SuzukiSavage.com - Old rider with new bike to me. Looking for info

Ernie

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Old rider with new bike to me. Looking for info
04/16/15 at 12:17:18

Good afternoon. New here but have been riding a long time. Just bought an 06 s40 with 5800 miles. I've been all through it and have not been able to find any info pertaining to replacing the drive belt, where to buy one or even how long they last. Was surprised that they were not available on ebay or amazon. Even the owners manual doesn't help much. Mine is fine but have just been researching. I think I can get used to the backfiring and have figured out feathering the throttle to minimize it. Seems like a neat little bike that fits my size fairly well. Looking forward to also helping others with anything I can. Thanks in advance,Ernie

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Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28653 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: Old rider with new bike to me. Looking for inf Reply #1 - 04/16/15 at 12:32:44 Belts rarely break or wear out,...(should last 100k miles)... but if yours is a goner, you just buy one and put it on... You will have to remove the belt cover, left shock, rear axle, front pulley plate, and the front pulley... Put it all back when yer' done... Was' wrong wit yer' belt?... ...
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projectfj

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Re: Old rider with new bike to me. Looking for inf
Reply #2 - 04/16/15 at 12:39:40

Welcome to the forum. I've found out on the forum that those belts last FOREVER. Somebody even said it can take a hole from a piece of gravel going through it and still be good. If you need a stock one it's going to cost you about $200:
http://www.bikebandit.com/oem-parts/1996-suzuki-savage-650-ls650p/o/m147804#s...

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Ernie

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Re: Old rider with new bike to me. Looking for inf
Reply #3 - 04/16/15 at 12:49:40

Great, Thank you, My belt is fine, I was just looking ahead in case. I did call the local dealer and he says $240. I was not surprised. Thanks for the welcome. I guess the other thing I would be interested in knowing is, I ride a lot and am wondering if this little bike could handle prolonged running at 70 mph in the high way for about 6 or 7 hours. I do a trip a couple of times a year from Maine to West point NY. I've done it in the past many times on a 400 Suzuki Burgman 400 and on a Ninja 250. Would like to try it on this little bike.

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Dave

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Re: Old rider with new bike to me. Looking for inf
Reply #4 - 04/16/15 at 12:57:54

The belts come up for sale on this forum every now and then at good prices - some folks convert their bobbers or cafe' bikes to chains.

The bike can run at 70 mph - oil consumption goes up a bit. You might consider switching your front pulley to a 25T from a Kawasaki EN454 to drop the rpm 8%. It is an easy swap but does require the center hub to be machined a bit narrower to match the Suzuki pulley width. The metal is really hard and requires a carbide cutting tool on the milling machine or lathe. It is not a change that everyone wants or needs - but it does make highway riding nicer. The rear pulley conversion most likely is too much for a stock engine bike.

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1384949185

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greenmonster

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Re: Old rider with new bike to me. Looking for inf
Reply #5 - 04/16/15 at 12:58:47

Hi Ernie, welcome to the forum. Everyone on here will tell you that the belt lasts forever. On the flip side, I've broken two. If you break one, just get a new one from Suzuki. I got a second hand one and it didn't last very long. Bonus, changing a belt is easy! The hardest part of changing a broken belt is finding a block to stop your front sprocket from spinning while you undo the nut.

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Ernie YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 10	Re: Old rider with new bike to me. Looking for inf Reply #6 - 04/16/15 at 13:01:51 Thank you guys . That was fast !
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botticelli

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Re: Old rider with new bike to me. Looking for inf
Reply #7 - 04/16/15 at 18:33:49

with respect to the highway question, you could also consider the chain drive conversion. Gives you the ability to play with your gearing, and no machining required like the front pulley swap.

I swapped the belt for a chain on mine an geared it for the freeway. You loose some at the bottom yes, but a gearing change should help separate 4th and 5th into 2 separate gears.

Just my .02, YMMV

Plus your belt problems would be gone.

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jcstokes

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Re: Old rider with new bike to me. Looking for inf
Reply #8 - 04/16/15 at 19:26:40

The stock bike is a bit of a butt riveter but you will be limited to about 100 to 130 miles at a stretch because of the small tank. I use an Airhawk seat pad which helps a bit. Speed is a matter of opinion, In my country we don't have freeways of consequence and what you call super slab is unknown. Many here consider the bike to be more suitable in hilly twisty country rather that eight hour cruising at very high speed. Having said that, the bike should comfortably handle 70 mph most of the day. strong winds and 85 mph semi trailer draughts could be an issue you will learn to deal with. Stock or otherwise these are a great bike for older riders and most on this forum are over forty five, I'm sixty five and love the thing.

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Completely stock 2010 S40, aftermarket rev counter and back pack, Airhawk seat pad

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Ernie

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Re: Old rider with new bike to me. Looking for inf
Reply #9 - 04/17/15 at 02:31:12

Good morning. You folks have been very helpful already. If I may, let me give a bit more info. I'm 66 yrs old and this is my 51st year of riding. doctor cut me down to 170lbs so riding the bigger bikes has gotten a little more worrisome because of the extra weight of the bike. I figure I'm down to my last 20 or 30 years of riding. Anyway most of my riding is rural except 2 or 3 times I like to do my annual trip out to NY to visit remaining family, they get a real kick out of it! I'm not afraid of high way travel so wind and semi's are not a concern. Bike goes real nice but I just don't want to beat it up. Belt drive is perfect and glad to hear they last so long so I won't worry about it. So that's my intro and I thank you all. "Ride fast and Far" Old rider refusing to slow down !

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