SuzukiSavage.com - warning for new Savage owners!

MeLikeBike

Junior Member

Offline

Newbie, but Goodie

Posts: 59
Monroeville, PA
Gender: male

warning for new Savage owners!
10/27/12 at 19:51:18

Just a warning to new Savage owners.

I'm a n00b, so take it from a n00b. Read this to understand why:
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1251932429/1]

Then just go buy yourself a Raptor petcock....My engine started sputtering going up a steep stretch of US 30 at about 50mph...then the engine cut out. LUCKILY I was in the right lane and had plenty of time and room to coast into a lot and check the fuel...HALF TANK. I started her up again (after choking, switching to Reserve, etc) the drove to the gas station, filled the tank and drove home.

The sputtering has happened to me before a few times...sometimes I was actually out of gas, and other times, plenty of fuel. I've done the petcock test and passed, but I'm not going to ignore the experts anymore.

Back to top

2003 Savage LS650, Dyna, 2/3 Spacer

IP Logged

Badass94Cad Senior Member Offline This space for rent Posts: 313 Mass-->Jerz-->PA! Gender:	Re: warning for new Savage owners! Reply #1 - 10/29/12 at 08:55:13 Monroeville in Monroe County? I'm in Bucks.
Back to top	1995 Suzuki Savage - It's a rat, but it's MY rat! IP Logged

Oldfeller--FSO

Serious Thumper
ModSquad

Offline

Hobby is now
"concentrated
neuropany"

Posts: 12673
Fayetteville, NC
Gender: male

Re: warning for new Savage owners!
Reply #2 - 10/29/12 at 09:37:14

And now, as a reluctant convert, you get to give your initial impressions of your bike's performance
after you Raptor it, that is.

Any felt differences?

(might well be as there are six known vac petcock failure symptoms and it is not unusual for you to have been putting up with 2-3 of them when one of them finally gets bad enough to gain your attention)

Back to top

Former Savage Owner

IP Logged

TobyJug YaBB Newbies Offline Posts: 29 Kamloops, BC, Canada Gender:	Re: warning for new Savage owners! Reply #3 - 10/29/12 at 17:08:26 I just changed mine a couple of weeks ago and I'm sure she runs better. A bit more responsive, maybe. Jug
Back to top	IP Logged

MiCTLaN Full Member Offline O_o Posts: 148 Winter Haven, FL	Re: warning for new Savage owners! Reply #4 - 10/30/12 at 14:59:58 After having to turn the lever to prime (yet again) about two miles after filling up the bike, I finally ordered a Raptor today. Now I'll just have to get re-accustomed to turning the lever off when I get off the bike.
Back to top	IP Logged

EJID

Serious Thumper

Offline

Work to ride and
ride to work.

Posts: 1536
Pocatello, ID
Gender: male

Re: warning for new Savage owners!
Reply #5 - 10/30/12 at 15:13:53

MiCTLaN wrote on 10/30/12 at 14:59:58:

After having to turn the lever to prime (yet again) about two miles after filling up the bike, I finally ordered a Raptor today. Now I'll just have to get re-accustomed to turning the lever off when I get off the bike.

It's not an absolute necessity...I put the Raptor on mine at the beginning of the season and I think I have only turned it off maybe 2 times all summer. (Apparently I haven't had any issues with a stuck float, I better go knock on wood now)

Back to top

05 S40 15" Memphis Slim, FXDWG Bars, Moved Rear Signals, Saddlebags, Fork Bag, Mini-Tach, Raptor, Cone Filter, Fishtail Muffler, Mix Screw Out 2.5 Turns, 4" Fwd Controls, 147.5 Main/55 Pilot @ 4500

IP Logged

Doug B

Full Member

Offline

I am, therefore I
think

Posts: 175
Kennewick, WA
Gender: male

Re: warning for new Savage owners!
Reply #6 - 10/30/12 at 15:30:25

Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 10/29/12 at 09:37:14:

And now, as a reluctant convert, you get to give your initial impressions of your bike's performance
after you Raptor it, that is.

Any felt differences?

Oldfeller - apart from the safety/reliability issues what are your thoughts/experiences in switching to the Raptor I'm curious as to what performance gains could result in going to a gravity fed petcock ? doesn't the vacuum operated type only give us an automatic shutoff ?

Back to top

IP Logged

MeLikeBike

Junior Member

Offline

Newbie, but Goodie

Posts: 59
Monroeville, PA
Gender: male

Re: warning for new Savage owners!
Reply #7 - 10/30/12 at 17:52:24

Sorry BadCad, Monroeville as in Allegheny County...15mi east of Pittsburgh.

Oldfeller, I'll definitely put in a report...still waiting for the package to arrive, and Sandy to leave. Luckily Pittsburgh was only hit with a steady rain.

Just a note about the "reluctant" conversion...the first time it happened, I was on my, like, first or second motorcycle ride not on my street. I checked the tank, and it seemed low, and the switch to Reserve seemed to fix it....so I was out of gas, or so I thought. I did the vacuum test in the post, and I passed, so I thought I was okay.

