After securing title, plates, and insurance, I picked up the 2002 Savage I bought last week for $1400.  I'll get a photo up when it's daylight and I can take a decent one.

It's stock except for Suz-branded saddlebags and a smoke-tinted shield.  Also had the raptor mod done already.  I turned over 6K miles on the way home.  Drove it about 40 miles.

My overall first impression is overwhelmingly positive.  I like this bike.  A lot.

As a sportbike type, I was worried I wouldn't like the seating position.  In fact, the more I rode it, the less cramped I felt, just a matter of getting used to it.  I had gone to Lowe's yesterday for the requisite #7 bottle stoppers and 6mm bolts, figuring I'd do the seat mod as soon as it got in the garage.  I probably will still do it, but I don't feel a real hurry to do so.

I had thought I'd be going "low and slow".  It was low, but I spent quite a bit of time going not-so-slow.  This thing pulls forever in 3rd gear, every time I glanced down at the speedo on the city streets, I was doing 10 mph over the limit.

Compared to the Kaw GPz, I'm hardly using the gearbox. The thing feels like it will happily putter along all day.

I threw everything at it- potholed city streets, winding country roads, two separate Interstate blasts- the Savage handled it all with aplomb.

The Suz handles the urban guerrilla role much better than my old Kaw does, the Kaw is a bit too stiff for the city streets.  And it's decent on the freeways as well.  Not nearly as buzzy as I thought it would be.

I find it hard to get the turn signal switch back to center, it seems to always go too far and signal the other direction.  And I'm going to want a tach.  A fuel gauge would be nice as well.  The ignition key is in a ridiculous location.  But these are all just minor gripes.  


My speedo is about 5 degrees off kilter, seems like the dial turned in the bezel.  Or maybe the whole unit did.

Overall, the bike is everything I'd hoped it would be.  I'll do a few things to "make it mine", but mostly I envision my Savage staying bone stock.

The turn signal cancels by pushing the button straight in......is that what you are doing to cancel the signal?

civilsavage wrote on 08/29/13 at 03:52:41:



As I was reading that, I was thinking the pre-2005 models must have had a slider, cause mine has a button (its a 2006).  Can't remember that detail of my son's 87.  

Glad you enjoyed the ride!  Be sure to post up some pics when you can.

Yeah...the older ones have a slide and you have to push it back to the middle

Welcome Civil, and gratz on the bike!  

Don't worry... the second ride will be better... ...

Even as far back as my 98 model, the turn signal switch has a center button. Tap it to cancel the signal.

I modified a Kawasaki VN800A seat to use on my Savage. Still need to make a rear anchor plate for it. Overall much higher quality than the stock unit.

Mine was stock from 2/98 until either spring of 2000 or spring of 2001. Now, nowhere near like it was originally. Stock basically got to be so dull that it was turn it into something else or get rid of it.

Tomorrow comes the big test- 200+ miles up to the mountains of PA, to our weekend place for the Labor Day weekend.

The forecast is a bit iffy, so I need to go buy me a new rainsuit to shove into the saddlebag.  Bringing the rainsuit is the key to ensuring good weather!