Hi all,

New to the board but long time reader. I have a 2002 suzuki savage that i pirxhased from thw 2nd owner last yr. When i pirchased the bike he provided service records for battery and carb cleaning but i noticed the ever present backfiring. I drove it for a wk and gave it to a "backyard mechanic" who is a family member and has a full garage setup with several local patrons to check out a stalling issue. The second day i had it it stalled in idle. I was told a quick carb cleaning should get me right. It didnt. He took the carb apart and told me that one of the pieces had been stripped. I bought a carburetor from ssalvage and had it put on. I left for work for a few months and came back to a bike that would not turn over. He then informed me that it probably needed a cleaning which it promptly recieved, still no go. He then suggested that it was the battery. I replaced it even knowing that the previous owner had just purchased one. This is abput 6 mos in to my owning it at this point and only having ridden it for a wk. The battery got it going for a single 20 min ride. When i arrived the next morning to take it home, the bike revved but would not start until eventually my brand new battery died. This took less than two mins as i was hesitant to keep trting it because i knew it would drain the battery. I took the battery to have it tested. It was completely dead. When i asked about the battery the mechanic told me he thought he'd overcharged it before putting it on. He later denied this was the reason it was ddead. Mind you this was a new sealed battery from motorcycle superstore. When charged it would only charge to 93%. I put the battery back on and then was told that i had fouled the spark plug attempting to start it and now THAT was the reason it wouldnt run. I replaced the spark plug. This was last wk. It has now been over a year that he has had my bike. When qe replaced the spark plug he told me my compression was 180psi and later text messaged me aaking for the valve clearancea per thw owner's manual which i promptly provided. I have been walking for a yr and this is my only transportation. I have been more  than willing to follow his suggestion and pay for whatever parts needed. Ive been waiting for two months not working for my bike and this wk gave him a deadline bc a yr is ridiculous. He informed me that i had good compression and a spark so he couldnt understand why it was not pulling my gas to thw engine. I suggested the. Raptor petcock. Oh yeah, this is my second savage so i am pretty familiar with its known issues. Been there before. I bought the petcock and have been waiting all wk for the next excuse for why its not running but HOPING against all hope that it was fixed. He put the petcock on sat, ignored my calls til thurs then sent me a text saying sell it bc my compression is at 72psi.Can someone plz explain how my engine could go from 180psi to 70psi in a wk's time without having been ridden at all?? Really mfing confused how my stalling in idle problem turned into a new carb, batt, spark plug and battery with an additional carb cleaning and the excellent compression i had last wk which isnt tied directly to any of those plummeted in a week to levels that could total my engine???. Something is amiss.

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I'm guessing your "mechanic" asked you for the valve specs so he could check/adjust the valves. He screwed it up. The sudden low compression indicates that at least one valve is not closing.

What's amiss is your "mechanic" If you can't do the work yourself you need to find someone who knows what he's doing.

You are a "long time reader"? A previous Savage owner? And yet, you have a stall at idle issue and you bring your bike to a MECHANIC? How is that possible?

Your mechanic is broken, that is what is wrong with your bike. Family member or not, genius mechanic or not, he is obviously not familiar enough with this bike ( or even big singles in general) to help you. In fact, I'd bet 3 weeks pay that he caused 80% of your "surprise" issues. Your mechanic needs to read up here perhaps.

If you had bought a raptor when the stalling first started, you'd be driving right now instead of walking. Sorry to hear about your plight....I know how much it sucks, but you either need to do this work yourself (perhaps he would lend you his tools and lift) or sell it and by a scooter.

