I have built chopper for years. Mostly British and Harley. I am ready for a different build, and my daughter, who finished High School last week, really wants us to do a build together. The very first time that I saw a Savage, my chopper thoughts started spinning. We picked up her Savage last night. This build will be well documented and we will keep you updated. I really like this motorcycle!
We are starting with a bone stock, well ridden 1996 savage. She is an artist, so this will be an interesting transformation. On the technical end- we are counting on you guys- so thanks in advance for all of your help.

Yea, please keep us posted.  We love progress pictures!  And I'm especially glad to hear of a teenage female who wants to do it.  Good of you to make it happen!  Welcome   

Welcome.  Let the creativity begin!

There are several who have done serious mods. If I try to list them, Ill miss someone who has made real contributions, so, I wont even try. If youll start by describing what you are looking to achieve, there will be people who will be able to offer possible ways to get there or maybe suggestions on where to get the parts/service you need to get it Juuuust Riiight.

Does she have enough riding experience to take a newly built, lovingly finished machine out? IOW, has she gotten past the "Oooopsie, I dropped it" stage of learning?

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 02/23/10 at 13:22:11:


she will be riding a cheap rebel, or something similar, during the build months. I have two boys who need a learner as well. Motorcycle riders safety course is required, and in Texas, it is a very good course. I will have her get on this site so she can do all of the documentation. She will be shooting the before pics today and start tear down on Sunday.
This does not seem to be one of the more common, sleazy biker sites, but I will add this disclaimer. As she posts the progress pics, remember, this is my daughter, please keep any inappropriate comments to yourselves. I don't think the disclaimer is necessary here, but you know how some sites are!

miker wrote on 02/27/10 at 08:30:54:


I'm working on a deal for a bike for my daughter as well. We are going to be building it together also. I perfectly understand your concern about posting pics of your daughter. Rest assured, you are correct, this site is very respectful of people and there will be no inappropriate remarks.

Can't wait to see pics of the bike. Most of the folks around here build bobbers, can't wait to see another chopper.

Oh, and just FYI, this is how you post pics on this site. http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1240899665

We have started disassembly. Iris will get pics up today. It only took a couple of hours to strip the bike. We will start chopping the frame this week. I have located available belt lengths, and it looks like we will be streching either the frame or the swingarm about 4", keep the stock rake, and replace the backbone to allow a better fit of a tunneled gas tank. I must say, there is a lot of stuff packed into a small space, but I am impressed with the general construction. The factory welds, however, are very sloppy, and there is an excessive amount of electrics. We will be doing LOTS of grinding. This is shaping up to be a very fun project.

Hi, I'm Miker's daughter. This is my first motorcycle and my first buid. I am REALLY excited; I've always wanted a chopper. I will post pictures regularly to show everyone our progress.