So i am now the proud owner of a 06 savage, which was in pretty good condition, with 10,000 miles on it. Ive been doing some cursory reading on here, but i have a few minor problems that Id like to ask some questions for. I live at around 6000 feet, and regularly go up to 8000ft in elev, but haven't yet on this bike.

I've owned a couple motorcycles before, a KTM dirtbike when i was a kid, and a V-star for 2 yrs of Sunday coffee about 5 years ago, so i "know" a bit about riding, but I'm not what i would consider a seasoned rider...

first off, the throttle seems... Binary, Like only off or on, there is a bit of smoothness revving up, but literally no drop off, it seems to go from full throttle to idle with no ramping in between, which makes it extremely difficult to just go at speed, its either accelerating or massively decelerating, ive only found the sweet spot of cruising throttle a handful of times.  is this just a signature of the bike? kink/dirt in the throttle cable? dirty carb? carb poorly jetted? Noob rider bitching about something a pro would drool over, a fast throttle return for extreme engine braking?

Secondly, my Idle mixture Plug has already been removed, and the screw has been turned all the way in and stripped... from what i understand, the previous tuner was trying to get the motor to go more lean, correct? this is because of the altitude i bought it at and live at right (6000ft) I plan on getting a carb kit from Lancer(and a mikuni with a UFO, and a wiseco 94mm, and his Stage 3 camshaft... all in good time ) , and ill have to drill out the previous screw, but will doing the whole K&N cone filter and muffler swap wtih a re-jet make this problem not a problem? id like a turn or so available either way for seasonal carb tuning.

the bike looks stock from what i can tell, but what should i be looking at to understand where, if anywhere the previous owner took this thing as far as aftermarket mods are concerned. it still has the factory muffler, and OEM air filter(that looks exceptionally new for a 13 year old bike), but i haven't pulled the carb apart to look at the spacer ring, and i dont know what id be looking for, (new vs modified) because I've never actually seen a pic of the stock spacer ring next to a modified one.  

Id like to pull the crankcase cover off to look at the cam adjuster, but i cant seem to be able to find a OEM Cluctch cover gasket that is not on ebay, do i need to be worried about ripoffs or fakes?  Also, is there a way to get a Verslyagen adjuster without Frankensteining my bike, having to pull the cover off twice because I dont have a garage to leave this un-assembled in while i wait?

I'm not a big fan of the handlebar placement, i've got drag bars that are way high up above the fork brace with a 7-9 inch riser, raked backwards, i've seen posts before that i cant find now claiming a 3.5in riser will clear, is that with the handlebars turned down? am i mis-remembering the measurement needed for clearing the tank?

Finally, My toolbox/battery cover won't reattach, it seems like either the cylinder or the latch has been removed and flipped, or is there some special trick for getting the cover back on?

Seriously guys, thank you so much for being the reason I bought this particular bike. ive been lurking, jealously reading most posts, wanting a Savage for literally half a decade. and i finally got a dream bike, all because of how you guys have raved about this little thumper.  I can already tell i love it too  Im looking forward to making it my own.

The Savage does not have a "snatchy" throttle. I suspect the throttle cable is the culprit. My first thought is the throttle cable is in need of lube or it is frayed. Lube the cable and see if the problem clears. If not, inspect the condition of the cable at the throttle tube and carb.

Also, if someone was ham fisted enough to bugger-up the mixture screw, they may have made such an error inside the carb as well. If the throttle cable checks out ok, it's time to remove and disassemble the barb to see what's hanging up.

Don't let it idle on the sidestand. That ruins the cam.

thanks for all the replies guys, with daylight savings i finally got a chance to get home and tinker with the bike with some daylight....

started the bike up and actuated the carb like Justin_o said,  and found it to be jumpy or catchy after the cable, on both the rev up and the let-off... guess Im gonna be buying a exhaust, air filter, and a jet set once i talk with Lancer and get a proper jet kit for my altitude and setup... and i checked the petcock vacuum tube and there is gas in there as well, so ill be installing the raptor 660 petcock while im at it.

i also figure out what was going on with the latch, i looks like the previous owner just jammed the little tab and bent it so that the lock latch couldn't seat properly, pulled it off the bike, hammered it back to flat, put it back on, and voila.

verslagen, ill be pulling of my cover and checking the adjuster, i might just order one and ship the core to you when i do so to limit downtime, i guess it depends on if i feel like i can get a summer worth of in town riding done with whats left. I did have a question though, the pin and slot you machine, it stops it from kicking back out into the case, but i still need to pull open the clutch cover and check i periodically right? is that a yearly thing? or is the 1000 miles a mm still a good rule of thumb.


now i gotta get signed in here on my home computer so i dont hafta wait till the next day to post questions.

My guess is sticky (gummed up) slide or a needle that is somehow not properly installed.