My S50 is a LOT faster than any of the other bikes discussed here.  I'm pretty sure the 480 lb. is wet weight, not dry.

A few 1/4 mile times from Motorcycle Consumer News:

Savage  15.30
Vulcan 800  14.16
Shadow 750  15.03
883 Sporty  14.98
1200 Sporty 13.15

MCN hasn't tested an S50 but the reported time I read elsewhere for a stock S50 is 12.3!

That's faster than every stock Harley listed except the V-Rod.  And this all fits with my riding impression as well.  I rode four different Harleys at Laconia last year and was very surprised by their lack of oomph.  Except the Night Rod - I couldn't believe how fast that was.  I have also read that a set of pipes and jets (or EFI reprogram) makes a huge difference to a Harley so I wouldn't expect to beat even a slightly modified 1200 but I believe it would take a ton of work to get an 883 near as quick as me.

The S50 is also the closest of any of them to a Savage in size and so it's likely more agile than the other bikes discussed.

Magazines tend to give horsepower to weight ratios using dry weight. I think, since the motorcycle cannot run too well without a rider and fuel, the ratio should use wet (curb) weight plus a rider. I would suggest using 170 lbs for the (standard) rider, since that is the number the FAA uses to certify light airplanes. The mythical dry weight is said to omit fuel, engine oil, fork oil, brake fluid, battery acid, and anything else they could get off or out of the bike. It would not surprise me to learn dry weight also used deflated tires, and it wouldn't surprise me to find the battery was removed altogether. The currently advertised curb weight for the S40 agrees pretty well with the weight I measured for mine, using a non-certified bathroom scale.

One thing with bike magazine 1/4 miles....  
They tend to get their hotshot rider for the bikes with high expectations....  
The Savage didn't have a line of anxious volunteers to do the 1/4 mile test, and whoever drew the short straw, didn't put a lot of effort into shaving 10ths...

I bet the Savage would be pretty impressive in the 1/8 mile...

bill67 wrote on 04/15/10 at 16:56:24:

you have helium in your tires?

I concur with John D. The s40 is zippier. The c50 is no slouch with get up and go. It will get to 60mph faster. Just cranked mine on the hiway ( almost broke in) and it got up there right quick. The s40 shines right at take off.
As for stability the c50 wins hands down. It's been pretty windy here and the bigger c50 is much better in the windy conditions.

I did my 1st floorboard scrape too! Definately can't lean into it like the s40.
The 2 bikes give 2 very different rides. Each ride is great and would love to have kept the s40 for tootin around the city.

Any fool can take off a muffler and make an otherwise decent motorcycle into an loud, obnoxious machine. The trick is to get decent performance with a socially acceptable (quiet) one. I feel quite confident that anyone who wanted could remove the muffler from a Burgman and make it just as loud as he wanted. The guys with loud mufflers are just making it difficult for all motorcyclists, because the general public hears the loud ones and complains about all motorcyclists.

They did make a 1400 Intruder/S83 through 2008.  In stock form the S50 is quicker than that too!

well i did rejet and k&n when i took the muffler off lol still moronic?

the s50 is soundin better and better! it's pretty much the savage's older brother right? lol

and have u seen them put hayabusa engines in smartcars? they kill ferraris!! how upsetting would that be to the ferrari owner?

personally, i would rather have the monster miata, it's a miata with a 5.O mustang engine.....now that's power to weight ratio!!