Do you know what? The "experts" probably know just as much about this model as you do. They'll take it in, change the oil and fudge around for a while then charge you $60 an hour for it. The tech section of this forum has more info than they probably have access. to. You'd be better off doing it yourself and get familiar with your new scooter than letting "professionals" mess with it. Especially if you're mechanically inclined. How rough is running rough? These things ALWAYS sound like they're only running on one cylinder  .
Congrats on the new scooter. They're lots of fun.

Welcome Jsud, if you are mechanically inclined get yourself a Clymer's shop manual and have at it!!  Don't pay anyone to do what you can do yourself, most riders would agree working on your own bike and getting to know it first hand leads to being a more comfortable rider and helps a ton if you ever get stuck somewhere  

It runs like it's got old gas. I am guessing carb cleaner, drain and fill with premium, and add booster/fuel system cleaner will go a long way.

The cam chain tensioner is a topic that interests me. My impression would be that once it's maxed out it will sound like a loose slapping chain on a chain saw. Why would I bust a gasket to "check" it if there isn't any audible indication of wear.

I would be interested in knowing how many people have an issue with the adjuster verses people who just replaced it anyhow.

I need to source out parts, however, if I am gonna do a takedown and check the tensioner? Any recommended websites or should I hit up the local suzuki shop.? I figure the bike really hasn't changed in 27yrs.

Hello JSUD04, this is Maurizio from Rome, Italy  



Rome, NY, right ?  

NO, Rome, Italy, as in, the other side of the Ocean, six time zones frmo Virginia (where I happened to live, btw  )
Rome, as in "The Eternal City"  



Sooo... what am I doing on this here Forum ? Enjoying some very good company and getting to know all the "it's good to know this and that" kind of info.



So, you're concerned and all. That puts you on the safe side, there's nothing worse than the "happy go lucky" attitude.

You say you have an '86, which means a 4speed. Good. I have a '88 4speed and believe they are formidable bikes.
Built to mimic the 1982 Harley 1340 Sturgis with the 80cu.in Ironhead, by the way.

Here's what I did to mine (over a long and windy/rainy winter season, so it was a number of short stops and checkups):
- check the front fork, possibly replace the fork oil with new oil, possibly a little thicker (the forks are kinda soft...)
- check the rear shocks and make sure the oil is recent - else, replace,
- check the front brake, see how well the rubber hose is doing; replace with a braided line, rebuild the pump and the caliper (old seals and the rubber rottens and fails)
- check the final belt drive, it could be that a low mileage bike still has the original belt on it - it could fail anytime soon...
(if it proves to be too expensive to replace, a good alternative is a 530 chain with 17/49 sprockets, half the price)
- replace the fuel line and vacuum lines; better still, replace the entire vacuum petcock with an "ornery" (=more reliable) Raptor petcock,
- ensure both brake switches work - unlike mine where the front brake switch simply didn't exist...  
- anytime you hear the cam chain rattle, it may be 8almost) late; not only should you replace the chain (and possibly the tensioner shoes as well) but the plunger, with one modified by Verslagen; I know I did  )
- fit a tachometer ! Unlike a 2-3-4cylinder engine, the big single simply growls louder, not higher as revs rise.

This is good .......................................................this is ridiculous and half useless, you will rarely if ever rev beyond 5000 anyway.



I personally cruise between 3000 and 4000... best economy and sound  

Once you've done all this, you will have a very solid bike, certainly not the fastest 650 on the block but hey! what other bike can give you that solid "classic thumper" economy, low down grunt and ease to ride and park?

I promise you, once you take her up to Skyline Drive, you'll wish the day would never end !  

A while back I was spending a lot of time looking at chainsaws on an Arborist forum.....and eBay.  I noticed that there were a lot of Stihl MS260 saws that needed repair.....and I got to thinking they must be horribly unreliable.  As it turns out......they are very reliable and the main workhorse for a lot of professional woodcutters.  They just get a lot of use, abuse and sometimes neglect......same for the Savage.

The three weaknesses of the Savage are the cam chain tensioner, the original vacuum petcock, and the rubber plug.  All the other problems mostly come from abuse, neglect, or sitting outside for 15 years!  There is the jetting thing to work out.....and sometimes a bike will backfire more than the owner can live with.  There are however thousands of bikes and bike owners that have never heard of this site.....and just keep on motoring down the highways without problems.

Dave

NAPA has the oil filter, K&N 137. They also have the spark plug NGK DPR8EA-9 is stock, I run a DPR5EA-9, my bike is way overjetted and saw mainly commuter duty from 2/98-2/11 when I did not have a different primary bike. Kept the carbon level down a bit burning off the excess fuel, a 5 heat range in a stock bike will do damage. Air filter tends to be a "blow and go" unless it is past the point of filthy. 2 quarts of Rotella, Delo, Delvac or Super Tech 15W40 is cheap.

My bike has been beat to pieces several times, engine guts are flawless, electrical took a dump. Almost back together, about a 40-50% rewire. All safeties deleted, bar switches deleted, FLR handlebar, FLH rear fender, unknown but likely ATC fuel tank. Bike was totaled in 2005, back on the road in 2007.

Other than the truly stupid cam chain set up, the engines are nearly bullet proof. They like 15w or heavier oil, the valves on mine have never needed to be adjusted, the top of the carb has never been opened up...

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 09/24/13 at 11:21:00:


Maybe he's rich? 87 octane is actually higher than the stock engine requires, it will happily burn 85 octane (do not confuse that with E85, that crap will eat your carburetor).