Hey folks,

Trying to do some research and stumbled on this website.. Great resource. I have been looking at the Savage and the S40 and have really liked what I have seen and read. I test drove one today and was impressed by the handling and style of the bike. My budget is around 2k and I want a bike that I wont have a lot of problems with. I drove nearly two hours today to look at a 2001 Savage but ended up walking away from it. It had clearly been dropped and it had a really hard time going into first gear, it also appeared to have little to no life left on the breaks and the engine was making some sounds that seemed out of place.

But my question is now, what should be considered a major problem vs a minor one? How many miles do you typically get out of a set of break pads? What about miles for most standard tires? Is it that big of a problem having issues shifting into first gear? Is it normal for it to have a slight sputter at steady acceleration or is this just a sign that its not warmed up all the way? Any common failures or problems for the Savage/S40?

Thanks for the time!

Philip

Thanks for referencing those posts.

I have been looking at this bike... http://knoxville.craigslist.org/mcy/2268016430.html

The seller seems to be very knowledgeable about the maintenance and said that its been kept in his barn under a sheet when not ridden. Its also a two hour drive and he said that $2400 would be his bottom dollar... Does this seem like a decent deal for this bike considering its milage and if its really in as good of shape as he is saying?

Looks like a reasonable deal.   The tires are on their 6th year, so you or someone who knows tires (ifn you don't) check for dryrot etc-( tread wear should be fine)....and you should be good to go.

We got you now, congrats on the key to a new adventure.

Philip wrote on 04/15/11 at 21:23:27:


Possibly, an ounce of seafoam in the gas tank will help clean out the carb.

Check the header bolts and muffler clamp, air leaks usually cause the shift pop.