But OT's (I think it was OT) note about repeating the test rings true...this sort of problem sounds intermittent and sinister, and you never know. If you can't repeat it, you can't debug it.

Good to know that leaving the manual petcock ON won't blow up your bike, because they scare you a little bit in MSF class. And I left it on at least 3 times during the class. Of course, I turned the key the wrong way and burned the battery out in "park". Does Yamaha make a replacement ignition?

Back to top

« Last Edit: 10/31/12 at 04:40:44 by MeLikeBike »

2003 Savage LS650, Dyna, 2/3 Spacer

IP Logged

Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28681 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: warning for new Savage owners! Reply #8 - 10/30/12 at 18:04:20 There is no power gain or loss from any petcock,... unless the original petcock was malfunctioning.... Naturally,.. a malfunctioning petcock will either starve or flood,... in the vacuum petcock's case... this can be furious or subtle... ...
Back to top	Ludicrous Speed !... ... ... IP Logged

srinath

Serious Thumper

Offline

I love YaBB 1G -
SP1!

Posts: 5349

Re: warning for new Savage owners!
Reply #9 - 10/30/12 at 18:09:38

I dont know how it is, but my savage petcock has never gave me an issue ...

And ironically my MZ660 has a yamaha petcock very similar to the raptor ...

While it isn't the source ... it does seem to be some weird sort of carrier.

6 savages not 1 was maintained too well ... 1 had an exhaust valve broken, one had been rammed into something breaking the forks ... one had a caked up tarred up carb set and air box and drain hose ... and a broken starter idler, another had the idler busted and gummed up carbs ... 1 just had a bad battery ... my first one, back in 96 ... when they just made it again, I found a cheapo 87 and ran it for a few years. Not 1 had a petcock issue.

Cool.
Srinath.

Back to top

IP Logged

Cavi Mike

Serious Thumper

Offline

Thumper n00b

Posts: 1005
Rochester, NY
Gender: male

Re: warning for new Savage owners!
Reply #10 - 10/31/12 at 00:35:54

Petcocks are one of those out-sourced off-the-shelf items. That's why you'll find one from a completely different manufacturer's bike that is a direct bolt-on. A petcock is more like a piece of hardware than an actual part. A lot of the electrical components seem to be like that as well. I guess there's not much need to re-engineer certain items, it's more cost effective to make your product fit the part.

Back to top

IP Logged

Cavi Mike

Serious Thumper

Offline

Thumper n00b

Posts: 1005
Rochester, NY
Gender: male

Re: warning for new Savage owners!
Reply #11 - 10/31/12 at 00:41:03

Serowbot wrote on 10/30/12 at 18:04:20:

Naturally,.. a malfunctioning petcock will either starve or flood,...

A petcock can't "flood" because its only option is to flood. The float needle valve is what controls the amount of fuel entering the bowl. The only way a carb can flood is if the float needle valve sticks - and this is no fault of the petcock.

Back to top

IP Logged

Serowbot

YaBB Moderator
ModSquad

Offline

OK.... so what's the
speed of dark?

Posts: 28681
Tucson Az
Gender: male

Re: warning for new Savage owners!
Reply #12 - 10/31/12 at 02:31:03

Cavi Mike wrote on 10/31/12 at 00:41:03:

Serowbot wrote on 10/30/12 at 18:04:20:

Naturally,.. a malfunctioning petcock will either starve or flood,...

A petcock can't "flood" because its only option is to flood. The float needle valve is what controls the amount of fuel entering the bowl. The only way a carb can flood is if the float needle valve sticks - and this is no fault of the petcock.

Cavi,... a vacuum petcock, with a tear ot leak in the diaphragm can and will leak fuel down the vacuum line... causing flooding... the float does not stop fuel going down the vac line...
This is what makes them particularly dangerous....

Back to top

Ludicrous Speed !... ... Huh

...

IP Logged

Drifter Senior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 430	Re: warning for new Savage owners! Reply #13 - 10/31/12 at 05:37:54 Cavi, not so fast....several vacuum petcocks have filled the engine with gas due to the fuel going through the vacuum tube.....im one of them my vulcan had 3 gallons of fuel in the engine..never dreamed it could hold that much. Lots of strange things can happen.
Back to top	IP Logged

verslagen1

YaBB Moderator
ModSquad

Offline

Where there's a
will, I want to be
in it.

Posts: 28890
L.A. California
Gender: male

Re: warning for new Savage owners!
Reply #14 - 10/31/12 at 07:25:36

Cavi Mike wrote on 10/31/12 at 00:41:03:

Serowbot wrote on 10/30/12 at 18:04:20:

Naturally,.. a malfunctioning petcock will either starve or flood,...

A petcock can't "flood" because its only option is to flood. The float needle valve is what controls the amount of fuel entering the bowl. The only way a carb can flood is if the float needle valve sticks - and this is no fault of the petcock.

Unless of course the malfunction is a failed diaphragm seeping gas directly into the intake and bypassing the carb altogether.

Back to top

Versey's Place
Tech Section Index

IP Logged