norm92de wrote on 06/21/17 at 17:28:38:


Depends what roads you are going to ride.  The S40 will keep up with most bikes in the mountains and curvy roads (not counting the sport bikes or supermotos with qualified riders.  The only place the S40 is at a big disadvantage is the 70+ mph highways.  Most of the time you see a big group of riders.....their pace is not going to be very quick as a collective herd.

This thread seems like it's better suited for the cafe.

Yeah... I think about that kind of thing often too, Norm, especially today as I went to a dealership and sat on a few more relatively luxurious bikes. But the S40 is special to me for a variety of reasons... yes, it has a classic look... it's got the nice torque thing going... and the nimble maneuverability and low seat height... but for me the biggest draw right now is the elegance (simplicity) of its design.

As I learn more about mechanics, I'm so glad the Savage is my first bike. Mechanics kind of intimidates me, but I feel like I can really own this bike in that regard. I think I will eventually be able to do nearly all my own maintenance, and that makes me feel good. When I first got the bike, it was such a mystery. It had hoses and cables and shiny parts that I didn't know up from down - it just moved when I turned the throttle - and that was exciting enough. But now when I look at her, I see my vacuum line from the carb, I see the head, the cam chain, sprockets, pulleys, forks, seals, poppet valves and header bolts... I also see oil leaks and stripped bolts and lots more that's harder to be happy about  

In any case, she isn't so much of a mystery anymore. I'm still a baby mechanic, but I feel like I can grow up with my S40. In a few years time, I can see me breaking down on the road and fixing it myself, and getting back on the road... this little 650 might not be as glamorous as a bigger, fancier bike - but she's mine, and I'm going to own it... not just be helpless. It's a journey with this bike. I don't know if I could have made the same journey with a big, complicated bike. I might have been scared off too much or overwhelmed. The savage is just my cup-of-tea  

I guess what I'm saying is that there's a deeper level of satisfaction to my bike, besides speed.

I didn't think you were

norm92de wrote on 06/21/17 at 18:47:49:

I  wasn't trying to say anything disparaging about the Savage at all. Just that most riders seem to like bigger bikes. I'm not one of them.

I've owned all sorts of motorcycles and many open class sportbikes. What's in my garage now:

FZ6 (600 cc 4 cylinder sport tourer)
LS650 Cafe
DRZ400 Street Tracker

I don't give a crap about displacement. I can ride the FZ6 all day at go-to-jail speeds. It makes 100 friggin horsepower!

It's not the bike, its the rider!

Beat Duck left Florida, went to Burning Man, up to Canada, across, down at the Falls,  dropped to home.
Took a while, and he had to buy tires.

Ruttly wrote on 06/22/17 at 10:16:20:


On my local curvy 50 mph back roads....the big single really does a good job.  It can motor along the straight sections without any fuss - and the torque can pull you out of the corner without the need to downshift.  The multi-cylinder sport bikes are faster - but I am into riding therapy more than into the HP game.  (I have modified mine enough that it is probably near 40 HP).

It's some three years since I did any long distance stuff. However, the group I was with who all had larger bikes and much more riding experience, were often amazed at the S40'S ability to keep up in a variety of two lane black top conditions. Admitedly, this is New Zealand, 62 mph open road limit, with a sort of tolerance to 68 mph excuses for motorways and no Super Slab. There were places where some went faster, but never over 80 mph.