So,

My ls650 is my first bike, I used it as a daily driver for the last 6 years, I have no idea how many miles as I removed the odometer in 2022. I threw a sportster tank on it, rewired it, mikuni carb, converted it from a belt to a chain for shorter gearing and more down low torque, run no fenders, of course the tensioner mod, etc etc. I've made the bike truly my own, even ran my wiring through my handlebars. No turn signals, no horn, no decompression. Just a headlight, a Killswitch, an ignition, and brake lights.

I rode this bike till the doors fell off and I mean it-- extremely aggressive urban riding All season so long as there is no frozen percipient on the ground. Weaving in traffic, every stop is a drag race, I've burned through multiple clutches and have replaced the clutch at least 4 times. I'm telling you this bike is panting when I hang up the saddle every day.

So anyway, my compression started to go, and I'm losing oil, and a lot of it.  also there's a ton of small problems and I just don't know how much longer I can keep this bike alive -- also she struggles in the cold from start, takes forever to warm up these days when the temps drop. I think it might be time to say goodbye, as heartbreaking as it is to say. I need reliability, I report to an office three days a week now at 7 am and need to be able to get up and go, I also have a lot less time for wrenching. I want reliability but I'm scared about sacrificing my soul -- a bike I can't customize makes me think, what was the point of everything I learned and did?? What was it all for? I kade my dreams a reality with my savage.... New bikes looks sterile, they look like they have no heart...

So, long story short, I need a new bike. I've been doing a ton of research, and I narrowed it down to two very different options: triumph scrambler 400x, or a 2003 sportster 883 hugger.

So why these two? Well, the sporty is all the customization I could ever want, it's a blank canvas, the 2003 was before the rubber mounts and is still carbureted, which interests me. I've actually never ridden an 883, and my hesitation with that bike is how heavy it is int he city, I feel like it won't be as nimble... Is this true? Is the 883 as flickable as the savage? Can I dodge and weave on it?

The alternative is the scrambler, the specs on it, despite being a 400, are claimed to be superior to the savage in terms of performance. It's pretty. It's relatively cheap. But ride by wire?? Efi??? Ride modes??? Abs??? I feel like it might be night to have a dialy I don't need to really worry about..... But again I don't want to sell my soul for comfort.

What to do? Any other suggestions?

Surviving Philly



I've had a 2004 1200 Sportster (first year rubber mounted engine) , and a 2007 883 Sportster ( first year injected).

Like Lancer said ... "They are Heavy" .   I know the pre-2004's were a little lighter ... but ... those 2003 and earlier Sportster cruised at under 65mph for a very good reason !   Salvation came in 2004 with the rubber mounted engine !

Those Triumph 400 bikes come with "new-bike" reliable + performance (if liquid cooled don't bother you) !   Forty HP and four hundred pounds is going to  be a fun combination !  

I'm waiting on the GB500 Honda or the RE 440 Scram  "Singles"  to reach our shores .   Which one will get here first ?     Used RE-INT 650's twins(430 pounds)  are cheep and reliable (I got a new one and like it ... 2023 model)

Dude: you've answered your own question! based on what you've done to your own S40, buy another one: transfer the hotrod parts to the new one.
It's September, they will be a dime-a-dozen in a few weeks, most with low miles.
Save some money, it don't grow on trees !
Cheers!  
ps:  OR: https://www.craigslist.org/view/d/york-1987-suzuki-savage/a38CfsGjCWVNetP27A7X1A
pps: haha

Hey Philly,

Where’s the update!?  You sure “narrowed it down” to opposite ends of the spectrum!  Between the two and knowing how you buzz around Philly daily, the old Harley doesn’t seem right for you. If it was a weekend cruiser and you wanted to do some wrenching, maybe.

At the opposite end, I think you might get bored with the Triumph 400.  While it might be a neutral performance step compared to the Savage, I’m guessing you might enjoy something with a little better highway capability.

The Royal Enfield INT-650 that MM mentioned is interesting if that’s your style.  It has the 270° crank that tries to imitate a v-twin sound and it’s built for smooth torque.

I’m pretty happy with my Kawasaki Vulcan S 650.  It’s a bit more rev-happy with its Ninja derived parallel twin.  When initially released for 2015, they touted a “detuned” Ninja 650 that used a milder mid range “torque cam”.  Kawasaki liked their engineering work so much that they changed the cam profile for the Ninja 650 to be more like the Vulcan S for the 2017 Ninja model year.  The Vulcan S is right at 500lbs +\-ABS.  It doesn’t feel 500lbs and very flickable and city friendly.  You can find good used 2015-2018 models in the $3-4k range.