Hello!

First to introduce myself. My name is Alex, I am 26 years old and I live in San Jose, CA, but lived in CT for 25 years. I recently (Sept 2016) took a CHP Motorcycle Training Course and got my M1, so I'm new to 2 wheels. My background is in construction so I have a basic mechanical understanding, but nothing worth writing home about

My tools:
Wrench set
3/8" drive ratchet
Drill
Misc hand tools


I purchased a 1986 Savage, partly due to the knowledge that this forum existed and mainly because it's a cool bike I really wanted to ride. It cold started, idles well in half-choke, isn't leaking oil from the front, only 14K miles and was $1,000 and all the electronics were operational. It needed new tires and brakes.

The day I bought it I was taking it for a lap around my block and the truck in front of me slammed on his brakes to avoid a pedestrian (who saw a can in the road and walked out to get it). The car in the left lane also stopped, I couldn't split the lane quick enough and I ended up between the asphalt and my bike on the left side and slid a bit. The Savage and I got a bit banged up but we came out alright. It was definitely a wake up call to the dangers of 2 wheels and I will forever be more cautious.

New issues due to crash:
-Headlight assembly got wrecked
-Left foot peg is bent
-Turn signals front & back are damaged
-Handlebar is bent
-New tank dents.

I want to make her functional and enjoy riding her. Any help on the following is incredibly appreciated and I would like to thank you in advance. Also if anyone has parts to sell I'd really like to buy them from this community rather than some China site.

So,

I bought a new headlight

I received it and obviously there is a mounting issue with the one-bolt setup which I plan to either make an adapter to the forks or drill thru the cross-bar and put a new hole in the middle. Also, the three wire connections are bullet connectors and the connector to the wire is a molex 3-pin. Can I take the bullet connectors off the headlight and replace them with molex male ends or replace the savage-side with female bullets? I'm a newb about electricity so I don't know if they are interchangeable.

There are OEM headlight assemblies, but they are very expensive but maybe worth it?


Left side foot peg:
-Seems like it should be easy to take out but the pictures should hopefully show there is no bolt on the underside. How the heck do I take this thing off?!

Handlebars:
-The are bent. I wouldn't mind replacing them because I'm 6'0 tall and I think some more arm length would improve my rider operation and comfort
-The controls and grips seem very difficult to remove and after searching the forum this seems reinforced.
-Can I just bend them back in-situ with the controls on? The angles on the handlebars seem like I am not going to get the right leverage to bend them where they need to go, especially without a torch.

I think the signals won't be too hard to replace hopefully I'm not wrong,
-I bought new brake pads and drum shoes.
-I am going to have the tires done by others just for safety


Any advice or parts is greatly appreciated

-Savage_AF

You were smart to purchase a used bike for a first bike because, as you found out, a first bike will get damaged. Now to get it fixed.

I'd look on eBay for a used OEM headlight bucket. Otherwise you'll have to use a bracket that slides over the fork tubes. The OEM unit has its limitations (such as its small size) so if you have purchased a larger bucket, then you'll need fork mount brackets to make it work.

The foot pegs are attached to the forward-lower engine mount. Remove the bolt and you'll be able to remove the foot pegs.

Replace your handle bars if they are bent. The controls are easily removable. This is a good opportunity to upgrade to better grips, so just cut the old ones off.

Turn signals are removed with a single Phillips head screw. The mount doesn't need to be removed from the fork to replace the signal.

I have a bar, foot peg, and signals left from my Ryca build. Send me a PM and we can work something out. I'm heading out of town on Saturday for a week so we would either need to work something out quickly or wait a week.


The grips are a pain in the butt to remove. The good news is that I'm pretty sure you only need to mess with the clutch side. The throttle side shouldn't require removal. In my opinion, cutting off the grip and installing a new one is probably worth the money.

The controls themselves are easy to remove and reinstall. Just look for the screws.

That black headlight will prove to be useless, it won't light up anything more than 20 feet in front of you.

I have a stock headlight housing that I will sell your for $50....not sure how much shipping will be.  

You can remove the footpeg by taking the plastic chrome cap out of the pivot bolt, and using an allen wrench to remove the bolt.  A vise, a hammer, and 5 or 6 minutes of work will most likely get it usable again.

Like a lot of folks - I will be out of town next week and I would either have to hustle in the next couple days to get the light shipped out on Saturday before I leave town.....or do it when I get back.

I also have a front fender.....and I can find some bolts that will get it attached.

So everything's done except handlebars.
You're 6', same as me.
I recommend Emgo 1" superbars under $30 inc shipping on fleabay.
You can get them local if you shop around.
You'll need 4 to 6" risers or you'll hit the tank.
Another option is Z bars and you won't need the risers if you get them tall enough.

Grips, 1st time getting them off is fun.  The glue they use is meant to be permanent.  same thing with the loctite on all the screws.
1st stick a phillips screwdriver in between the grip and handlebar.
work it around to break the glue bond, squirt a little wd40 in to help.
if it proves to be too much work just cut it off if you intend to get new ones anyway.  but as far as grips go, they're not too bad.
once you get the glue bond broken you can work on pulling it off.  I stuck 2 more screwdrivers in equally spaced and just twisted till it came off.  some use air to inflate the grip a bit and pull it off.  once I inflated it and it shot across the garage, but that was after I had gotten them off and used grips with ends.  BTW, the chrome ends pull off separate from the grips.

I don't recommend any grip where metal contacts your hand.
kuri-akin iso grips are ok as the rubber is above the metal or plastic.

Here are the light photos.....it is in really nice shape.

$ 50 for the light, and I believe it will fit in the Medium Flat Rate Box which is $ 13.45 for shipping.

IDK what they teach about protective gear in the class, but I don't ride without gloves, and plenty of other stuff, but gloves, for sure.

Savage_AF wrote on 12/01/16 at 09:36:15:

I have been riding with gloves, solid work boots and my Shoei helmet. I am going to get a nice jacket and pants too.

I do not recommend riding with laced shoes - of any type. Laces (the knotted loop or even the exposed lower front) can get caught on foot pegs and foot controls. If that happens when you need to put a foot down, you'll be picking the bike and yourself off the ground. Moreover, laces can get caught in the drivebelt/chain. If you are committed to laces, please make sure that the laces are not frayed and that the knot is tucked inside of your boot.