-2002 Suzuki Savage LS 650 fully stock-
I've owned the bike for 10 months. I am the second owner. I bought it for 1600 in what looked to me like fantastic condition (this is my first bike by the way). The previous owner said they "babied it" and being the well read first time buyer that I am, I went ahead with the purchase. The first few months were fun but then issues started to arise.

~Please feel free to have a chuckle at my expense as I continue to type and ask for help from the endless wisdom that I have found this website to be.~

So I noticed it backfired and let everyone at the local watering hole that I had arrived. I googled this and found that the previous owner probably stumbled across this website and found some tips and tricks to help as the air screw was exposed and appeared to be tampered with. I tampered further to try to get the idle just right, but no success on extinguishing a backfire.

Time rolls on and the bike shuts off while running. Sputter...sputter...sputter...click...*unwinding sound ensues* I safely maneuver over to the curb, give her a second, i try again, she starts right up and I resume my journey. Other times she wouldnt even start! SO I replaced the battery (which did in fact need replacing) and thought all was well.. and it was for like a week.

I am savvy enough to change my oil on the things i own so i changed the oil recently with whats recommend here.

Then the real issues started. The bike continued to shut off while driving and I concluded this to be a carbuerator issue. I dont have the tools nor space at my place to work on this myself (well i could make space) but i thought, "better let a professional handle this one" and i called all the local shops in my SoCal area and found the most reasonable deal for getting the bike looked at and serviced. The shop is one of the better known in the area and i paid $200 for a total check and a carb clean. Once i got the bike back, the shop told they tightened everything, cleaned her up then proceeded with 2 more things:

1. The bike was idling way too high, so they turned it down. While riding it home the bike was so quiet, i thought it may have shut off again. Nope it was still on, just quiet.

2. The head gasket was blown and would need replacing eventually. They quoted me $800 for the job and said something about how theres a leak all over the engine (which i thought was normal) and that air pressure was off or somethin like that. I dont remember exactly..

From what Ive read on this website, Savages rarely blow head gaskets if at all. Surely i havent done anything exceptional to be the outlier... I havent even put 200 miles on the bike since i bought it!!! Im a business guy with very basic understanding of mechanical stuff.

Since then Ive been trying to sell my bike but the market doesnt exactly like the sound of a leaky head gasket.

Any tips? advice? maybe a good pointed direction to where i can find a solution? Ive actually decided to put the elbow grease into fixing her and this is my first stop becuase i really do love my bike. All time, consideration and input is greatly appreciated.

r/ Luke

Maybe he doesn't know about the head plug... that's probably your problem.
or you misunderstood him.

Plus you petcock is over 15 years old, and that's causing the cutting out issue.  see test your petcock in the tech section.

Yep SoCal is a big place.  Narrow it down for us.

Basic tools will do most of what you need. The oil leak is most probably the head plug. Lots of information here on that repair. Don't know if your petcock is bad or not. But it is a simple and inexpensive thing to change. See posts on Raptor petcock. The most difficult part of the job is remembering to shut it off when you park the bike.

LukeSJ wrote on 08/14/18 at 15:46:02:

Is it common for shops to misdiagnose this issue?

No, but it is common for them to take advantage of a situation. An owner that isn't that knowledgeable is their favorite customer.

The head gaskets on these bikes are indestructible.

Again I very much appreciate the input.

I looked into the cam chain tensioner, I don't have any issues that would indicate that being the issue i.e. grindy clanky noise.

I looked at the engine again and it looks like the leak IS in fact coming from where this plug is.

Gonna move forward in researching how to fix, start with a Clymers manual I assume?

and pray to Lord above that all goes well with my attempt to fix...if not, then there's always beer

looked into the cam chain tensioner, I don't have any issues that would indicate that being the issue i.e. grindy clanky noise.

How far is it extended?

You're gonna need a place to set the tank that allows your speedometer cable to not be kinked. You don't want your hands full of tank and then figure that out.
You can ask how I know..

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 08/14/18 at 20:54:09:



how would i tell?