of it, but that can be modified.

It needs a fork brace. No one has installed one & said they couldnt feel a difference, even people who ride gently & conservatively see improved "feel", a  Surefootedness absent without the brace. Not that its dangerous w/o the thing, I made over 5,000 miles before I got one & I like to play in corners. It just made it feel better.

The cam chain requires some attention be paid to it, but Ive seen one of these bikes in a parking lot with over 80,000 miles on it, so its not a fatal flaw, at all.

The 5 speeds are jetted lean, maybe not all, IDK, but certainly the later models are. Power is improved by a more free flowing exhaust & jetting to optimize air fuel mix. The older 4 speeds actually have a higher final drive than the 5 speeds, so if highways will be the norm, you might want a 4 speed for the lower RPM at speed. The belt can be ditched & sprockets & chain put on for about $200.00.

Leave it stock, have fun, mod it, whatever. Info is available right here.

Just over 6 secs,  0 to 60 time. PLenty good. IDK what a stocker runs, but its not bad.

The bike is a bit of an old school design. That means reliable as long as you follow preventative maint schedules.  Change oil at regular interval.  Make the periodic adjustments  etc etc.  

If it's your wife's first bike, it may be a great choice.  I took the MSF safety course, (Experienced rider version where you ride your own  bike) and I was the only person with no points deducted.  I could turn-inside the figure eight box with room to spare.  I think it was the bike that contributed to the great score.  

longevity???  If you do the PM's, and replace wear parts as needed,  could go easy 50K-75K before needing a rebuild and that would be a valve job and hone the cyclinder.

What I liked about it was the design is fairly unchanged for 23 years.  I have a HD Sportster now and they have a 4-5 year window of shared parts.    

The only reason I sold my LS650 was that I'm 5'11" and my 14 YO son just passed the 5'9" mark and we didn't fit on it any longer.  

Power???,   My re-exhausted & re-jetted LS650 toasted some HD's off the line ,... up to about 45-50 mph.    And, it did not know my son was on the back going up the hills here on the east-side of PA.

It's a fun, dance-able bike.....

if its her first bike go with the s40 if not then the  c 50..

Great bike. I wont be rid of mine until it explodes under me or a cager wipes me off the face of the planet.
Pros - Reliable. Cheap (to insure, purchase, repair, mod, and generally maintain). Easy to work on*. Good looking. Lightweight. Good MPG. More than capable of freeway riding all day for days. Least stolen bike in USA.

Cons - Cam chain tensioner (it fails prematurely sometimes. Best to play it safe and shell out the $110 for a Verslavy from our very own Verslagen1. Well worth the money). Head plug leak (easy to fix. Not as significant a problem on '01+ models. It isnt really even a problem. Just makes the cylinger ugly. Jetted lean (cheap, extensive jet sets available from our own Lancer {aswell as performances cams and carbs}) Small for some (cheap forward controls from our own Ed L). *"Easy to work on" (gotta take off the front seat and tank to do pretty mcuh anything. Gotta pretty much remove everything to get the engine out of the frame. Engine is a PITA to get back into the frame.)