rl153 wrote on 07/08/13 at 16:26:52: JOG,WD, I don't think I'll ever get to the point where some of you are.I'm totally dreading attempting,the tensioner,or adjusting the valves. I change my oil,put on a fork brace,and new battlery.I just couldn't take messing up the bike seriously.Right now it's running good ,and only has 5,500 mi on it.2005..This forum is awsome.
I've been riding and wrenching on cruisers for 26 years this month. But, I've been dealing with street rods, race cars and antique trucks for 37 years... started as soon as I could sit on the fender and reach the distributor of a 1960 Dodge 1/2 ton with poly 318, and sit on the core support of a 1973 F100 and do the same.
Vehicles are just collections of metal, plastic rubber, paint and hardware. Noting to be worried about, parts can be fixed and/or replaced.
Can I do engine work, yes... Don't like to, but I can. Same with electrical, I can rewire an antique truck in my sleep, but the system on the Savage is beyond my comprehension level (where is the ignition plate, the points operated voltage regulator, the generator)...
Find yourself a cheap, basically hunk of scrap metal type cheap, CB or KZ twin that needs everything, and practice, practice practice... No resale value (just like a modified Savage), the aftermarket has lost interest (just like a Savage, except for CBs), have a neighborhood teen help and at the end of it, give him (or her) the bike.
That's how I learned, summer apprenticeship at the local Hell's Angels shop when I was 14/15. At the end of the summer, I had a 1936 EL chopper, completely rebuilt from the ground up. W/O that experience, I probably wouldn't still be riding (occasionally, since my current bikes are all heaps).
Something like this would be about perfect to learn with, the engine is locked up tighter than a nun's thighs...