I got her a couple of weeks ago. She had been garage kept with only 380 miles on her. Carbs were cleaned just befor I got her and the lines were replaced. then they ran bad fuel through her, hence the sea foam. It still has the original air filter. I know the mpgs are low right now. I'm trying to figure out how to get it back up then some extra Yikes, a good find but a bit dangerous/aggravating at the very beginning.
A 1997 with 380 miles on the clock was left sitting in the garage for most of
Sixteen Years ....
it completely evaporated at least one tank of gas, maybe several.
the oil is antique (if it wasn't replaced, it needs replacing now)
the air filter is crapped up some (may possibly need replacement)
The stock petcock filter screen is filled up with varnish from the evaporated gasoline (recommend replace with Raptor as a re-emptive prevention medicine as if the stock vac petcock isn't screwing up now it will start soon enough. Vac petcock malfunction can give poor gas mileage all by itself)
You need to put a fuel filter on it to catch all the varnish bits from the inside walls of the gas tank which it will continue to produce and pass along for the next few years. Putting carb cleaner in the tank just accelerates this peel off, so it can make block up issues worse while it strips the tank.
And, the scariest thing, the previous owner "cleaned the carburetor" which is a total unknown element. It says to me that peeled off crap from the gas tank and varnish build up in the carb were bad enough to keep the bike from starting at one point in time. He has fought the first few skirmishes of the evapo gas tank wars, so you only have to clean out the machine gun nests and pillboxes and tanks ...
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Now, what should you do and what order should you do them? (if you insist on "doing stuff" that is)
First, order a fuel filter, a Raptor petcock and an air filter and a couple of oil filters.
Put the Raptor petcock and the fine micron paper pleated fuel filter in place first off.
Then put in your new air filter. One of the failure modes of the OEM stock vac petcock is to flow fuel back into the airbox, wetting the air filter and reducing its ability to pass air.
Change your oil with a list recommended 5w40 synthetic oil like Rotella T6. Do this AFTER you put the Raptor petcock in place since one of the other failure modes of the OEM stock vac petcock is to put gasoline into your sump and ruin your oil.
Might also take a look at the tires for dry rotting.
(save the old air filter, it may be cleanable with compressed air and Brake Parts Cleaner solvent. If not it can be converted into a low resistance air filter using tricks in Tech Section.)
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Alternate "do nothing" methodPut up with it, like so many here on the list do. The bike will run OK after all, so what do you want, an egg in your beer? Run it, it will slowly get better ( or else you will get used to it ).
Given enough time, varnish build up related problems will dissolve very slowly in normal pump gasoline.
Normal maintenance over normal times will take out the rest of the items, except the possibly the slowly failing stock vac petcock.
And enough years and normal maintenance will take it out too, but it will be seen as "new problems" by then even though the intimal start of the problems have been around since the bike sat for six years.
This method costs less money now and lets you have lots of time to think about what you eventually will need to do.======================
Lastly, your gas mileage. It is right now within the normal "twist of the wrist" variation range that we commonly see here on the list.
If you want the very best gas mileage, don't fiddle with the stock set up at all and ride like a old woman. All recommended modifications to carbs, air boxes, exhausts, rejetting, cams and everything else you see on this list will COST YOU GAS MILEAGE compared to the stock oem set up.
You see, you should have bought yourself a 250 as they get much better gas mileage than a Savage and when you ride a Savage using all the gas mileage maxing techniques, you couldn't win a road race against a 250 run balls to the walls and with it still getting better mileage than you will be getting.
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