We have pondered this situation on this forum for years....and all we can do is grumble about it.  We have even looked for a 5th gear set from another bike that could be used.....we found nothin'.

If you change to a taller gearing by using the Kawasaki front pulley or go to chain/sprockets - the small gap between 4th and 5th gear becomes more noticeable, and 5th does become a nice highway cruise gear.

I think Suzuki may have based 5th gear on the fact that if it were taller, the bike having low hp ,might not be able to handle even mild hills without down shifting to 4th often. The fact that 5th is only about 250 rpm lower ( at WOT) , makes down shifting unneeded in most cases.

I have both Kaw pulleys and a 150/90 15 Kenda 230 on the rear, dropping my rpm at 60mph from 4100 down to 3400 in fifth gear.
Going from Fla to Western NY and back the last 2 years I rarely have had to downshift to 4th to maintain 65-70 on the Interstate. My 4th gear is very close to the stock 5th.
That is riding solo with loaded hard bags and a box on the back, pushing a BIG windshield.  
Now riding double and loaded heavy with ''riding buddies'' on 1200 sport bikes, you WILL feel like a turtle!
I feel Suzuki made and markets this bike as a ''entry level'' cruser for smaller people and girls that can not handle a 900lb bike, riding or stopped. I have built mine into a small ''bagger.''If the designers saw my bike and heard how I ride it, they would just shake their heads! My friend in NY is a dealer and can't believe how I ride this bike. Said he has only seen 2 with over 15k on them. (but he does NOT read this forum)
I think if our 5th gears had one tooth swapped, and they sold this bike with a solo seat,,,,,,,,,,,hummmm.

A very interesting point Badwolf, I've never carried a pillion and given the amount of "bobbing" done by owners, it would appear that a majority of people here ride solo. Even the front pulley mod might help stop the eternal search for sixth. However, we must wonder how much longer Suzuki will continue to produce the bike in view of more stringent emission requirements in the developed western world. I also note that Yamaha does a solo version of their Bolt.

Thanks badwolf.

Like Badwolf......I run both front and rear Kawasaki pulleys on my bike.

Unlike Badwolf.....my bike is a stripped down Cafe' with a Wiseco piston, cam, head work, Mikuni carb - and the extra power pulls the gearing really well.  1st gear is tall - if a stock bike goes 9mph at idle in 1st gear mine will go about 12mph.....it is like starting out in 2nd gear but since I don't ride double or have a windshield or bags it is no problem.  My bike will outrun most Savage bikes (except Verslagen's Beast and Lancer's Rex and maybe Ruttly's bike....anyone that has done the piston/cam/carb swap is going to be running much better than a stock bike), and my bike can loaf along at 75mph in high gear all day long and never break a sweat. The taller gearing has dropped the head temperature on the bike 20 degrees at interstate cruising speeds, as well as making the ride feel far more relaxed with the lower engine rpm.   High gear is too tall for obtaining maximum speed - if I want to explore going fast it has to be done in 4th.

I do buy used front Kawasaki pulleys and machine them to fit, and I should have some available by the end of January.  The front pulley works fine with the stock engine, and it is a worthwhile improvement.  It should take you about an hour to install the pulley, and the only special tools you need is a Dremel and a large socket and torque wrench.

I also have a couple of rear pulleys I have machined.....I haven't yet sold a rear pulley to anyone, as it requires a lot of machine work and won't be real cheap.  I have to machine some width off the rear pulley hub and then I install a bushing to eliminate the pulley wobble that is inherent in the sock design, I have to bore new mounting holes in the Kawasaki pulley, and the rear shock bolt needs to be modified for clearance.  I also make a small cover that goes over the pulley mounting area to cover the original holes...this really isn't necessary as it is only a cosmetic touch.  Then everything is powder coated and it includes mounting bolts that have been re-plated.  The double pulley setup will slow the acceleration of a stock engine down considerably - but a modified engine pulls it just fine.

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1490012095

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1484806731

Bobber wrote on 01/08/18 at 13:27:37:


Yes - it uses the stock belt....it does require that you move the axle adjustment all the way forward.

If you just cruise at speed of 60 mph or less.....you most likely don't need the pulley.  If you like to cruise at 70 and over.....the lower gearing makes for a more relaxed experience.