Not so good news, i called and talked to 2 people from Mobile and 2 from crane cams. The answer i got was as follows.
1. NONE of the oils available today at wallys auto zone ect will work with flat tappet cams..None it will ruin your engine if it has a flat tappet cam. This info came straight from 2 people at crane cams. The savage does not have a flat tappet cam but it has fingers that ride on the cam so it needs a higher % of zinc than new cars or bikes with roller cams. Beware things have changed!!!! Oil aint just oil anymore!!
2. The zinc in mobile 1 bike oil 20-50 is 1600ppm 10-40 1200ppm. last update was dec 2011???? This is bike oil, way lower in car oil!! Any car oil dont use it. The standards have changed what was true 1 year ago is no longer correct. Call them and ask for yourself!
3. Flat tappet cams need a min. of 1500 ppm to survive. most of the stuff out there today is 600-800 ppm. Add zinc or buy Brad Penn or other racing oil.
4. Crane cams could not recommend a min. ppm zinc content for our bikes.....but he said if using ANY over the counter car oil add extra zinc from lucas, red line or others! They recommend Mobile 1 20-50 for bikes.
5. The lack of zink is also causing rapid wear of valve guides as well as cams and followers. He did not think much of ethanol either which brakes down the oil at the top of the cylinder and the valve guides....another story!
6. Bottom line buy oil with high zinc or zinc additive or get screwed
7. Modern cars and trucks use roller cams that do not need near as much zinc. The savage is not a roller cam it needs more zinc!
8. Update, old oil with the letters sg-1500 ppm or sf-1800ppm both high zddp-zinc content, after lots of searching, it seems Rotella T and Delvec DIESEL oil have 1200 ppm zinc which is enough for the savage engine.
This info came from Crane and Mobile 1 today im only the messenger. Maybe this info will change some minds and save some motors not just the ones in our bikes!!!
Here is a link to give some a better idea of what is going on.
http://www.opelclub.com/ZDDP2.pdf