Hello to all in this awesome forum,

New member and new rider here. I've had my '04 Savage (6400k, bone stock) for 3 weeks now, had my license for 2 whole days now. Unfortunately, its been raining buckets here in the Northeast so all I can do for now is get informed and wait for better weather. This forum is great, but I do have some questions I've been wondering about.

1. This is the first vehicle I've ever owned with a carburetor. I understand the very basics of it, but I know there is going to come a time to adjust my carb. I'm getting blue in my pipes... is that due to a lean mix? I guess just some general carb tips for a newb would settle this up nicely.

2. How often should this bikes oil be changed? I do my car's oil changes and I would like to do the same with the bike. Any videos or pictured tutorial someone could refer me to would be greatly appreciated.

3. The tools I got in my tool box are complete garbage! What tools should I get to replace them? Also, is there anything else I should look for aside from what they teach you to look for in a routine bike check?

4. Has anyone made a gas gauge or trip meter mod to this bike so I can better track how much gas I have? Probably the only thing I don't like about this bike.

5. Is there a reputable online dealer for Savage/S40 parts? I dont like to buy parts on ebay due to past experiences. I'm looking for a windshield, sissy bar and sattlebags, preferably used since I blew most of my money on my bike, insurance, registration and the safety licensing course.

A premature thank you for all of the help!

1. the header pipes blue this bike, get some blue-job and wipe your blues away! or you could wrap it with exhaust wrap, or get heat shields. adjusting your idle mix screw is in the tech section, the bike pops on decel out of the box...

2. 3k miles from the manual, whenever you feel like it realistically...

3. replace what ever you can find that's higher quality, for example I replaced everything I could with a ratchet and some sockets/screw tips, left what I couldn't in the bag..

4. lot's of info on this in the tech section, I personally just count every 100 miles or peek in the tank every now and then...

5. get the schematic guide for the bike (tech section), then you can search the net by part number and find whatever you need and decide where to order from, or try your local suzuki dealer.. if it's an easy nut and bolt you can try your local hardware dealers..

don't be like me and go tinkering with the engine and stuff (unless you know what you're actually doing) and end up with a sloppy running bike (that still rules)... I'll know what I'm actually doing soon enough though

EDIT: You're right, every 3k miles for the oil change.. I have no clue where I pulled 1,500 out of.. I do change mine around 3-4k... I must be working too hard  

So far I have used Suzuki filters. Are there better ones?

Keep a close eye on that oil level, you mite even want to use the "slight overfill" method many here have tested & proven. Some fill it so that they can see oil when its on the stand.

When the oil starts to get old, it will start using oil, I add a little a couple of times & I can see it start to use it faster,, all in a matter of a coupla weeks,, gives me time to get ready & do it,,

I dont see any need to just dump $$$ in the crank case to prove ya love it.
Ive seen one of these things with 90+ thousand miles on it & from the looks of it, it didnt get the best of care,

I run Rotella 15-40. Hasnt blowed up yet..

Thanks for all the help.

Just had my mind blown away by the pdf link to the clymers service manual. Simply amazing.

I should rephrase my mileage, 6400 miles, not 6,400,000 miles, though I would love to think that my bike circled the earth or rode to the moon and back a few times  

I really dont plan on messing with the carb too much. The important thing is that it runs well, has an occasional pop when riding, but nothing that makes me uneasy.

Are there any of you in the Northeast? Are there any meets around the New York/tristate area? Another reason I got the bike was to get out and meet some new people, young and old, male, female, and not spend another summer sitting around.

I'm in Pittsburgh, PA. I don't know of any specific meets but we have charity rides in Pittsburgh every so often. They are hard to hear of, kind of have to be in the right place at the right time to learn about them. An example is that a few weeks ago a local bar/restaurant had a charity ride for the local fire station

The other two big meets I know of are Thunder in the Valley (which is in Johnstown, PA) and Roar on the Shore (Erie, PA). Family in both of those places alerted me to those meets, otherwise I never would have known about them.