SuzukiSavage.com - Daughter's First Bike

Preach

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Daughter's First Bike
06/04/12 at 10:22:39

My Daughter is thinking about getting the S40 as her first bike. It seems to weigh about the same as a 250 but with more pep.

Any concerns, such as maintenance or highway issues?

The only aftermarket seat I have found so far is from Corbin. Are they good?

She is average height and a little on the large size, not fat, but not skinny either.

Will read all I can about the bike before purchase.

Preach

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Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28644 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: Daughter's First Bike Reply #1 - 06/04/12 at 10:25:23 It's not the best highway bike,.. but better than a 250...
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Preach YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 7	Re: Daughter's First Bike Reply #2 - 06/04/12 at 10:32:08 Serowbot wrote on 06/04/12 at 10:25:23: It's not the best highway bike,.. but better than a 250... Is that because of a low top end or what? She will be doing some highway travel and hopefully will be able to make a trip with me on my bike. Cruising at 70 or so should be fine.
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Greg

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Re: Daughter's First Bike
Reply #3 - 06/04/12 at 10:35:14

I have only put about 1500 miles on mine, but my opinion is I am so glad I got a Savage instead of a 250cc. I am a big guy but average height. My inseam is short though at 29". The 250cc bikes were way too short for me. And only having half the horsepower as the LS650 didn't seem like a good idea for the highway. I am very comfortable taking the "regular" highway at 55mph. Which means traveling at 60 to 65mph. Works well. Plenty of passing power left for me. The front end seems to be under control. On our main highways with a 65mph speed the minimum travel speed is 75mph. The bike is yelling at me at that point and the front feels light. I do my best to avoid these speeds. As far as comfort on the highway, I lifted the front of my seat an inch or so and it made all the difference in the world. That and a "throttle boss" allow me to ride pretty much all day.

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bojangals43

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Re: Daughter's First Bike
Reply #4 - 06/04/12 at 10:36:47

I agree with Serow. It may not be the best highway bike, as it's a little light, but it has everyhting it needs to keep up with anyone on the freeway. I use my 02' for commuting and love it but I like it even more when just cruising arouind town. Very reliable. I have a corbin seat also and would highly recommend one. Good luck to you and your daughter! I'm sure you'll both enjoy it Wink

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Pine

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Re: Daughter's First Bike
Reply #5 - 06/04/12 at 11:26:50

I agree with the majority... great bike up to 65mph. At 70, the bike feels very light and "twichy"... not a fun place to me. Will it do it yes.. I got up to 80 on it. At 60 the bike is "in the zone" at 70.. not so much.

Myself= 5'7" 160lbs... so I am a small guy... something to compare to.

The bike really shines when moving about town and such. I can back the bike up .. UPHILL without to much work... try that with a 600 pounder. Very easy to deal with this bike when parking and moving it about while turned off/no power. Other pluses ( to me) very quiet at cruising speed (anything over 40). Good torque, and it is very forgiving in operation ( missed shifts, staying in gear a little long, and lugging). I like to shift early and lug the motor to a degree. Savage lets me do it. These things are much more important that being able to do 70 plus as I do them ALL THE TIME. However, if the main focus of the bike is interstate cruising .. I would look at a heavier bike.

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bill67 Serious Thumper Offline old tired Posts: 8517 genoa city wisconsin Gender:	Re: Daughter's First Bike Reply #6 - 06/04/12 at 11:36:55 Not a very stable bike above 60 mph.
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bess227

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Re: Daughter's First Bike
Reply #7 - 06/04/12 at 12:21:49

Preach.

you have definitely come to the right place to find out if this will be the bike for your daughter. Welcome.

I bought this bike without really knowing what I was getting into. It was in the price range, had the torque, and it was close by. One plus is that this forum is a treasure chest of great folks and good information to help you with problems and questions.

That said, I am a bigger guy, and I echo all the statements to this point. I have over 1k miles in the saddle on mine so far, and it is perfect around town and cruising at 55 and 60.....over 60 mine starts to sing a little and anything over that to 70, the bike is able but the ride changes significantly. If she is going to do a lot of highway speeds, I would shop a heavier bike.

I feel like she would love it for "normal" everyday riding. That is what I use it for, commute is about 25 miles round trip and couldn't ask for it to be any better suited for it's daily tasks.

Safe ridin.

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15 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway. 07 S40, Black, stock, Slipstreamer shield, Saddleman bags, Routy FC's, Sissy Bar.....love this bike.

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teabowl13

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Re: Daughter's First Bike
Reply #8 - 06/04/12 at 12:29:51

I think it's a perfect first bike. Like you say; better than most 250's, but still light and manageable. If after a year or so on this bike, your daughter decides she needs something a little bigger for highway driving, then she can look at getting something bigger as a second bike.