I am finding out QUICK that this is NOT the ideal bike for an owner that doesnt like wrenches. I have even cursed her a few times ( I ALWAYS apologize afterward though). She is a fickle mistress for sure. I HATE when guys come on here with their 2000 or 1997 model Savages and swear it runs great...smooth and easy, no jerking or vibrating or burping....and always has! My bike has never driven like that. Perhaps "runs great" is in the eyes of the beholder

Hello and thanks for the responses. Will be going to the garage today. Not sure of the jets size honestly.
I'm certain my issues were brought on by guesswork. I replaced my petcock on my last bike and intially suggested it for this one but as i have 0 exp fixing bikes, i trusted his "expert" opinion esp after he showed me what was "wrong". The savage has known issues, i always check those first. I never thought it was my carb and resisted until i was certain i wouldnt get a running bike back. I am positive it has not been the engine. I've spent over 600 in parts. I have tried in vain to get him on the site as this is my constant reference guide when talking with him. He has obviously refused, not tech savvy. I'm taking the bike into a shop to get a prognosis before i order anything more. He already listed off six diff pieces for the head assembly. My sanity can't handle more guesswork.  I have ordered the clymers and will be attempting to bring her back myself once i know for certain what needs to be fixed. This is the last time i ever want to have someone else touch my bike.  And yes, i agree there is no such thing as a perfect oem savage but i know you guys understand the love once youve gotten acquainted with this beauty. I will provide updates as soon I hear back. Thanks again. Still curious as to how my compression dropped? He's not being forthcoming and I am positive it's not coincidental. Could his tinkering with the valves have caused that dramatic drop and if so, does that guarantee a blown head? Could i save it? Read that below 90psi its a blown head gasket but if he caused it? Does that mean i now have permanent damage to undo ie ripping out my head?i read the "low compression thoughts?" post and several more but they all discuss fixing the issue. I'm kind of trying to retrace his steps to assess what has been done and what can be... I know I'll know the issue for sure within the next 48. Id still like to know how i got there. Like the dead brand new sealed battery that magically died but had nothing to do with the unneccessary charging that common sense says damages the cells.  
*the heaviest sigh of my life*
Don't beat me over the head too badly. Trust me, i know i made a mistake. Ive cried, cursed and contemplated kicking her over but we all see where i am-here, still in love.
Bikelife.  

Wow, sorry to hear about your troubles....I thank my lucky stars not only for this site but the fact that my local dealership has actual knowledgable people in it's service dep't.

Recently, I've seen compression tests, initially, good, later, uhh Ohh, it dropped.
Now, is that from people just yanking a plug and crap falling in?
Scored cylinder,,

engine must be fully warmed up for an accurate compression reading

First thing.... family member....with tools....
Second thing... calls you for information...
Third thing... He has the bike for A YEAR???

You knew to come here.... he should have done the same, the internet is FULL of information, if he is too lazy to look, he ain't worth squat as a mechanic.

Sounds like he did not check the piston to make sure the bike was "top dead center", so his valve adjustment made things worse. The TDC mark is only a gage to tell you when it is there... you have to visually make sure the piston is actually at the top AND the mark is on.

Politely ask for the motorcycle back, hopefully he has all the pieces. Then ask around for a mechanic that can work on savages/s40's, read here, get to know the bike, talk to a few mechanics about your woes....until one mentions this site, or the known problems an how they are fixed.

If he is charging you for repairs.... I would disown him.... brother, brother-in-law...half brother... would not matter... if he is taking advantage of you for a YEAR.... he really should not be a family member.

Short of tearing this thing down and rebuilding it, NOTHING should take longer than two months (even if other projects are in progress).
If you had read here, and hit the tech section, YOU could have had the bike on the road in two months.

It is obvious you didn't start reading this forum until AFTER your "relative" was trying to fix your "backfire". Because if you had been reading here you would have known the savage backfires normally, and you would have known the fix and be riding it now.

I'm only being a little "stiff" on you because you are letting a family member make you suffer and walk (for a YEAR) when you could have been riding.
Hopefully when you get the bike back you can look it over, take a few pictures, and post them here so folks here can help you figure out what the.....sigh.... I hate to call him this... "mechanic" did to your transportation.
It sounds like you are either
1. afraid to work on it because you are not too mechanically inclined. or 2. don't want to bother with it and will just throw money at it to get it fixed.
Don't be afraid to do it yourself.... ask around here, there are folks here that don't even know the name of some parts that are fixing problems and riding! And some of them live in apartments with no garage!

Fill in your profile about the area you live in and maybe one of the folks from here could help you figure it out!

I can only hope you do not get discouraged, and take some of the advice we are giving you to heart.
I am not trying to be hurtful, just trying to get you motivated to fix your savage and get you riding so your feet will thank you!