Not buying new.... heh..or almost new... gonna buy a 2007 or less more than likely. Most of those are below $1,500 and a few are around $1,200, cause i'm only going to dismantle it anyway.
My wife's savage familiarized me with this frame/engine setup working on it. And with the carb being so simple to work on I will be tearing into it quite deeply.
My goal is going to be to make it as light as "I" can make it, even if I replace some of the frame itself with an aluminum rear or something.
I will take it to the scales and weigh it with a full tank, then tear it down, mod it, build it back up and re-weigh.
If its not light enough to suit me, I will tear it down again, and make more mods, until I am satisfied.
Add:
I will also attempt to make it convertible enough to clamp, clip, or bolt on some travel accessories for long trips.
This ain't gonna be a show bike or an around town 1/2 miler... its going to be able to "go the distance".