Also, in the mean time, a good windscreen can make all the difference on the highway on any bike, and they can be had for $100 or so. It will make the ride more comfortable, and she will feel a lot more stable and in control without a 70mph wind in her face. Lots of reviews of different people's windscreens on this site, so search for a good recommendation here. I have a Givi on my Nighthawk which sees a good bit of highway miles and I love it!

Get her some good protective riding gear and a good full face helmet!

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babyhog

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Re: Daughter's First Bike
Reply #9 - 06/04/12 at 13:19:10

Definitely a good place for her to start. As a female, I felt most of the other bikes out there were too heavy for me, but I'm only about 115# soaking wet. I'm 5'2 with plenty of inseam for this bike, and not "afraid" of it. My husband wants me to get a bigger bike for better highway travelling, but I'm in my 5th season of riding and I still don't ride the interstate much. Feels better than any of the 250's from my Rider's course, has alot of get-up-and-GO!

As someone else said, if she wants a bigger bike later, that's fine, but from a female standpoint, this bike won't threaten her and make things more difficult than they need to be. If she's new to riding, this bike will make for a great experience, instead of a scary one!

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~ 2006 Black, Big Crank battery, HD Softail muffler, engine guard/o-ring pegs, Spitfite windshield, custom mounted Saddlemen bags, Mustang seat! ~ oh, and Hairdo by Helmet! ~

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Preach

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Re: Daughter's First Bike
Reply #10 - 06/04/12 at 13:33:34

babyhog wrote on 06/04/12 at 13:19:10:

Definitely a good place for her to start. As a female, I felt most of the other bikes out there were too heavy for me, but I'm only about 115# soaking wet. I'm 5'2 with plenty of inseam for this bike, and not "afraid" of it. My husband wants me to get a bigger bike for better highway travelling, but I'm in my 5th season of riding and I still don't ride the interstate much. Feels better than any of the 250's from my Rider's course, has alot of get-up-and-GO!

As someone else said, if she wants a bigger bike later, that's fine, but from a female standpoint, this bike won't threaten her and make things more difficult than they need to be. If she's new to riding, this bike will make for a great experience, instead of a scary one!

Thanks for your input. She is heavier than you, but I still think she could use the bike. The highway between here and college max's out at 70. It is mostly 4 lane, so she could go about 65 and let others pass her without her being a determent to traffic flow.

Most of her riding will be from her apartment to the college campus.

BTW she is 5'6" and about 200 lbs.

Preach

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bill67 Serious Thumper Offline old tired Posts: 8517 genoa city wisconsin Gender:	Re: Daughter's First Bike Reply #11 - 06/04/12 at 13:51:20 Drive it 65 mph before you buy.
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martinfilms34 Full Member Offline Teenagers ride savages too! Posts: 138 Orlando, Florida	Re: Daughter's First Bike Reply #12 - 06/04/12 at 13:57:51 at 6'2" and 210lbs I have no trouble getting the savage up to highway speeds. I'd definitely recommend it over a bigger bike for a beginner. There have been many instances that i would've dropped the bike if it weighed more than the 380.
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BuckRYCA

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Re: Daughter's First Bike
Reply #13 - 06/04/12 at 14:21:16

Last weekend I watched a guy drop his Sportster pulling into a graveled parking lot. He got his foot down, but could not recover it. The bike was too heavy.

I've owned and ridden big, heavy bikes, but now my 'big bike' is my Ryca-converted Savage weighing in at 325 lbs.

The Savage/S40/Ryca, whatever variant, is a great bike up to about 60 mph actual (the speedo reads 5-10% higher than actual). Beyond that, the motors starts to pant and the handling slowly degrades. I've had mine to 88 mph actual. It was asking me to slow down.

Unless you are a habitual, long distance tourer or a straight-line speed freak, there is no need for a big bike. Smaller bikes do better in the curves and are more forgiving overall.

Small is Beautiful.

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'96 Savage - now a Ryca CS-1

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Boofer

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Re: Daughter's First Bike
Reply #14 - 06/04/12 at 19:35:42

Depends on what you mean by "highway" riding. I have a bad back, so consider that in my reply. I have no problem riding 4 lane, but concrete with expansion joints is not fun. My 2001 has a sweet spot for me at 67 indicated. I ride awhile and look down and there it is--67mph indicated. Shocks can be set to five levels? I believe, and some tires are harder than others. Some tires stand lower pressures better than the Metzelers I now have running around 38-40 lbs. I think the LS 650/S40 is a great bike and probably better than the KLR for commutes, especially with the lower seat heigth. Like someone said, you are in the best place you can be for answers. Keep in mind we LIKE working on our bikes, but you don't have to. Let us know where you live and we will be glad to help you get used to your new bike (changing oil, plug, etc.) Or just PM whoever you are comfortable with and we sometimes end up on the phone. I'm in North Miss, but we are literally all around the world. Welcome.

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2001 Black, Spitfire windshield, Headlight upgrade, Sissy rack, Tool bag, Fork bag, Harley muffler, Memory foam seat, Crash bars. Hwy pegs, Raptor.

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