The Savage is a great bike for back roads at 50-60 mph. That's what I did with mine. Vibration is not a problem at those speeds. You have to be going 70 or 75 for things to start getting buzzy.

JED, I would highly recommend you go get a full helmet and take a rider education course before you buy anything. An S40/Savage is a good bike for those learning, but I would say it's better suited to those who have had some experience. It's fairly low to the ground, is not very heavy and not overly powerful. All positives when learning to ride. But having ridden before would be very helpful in undertanding how motorcycles operate.

I began riding at 13 years old on dirt bikes. Rode through college on several smaller "around towners". After some time away I came back to riding and the first thing I did was take an MSF riding class. Only about 60% of participants made it through and passed. Some who failed had bikes and had been riding for long periods of time. Many just couldn't get it.  

Your profile does not include where you are from, if you were in Jersey I would invite you to come ride one of my S40's to check it out. I keep my bikes in my business shop which is in a fairly quite industrial park. Plenty of empty parking lots and side roads to get accquainted with one.

It's all good and hopefully you find a nice bike to get you on the road.

Vibrations are fine on the bike.....as others have said it does not become objectionable until you get to interstate speeds.  If you end up doing a lot of that you can add a Kawasaki pulley mod and a larger diameter back tire and lower the rpm at speed, and that helps immensely.  A lot of the folks who notice the vibrations are used to bikes with multiple cylinders.....and the more you have the smoother the engine runs (and the heavier and more complex it becomes).  The bike is fully capable of being a "forever" bike for some people, and for others it is a fun 2nd bike when they want something light and nimble.

You will likely get bored with a small 250cc or 300cc single cylinder bike - however a Kawasaki Ninja 300 or Versys 300 has enough power to keep you riding for years.  The Honda 500 Rebel would also be a good bike to start out on.  (All 3 of those bikes have chains which is not a good selling point for those of us who prefer the belt drive of the Savage) - although modern chains are far less maintenance than the ones we had 40 years ago.

You will drop your first bike a time or two - so I would not buy anything expensive or horribly shiny until you get enough experience to be competent.  The motorcycle safety course is definitely a good way to get experience and learn how to operate a clutch/throttle/brake lever/brake pedal and throttle simultaneously while also negotiating traffic and keeping your balance.

I have been riding for nearly 60 years, and I still find great pleasure in riding.  City riding and dealing with traffic is not all that much fun for me - curvy country roads are what I love the most.

And.......not everybody that buys a motorcycle and learns to ride falls in love with it.  There are plenty of low mileage bikes for sale, as the new riders find out they don't like getting hot in the summer sun, splattered with bugs, wet when it rains.......or scared when a car or truck pulls out in front of you.  Riding just isn't for everyone and some don't find out until after they spent $20,000 on a big V-Twin!

 

The Savage would have been considered a big bike in the 1960's.  Not small or under-powered at all.
Vibration is less than many larger multi-cylinder bikes.

It's a great bike and very capable if you leave your ego at door.
Just ride and enjoy.
Ride safe...

Take the course before ya buy.

Serowbot wrote on 09/10/20 at 09:11:29:


Great way to describe this bike.  A lot of big V-Twin owners look down on the bike.....until you actually start riding and they find out they can't keep up when you get to the curves!  Our member "Oldfeller" found particular delight in hunting down Harleys and leaving them far behind when we were riding in the mountains!

As long as you keep moving the bike won't overheat.  If you get stuck in a traffic jam in 100 degree temperatures - you will likely overheat before the bike does......however it is best to keep moving if you can as the bike is air cooled and doesn't cool well when stationary.  I don't know of any owner ever reporting an engine failure from overheating - but you will certainly feel when the engine is running hotter than normal.......it becomes a "testical toaster"!

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 09/10/20 at 10:07:53:

Can't emphasize this enough.  I've been riding for about 5 years, so am still learning.  I took the course, but then never got a bike.  Two years later, I decided to buy a bike.  Took the beginner course again and then the intermediate before buying a bike.  Best thing I ever did.  There is A LOT to learn.

I saw an S40 on a trip to PA.  Loved the looks and it was sized just right for a beginner like me.  I have no desire to upgrade as it suits me perfectly for the riding I do.  I just had it painted and love it even more.  On my first ride after painting, I had comments like, that's an awesome bike!  So Proud!

This is both a GREAT beginner bike and a Great long term bike.  You can't go wrong with it.  And this is a Great forum.

Good luck!