Hi all!
I recently bought my first Savage. An '88 model. I'm not unfamiliar with bikes or wrenching, but this is my first air-cooled, and my first single cylinder engine.
At first inspection it appeared quite sound, but it was dirt cheap, so I wasn't taking anything for granted.
There was a quite distinct "ticking" from the valves/rockers, so I've adjusted the tappet clearances to spec and that helped somewhat. I also replaced the leaky exhaust gasket.
My question is basically this: When riding at moderate speed with a helmet on, are you supposed to quite clearly hear the the valves/rockers? If not, will cam wear be my next place to look?
I have not checked the infamous cam chain tensioner yet.
Apart from the "ticking" it runs good, starts easily, and the spark plug indicates a pretty acceptable mixture. It has a fairly open aftermarket exhaust, but has not (to my knowledge been re-jetted). There is a slight backfire on engine shut-off, but nothing dramatic.
I intended to tear the engine down and go over it thoroughly, but the spring appeared with a bang and the snow cleared (I live in Norway), and now I would prefer to have it in ridable condition
all opinions appreciated
cheers
Mikael