Drifter wrote on 07/05/12 at 05:00:02:Its way cheaper and more reliable than the Royal Enfield bullet. Now if suzuki were smart they would build a retro version, a bobber version, a cafe version a bagger version etc. I am considering putting a savage motor in a RE frame, best of both worlds. Cant understand why no factory can do this????
They do market surveys, go with what they think will obtain sales with optimum (least) manufacturing costs at good profit. Even Harley more or less makes "basic" models, to which owners and rebuild shops enhance and modify.
I've had sales people steer me from the "beginner" Savage and Kawasaki 500 LTD for more expensive larger cc bikes as "more desirable" ("You'll grow tired of that Savage/500LTD quickly!") Also there is ignorance in the riding community, looking at the S40 as a
beginner's bike.
Personally, I'd like to see an 800 cc Savage. Now that would be a real rider. I don't know if someone makes an overbore and oversized piston combo in that size.
If one goes for an overbore of 2 mm with say, a Wiseco oversize piston, effective volume goes up from 652 cc to 695 cc, enough to call the bike 700 cc's.
ZAR wrote on 07/05/12 at 07:42:04:Drifter all the manufacturers have missed the boat as far as the big singles and 360* twins are concerned. Every brand used to have several of each in their lineup. Look now and almost everything is V-Twin Harley knockoffs except the crotch-rockets that are triples and fours.
Yamaha has even dropped their VStar 650 now. Kawasaki has dropped the Vulcan 500 360* twin. The 883 Sportster is considered a "starter" bike. It seems that everyone has bought into the American advertising gimmick of "size matters"
.
Unfortunately this "size matters" is true. (The only legitimate reason is for older gentlemen to make up for testosterone loss
) The Vulcan 500LTD is definitely not a beginner's bike IMO. It has a detuned Ninja 500 motor and is a little larger than the Savage frame wise. It is definitely a cruiser I wouldn't mind owning (add to the stable at a right price).
These including the Harley 883
are not beginner bikes. A newbie needs something that is light, easy to tool around in to get their basic riding skills in order. Something in the 100 to 250 cc range is really what they need. Once they have their basic skills in order (balance, riding, gear shifting, acceleration, braking, maneuvering, lane positioning, evasive maneuvers, etc.), moving on to one of these "intermediate" bikes would be the right ticket.
I am grateful during my college years, I had a used 1971 Honda CB100 bike. (In 1979 as a student, I picked it up from a used parts dealer (breakers) for $300.) During those couple years, I dropped that bike a number of times (indestructible!), but I got totally familiar with it. (Still have it!)
However, there is a cult following with the Savage/S40. During a recent CMA motorcycle meet in Chama, a number of riders took an interest in the Savage, especially in light that I rode it in on my 325 mile (524 km) trek, taking note of the engine's very large jug. It's an attention getter. And there was a 44 mile (71 km) portion of I-40 that I traveled 75 MPH (121 kmh at 5200 rpm).
ZAR wrote on 07/05/12 at 07:42:04:My first bike was a thumper...a Harley Sprint SS350. HD now refuses to acknowledge they ever had them! Go figure!
This is not hard to figure out. Harley Davidson was purchased by AMF some 4 decades ago. The Sprint SS 350 although an excellent bike, was an Italian Aermacchi sold under the Harley name. IMO, current Harley upper management doesn't consider AMF ownership as under the Harley tradition. That is when quality control in Harley suffered with their home produced offerings.
I think it would be neat if Harley would reproduce the Sprint as retro with say a Buell Blast 500 cc thumper engine.
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