I would like to find a shop that knows all about engine rebuilds/hop-up for this motor.  

I have found a couple of bikes I want to buy that are pretty complete and would be good starts on some Savage-based projects, but the motors are questionable.  

My plan is to buy the bikes, then send the motors off to an expert shop for a rebuild and mild hop-up that might include boring for a DR650 Wiseco piston.  I want the transmission/clutch areas gone through as well.

Anyway, please let me know of a shop of craftsmen that can take a couple of tired motors and make them new again, possibly with a little more "thrust" than stock.

Thanks for any info,..

Bob

Have you considered, or, do you care, about the cost of that hired out labor?

Syd's over by St. Peterburgs FL. has a reputation of being able to rebuild and hop up just about any motorcycle engine that has been built. I've heard that they work on anything from early Vincents to bevel head Ducati's from the 50s and 60's. They can be expensive depending on what you want done. Don't know if they would be willing to work on a savage. Most of the mods here are DIY just because of the low cost and simplicity of the bike.

Thanks for the comments, gents, but I was hoping to find a place that had Savage 650 expertise, and a real zeal for these motors.

I'm an aircraft mechanic, so I am not afraid to tear and engine down, tidy it up, and put it back together again.  One of the things I have learned over the years is that are many more ways to do things wrong than to do them right.  One must know one's limits.

One of the things I have discovered in dealing with aircraft, hot rods, motorcycles, etc., is that for most types of machinery, there are always a few folks who have a particular interest in a particular niche, and over time they learn the cool things to do and the common blunders to avoid.

For example, there are a few places that specialize in taking old Triumph 650 twins and not just overhauling them, but using trick new parts, new metallurgy, seam sealing secrets, etc.  I could overhaul a motor like that and bring it back to original shape, but when one of these specialty shops does it, you have a "vintage" twin that will actually start reliably, run for 10,000 miles, have a little more power, and not leak.

I am hoping to find a guy (or a few guys) in a shop where they have a particular passion for these large Suzuki thumpers, and through long experience, know how to do a much better than average rebuild,... maybe even breathing on the motor a little.

I know it is a simple motor, and it is quite easy to take it apart, clean up the bore, new rings, do a valve job, replace any worn parts, and put it back together again.  If I did that, I would probably have a nice stock 650 thumper motor that will last a while.  Possibly, though, I might have made a common mistake that first-timers with this motor make.  Maybe I would have overlooked some easy things to do while I had it apart that knowledgeable Savage-fans know about.

That is all I am after here.  I just want to find someone who knows all about rebuilding and tweaking this motor.

The trouble with the "specialty shop" approach is the labor charge. Consensus seems to be that average labor charges run $80 - $85 per hour. I would expect a specialty shop to charge more than that. If for the sake of discussion we say $100 per hour, then twenty hours of labor will buy a late-model low-mileage bike, complete and running. Fifty hours of labor will buy a brand-new bike. I have no idea how many hours the flat-rate manual assigns to a teardown and rebuild, but learning that might be a good place to start.

+1

My guess that since the Savage is still available new off the factory floor, and is considered a "beginner's" MC, there won't be any niche shops around. Any shop is either going to want to drop in a replacement engine on a major repair, or scrap the MC based on value and sell you something else. Most shops are not going to be "into" trying to tweak a beginner's MC that fully tweaked is probably going to be worth less than a new stock model. Right now a 86 Savage is mainly an old Savage, not that much different than a 2010 Savage. Maybe twenty years from now if they stop making them, but based on what they compare to in today's market, I really doubt it. I could be wrong, but without a time machine we won't know for quite a few years.

As I was told by a specialty shop - unfortunately out of business now -when I looked into seriously modifying my Savage into what I really wanted/needed: "you're trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Nothing wrong with a Savage, but let it be what it is."

BarneyBWilde wrote on 11/10/10 at 16:30:58:



Yes, well put, but we don't ride a sows ear.
They are misinformed or without knowledge.
Most mod shops are use to playing with 100 + hp motors  looking to make 150 hp or something like that.
Their perception is totally wrong.
We are not after that much power, just a really nice running single for FUN RIDING.
Going from 25 rear wheel hp  on a stock LS650 to 40-50 hp is a nice jump, especially with the torque curve we get.  As noted on other threads the Savage, when perked up with a little work, is a great bike for those mountain roads.  It is light weight, has torque everywhere, and is great handling ...assuming of coure that tires, brakes, suspension, etc is in good order.  It is tough to beat on those roads and the FUN FACTOR is off the freaking charts.
Do a chain conversion and alter the ratio for easy road cruise, carving the mountains, or embarrassing the bigger bikes between stoplights.
It is easy to work with and cheap by comparison.

You want to have fun riding ? ? ?  
Just mod a Savage and clean the bugs out your teeth later !

YEEHA ! ! !