Dave wrote on 12/17/15 at 12:00:31:I believe the Savage could be a bike for a new rider.....I don't agree it should be the bike that they get on for their first ever attempt to ride a motorcycle.
A Savage will work just fine once the new rider has gotten the coordination required to use the throttle/clutch/brakes in unison. It has just a bit too much torque for someone that is still a bit clumsy with the throttle control.
Really? I took the MSF course with those little 250s. They are so low geared, you have to slip the clutch when doing maneuvers to keep them from jerking about. They may not have much acceleration; however, the Savage has a mild throttle response, the clutch is soft, and the power delivery smooth due to the nature of the engine and the gearing. Is it possible to get into trouble with the Savage's torque? Possibly, especially on dirt.
Please explain to me exactly why the MSF people are so worried about torque, even if it's gentle torque?
Going around curves, you may need to be more careful, and be more cautious when flogging it off the line, but it's not like the thing is going to flip over backwards and do out of control burnouts every time you goose it.
--At least not with the stock engine, clutch, and gearing.
Torque alone is nothing to worry about apart from a jolt of a take off, in my opinion. However, torque+zippiness=disaster (crotch rocket) in my opinion.
Actually, I should say that better : torque+rpms=horsepower=potential disaster. Add zippiness to that, and you have even worse.
However zippiness + rpms - torque = weedeater
I don't really have much experience with 250s apart from the parking lot MSF course. I get a lot of info from the Internet (common [mechanical] sense helps), so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here.
I just thought I would say something about this. The point is that even though the Savage has torque, it's not a whole lot, and its control and delivery is rather gentle at that. Again, I don't really have alot of experience to say. Yeah, maybe the 250 will bog before it jolts in the curves (at speed, not in low gears).
The Savage doesn't seem very hard to control. That's the point. My Dad's Shadow 750 is an entirely different animal, however. But then, it needs some tuning.
From what I gather, dirt riders like singles partly because they are torquey but not zippy. (Helps traction) Or am I mistaken?
This whole thing reminds me of that comedy where that idiot jumps on a big cruiser and wheelies into a house.
Now that torque proved problematic
What's the name of that movie? You see that clip in the trailer.
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