Hey everybody, so i bought my friends '88 Savage a few months ago as my first motorcycle with the hopes to work on it myself and learn everything I could about it. I am not a mechanic, in any sense of the word, but I know enough to get myself in trouble. Which Im hoping didn't happen here. Here's the thing...

He bought the bike off the internet, rode around on it for about two weeks then parked it. Then he bought a Blue Collar Bobbers kit to bob it out but after he took things apart he just kind of forgot about it and let it fall to the way side. That's where I come in, I put the new seat together and back on but I haven't put the back fender or the tail light on it yet. The tail light just needs to be wired in. He got a new battery before he parked it, but it's one of those 'fill it yourself' batteries and who knows if he did it right. Now when I put some gas in it, and try to start it, it turns over enough to where i can feel puffs of air come out the tail pipe but it won't actually start. Now the headlight and neutral light come on when I turn the key, and it does dim the light when I try to start it but not as much as I would think with a weak battery. It sounds like a weak battery as it tries to turn over, and my Dad used to always tell me "if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's going to be a duck" So that makes me think of the battery. I might get a new one and see if that helps out but if I can save some money I will (not to sound cheap, just a very tight "Fix my motorcycle" budget). Does this sound like a battery or a spark plug or a starter problem?

My other problem is that the petcock seems to be leaking when I turn it to RES and ON. I've been reading on the forum (there are some excellent threads on here by the way, thank you) that the stock petcocks seem to go bad eventually and that getting a new Raptor petcock is good, preventative maintenance. When I get down and look at it, the leak seems to be coming from the screw heads that hold it to the tank itself though. Did I mess up when I put it back on or is this the petcock just leaking and getting gas on the entire setup?

My last problem is when we transported it, the truck he used had a cover on the bed, so the only way he could get it over to my place was to lay it on its side. (I know, you should never lay a motorcycle down for any length of time but I didnt have a say in it, and it didnt have gas in it (yay?)) And when we got it into my garage, I noticed the left side foot peg was loose. When I went to tighten it, it looks like the metal behind the peg bent and sheared off. Do I need to get a new foot peg bracket or is there another way to hold it in place? The pic I posted with this is the backside of the left foot peg, where it looks like there is metal missing.

I hope I'm not in over my head on this one, thanks for the help!

And, let me add this. Youre HERE. YOU are doing things that people here have been doing a long time. Youre Not "Over your head", because you have help. YOull have it running. JUst dont get in a hurry & decide to ride it until It Is SAFE. Footpegs must provide 100% dependable service. A footp[eg is never "Good Enough" to go for a ride. Theyre important to your stability on the bike, so, work on getting it running & get that peg problem fixed, but, if you get it running first, no test rides till its safe, okay?>

Ok, I think the battery that he put in it might be a bit messed up, yes it was in the bike when he layed it down for transport. So I think I'm going to get a new one just so I know it's good. Now the foot peg bracket is a bit tougher to find and the ones I have found are almost $200 for just that part. Thats a tad out of my budget right now. Are there any good part sites that I havent found yet? I wont ride it without the peg being secure with a new bracket, I'm no dummy! lol.  

My next question is about the difference between a LS650F and LS650P? And how do I figure out what mine is?

It wasn't free but I also told him I wouldn't pay anything till we get it safe and running  

Welcome Criche!

Being a new rider myself with one full year under my belt, I understand the overwhelming task that you have in front of you, if you've never done anything like this before. I have done my maintenance on my vehicles for some years now, so this bike has been a good springboard for me to get into more complicated projects.

I feel for you, because you got this bike half done, and when someone else starts tearing into a bike and leaves it half done, you've got a bucket full of mysteries. Like Mattdw said, theres nothing more expensive than a free motorcycle. Though it doesn't have to be, if you are smart about it.

First things, and I say this with all seriousness, if you are not 100% sure your footpeg, you are right to stay off the bike! Replace that battery too, best to start fresh and have the peace of mind. As for your question about the LS650P or LS650F, I haven't personally heard of those distinctions, the bike has always been known as the Savage LS650, then later, Boulevard S40 in 2005 to present.

I'm still learning myself, so don't be afraid to ask questions. I've already asked a bunch, and if you go into the table of contents thread in the technical documents forum, most everything you would ever need to know is on there. Read, read, read! Then read a little more. The mods here are pretty good about pointing you in the right direction of fixing whatever problems you might have.

IF you cant get the part for a reasonable price ( & I expect you will in time) , would it be something that would weld up? I cant tell exactly how its wounded by the pic.

Crich422 wrote on 04/29/13 at 08:08:50:



I read here a while back the the "F" denoted a model with the "flat" (drag) handlebars, and the "P" denoted a model with the "pullback" (buckhorn) handlebars.

I might be all wet, but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!  

My 05 has pretty much the exact same "missing metal" shape..

Hey everybody, ok so I was thinking about what ya'll were saying, that i wasnt explaining the part/problem very well. So I went out this morning and took a few new pics of the foot peg. The pics are shot from the front of the bike looking back at the foot controls. The first one is the  peg as it should be (I think) sticking straight  out, the next one is of what happens when I put my foot on it, it pushes it down to an odd angle. Maybe Im wrong (with all of my 0 years of motorcycle/riding experience lol)but I dont think it should be set that way, again maybe im wrong. It feels pretty secure when I put pressure on it and try to shift through the gears, am I just crazy and made a problem out of nothing?

Thanks for the F and P question as well, I just kept seeing different articles that labeled them like that. I think mine has the original drag bars, but my friend said the guy he bought it from might have put them on there after the fact.