Did my first oil change today. Went smooth other than the PO cranking the drain bolt on too tight. My 14mm wrench scraped the flats off a bit. Made a 9/16 closed end work. (My closed-end 14mm, where did you go?) The oil looked like a thick Guinness. Drove it about 30 minutes beforehand, changed it, then went out for another 30. Took it to the local park (that was empty) and did some S curves and practice turns; just getting a better feel of things. Actually scraped the peg at one point.
It still has a little hesitation but I know it needs some quality miles put on it. The hardest thing I found is that it doesn't want to go under 15MPH without feathering the clutch.
The weather is supposed to be nice this weekend. Have to go fill the tank and get some more miles on it.
Jeff

Jeff71 wrote on 10/27/14 at 17:51:48:


I have bought a couple of rear wheel hubs from Pinwall Cycles, give them a call at (330) 879-9910.  They are great folks and easy to deal with.

I really think you should ride this bike for a year before you tear it apart.  You need to get some experience riding and get some miles and hours of riding time, and become a proficient rider before you jump on a Cafe' bike.  They are a bit less stable than the stock bike, they put a large amount of weight on your arms and wrists, the seating position is not all that comfortable, and they are really nasty to ride in wet weather.  I like my Cafe' bike and never regret making the change - but you will have an easier time learning to ride the bike in stock form.

The RYCA kit is a good start - but it does require a good bit of mechanical ability to get it together, and this not only includes cutting the frame in several places - but also some creative wiring and fitting of the components.  RYCA claims an assembly time of about 40 hours, and I suspect you could do that in the 4th or 5th bike if you were not to critical about getting things done neatly.  Lengthening and shortening the wires takes a long time to get done neatly.  Trying to assemble a bike with painted tank, fenders, and side panels would be really scary....as there is lots of fitting and adjustment to be done.....I don't know how you could do that without damaging the painted parts somewhere along the way.

Your stock Savage is a fun and reliable machine, and you should ride it for a year and make sure you like it.....then consider the RYCA Cafe conversion.  I bought my bike and rode it for a full year before it went under the knife.....and I have no regrets about doing that.  The first year I rode it stock and worked on getting it jetted and running well, the second winter it got the Cafe' conversion and was ridden in primer for a year as I got the mechanical things done, and the 3rd winter it was painted.

One other thing to consider, is that just about every new rider is going to drop a bike as they are learning.  It might be a slippery pile of leaves and a front brake issue......or a gravel encounter........or a throttle/clutch engine stall on a driveway approach....who knows?  The point is that getting proficient on a motorcycle takes time and patience, and the Savage in the stock form is a better bike to learn on than the Cafe bike.  I learned to ride in the dirt and strip mines where I grew up, and just about every day I would have a learning experience of some sort.  Dirt is very forgiving and with lots of protective gear injuries were not common - asphalt and concrete are not nearly as forgiving.

Get a year of riding experience.....and you will be less likely to drop your newly created Cafe' bike!  

(Just the advice of an old guy that has been around the block a few times).

Dave

MMRanch wrote on 10/28/14 at 06:50:27:


No....in my youth (1970 - 1975) I rode several forms of motocross bikes. and raced in hill climbs, motocross and hare scrambles.  I bought my first trials motorcycle around 2005 and it was a 1974 Suzuki RL250....really just an enduro with a skinny tank, small seat...not much of a trials bike.  Around 2008 I bought a used 2004 Sherco 290 two stroke, then in 2009 I bought a Sherco 320 four stroke bike.  It was a lot of fun...sure wish I had done the trials riding in my youth.

Dave, I got the tank from Pinwall! They have a wheel I might be considering as well.
I'll be riding it as it is for awhile, I'm just getting the parts together so when I go to do it, I won't have so much bike downtime. My plan is to build it but paint it later. Want to work all the bugs out first.
As far as riding, I grew up on a mini-bike then 2 quads and now a bunch of VW's, kit cars, dune buggies etc, so I'm no stranger to a wrench, welder or wire stripper. I've rewired at least 3 VWs so far.
The riding position I had on the TUX was nice but I wanted it more forward, the Savage is too "laid back" for me and crotch rockets are just like laying down over the tank. Sitting on a Thruxton and Moto Guzzi fit me very well. My wife took shots of me on each bike so I can see the ergonomics. Sounds funny, but I watched Jay Leno ride one and we are basically the same height, so I went with that as a comparison and it suited the angle I would want to be at.
I won't be carving any corners since I live in Illinois and will just be commuting to work, which is 99% straight roads and only about 8 miles, round trip. Probably a max of 45MPH most of the way.
Right now I need to give the bike another onceover and make sure all is tight and snug. Tightened up a few screws and repositioned a few wiring connections to limit rubbing so far. Very happy with my purchase.
I appreciate the input!
Jeff

Jeff71 wrote on 11/05/14 at 17:43:17:


You're working too hard.  Go to the Napa or similar auto store, and get paint stripper.  Something like Tal Strip or Aircraft stripper.  It will have the paint off in 15 minutes.  Apply, let it sit ten minutes, use a putty knife to remove the paint, clean it up with some stripper and heavy steel wool, wipe it clean with wet rags and then lacquer thinner.

Got the rear wheel and unbolted the rim in about an hour between classes. Now I just need to figure out the best way to polish up the hubs. Any suggestions crew?
The tank is coming along.
Ryca just had a sale so I placed an order. 4-6 weeks once I get the parts out to them. No big rush though; unheated garage in Illinois. It's 25.2* outside right now. Have the new Acewell gauge, extra brake light and bar end lights coming. Still looking for a set of mirrors.
Jeff

Got the tank wire wheeled. I'll try yanking the dent out a bit tomorrow. It's only .24" deep.
Jeff