MMRanch wrote on 04/08/15 at 22:00:17:



I think that bike looks nice enough that you should just leave the motor right where it belongs!  The GS500 will outhandle and outbrake the Savage any day of the week.

Go find a crappier donor bike.

It no longer needs keys... ...

gizzo wrote on 04/08/15 at 14:37:56:

Not sure which UJMs you're referencing, but all the ones I've ridden would smoke a Savage in the twisties; CB 750 four, 750 nighthawk, Z-1, current XS1100 (a touring bike no less) adding power would make that worse, without upgrades. and a brake setup that's 'adequate' for a 30 horse engine is not, for a 60 horse engine


And a 'Busa engine? total death trap

you have a good point there
when someone brings up engine swaps, though I assume, maybe wrongly, they're talking a LOT more powerful engine
of course souping up a savage motor doesn't add a ton of power, but I could see swapping in, say, a DR 650, which is significantly stronger but not ridiculously so
I also assume they want that extra power to go faster, and I think the brakes / chassis on a Savage aren't up to going a whole lot faster
RycaShawn of course has a brake uprade, and the bike can be made to handle better, just not a whole lot better, unless you're going to spend a lot of money, and if you're going to drop a ton of cash, you could afford to just get a faster bike that designed for higher speeds
Like i said before, you can do anything at all with the right skills and enough money, and I guess if it's worth it to you, there's no reason you shouldn't
It's still simpler to just get a faster bike, and probably cheaper, too, depending how fast you want to go