1997 Suzuki 650 Savage Standard reviews

I bought the 650 Savage new because I liked singles . (The bike before this one was a Suzuki GN400 (400cc single) that I put 40,000 miles on.) Put a loud muffler on the 650 Savage and it became a first class “THUMPER”. I liked it a lot , not very fast but lots of low end torque , and felt like you were really riding something . You were emmersed in the machine , singles are not smooth , you feel the engine throb at the same beat , as you hear the single pipe , deep and throaty, respond as you “ sing” the throttle . I had mine setup where it backfired when I de-accelerated quickly , I used to love tunnels and narrow streets between buildings. It was impressive! As much as I liked it when I went into prisons on it with other Christian riders , the inmates were not impressed and would make comments like “ we want to see real motorcycles, we want to see Harleys” . I never really cared about Harleys but after thinking about it , I thought well , if I can help turn the life around of at least one inmate , because he came over to talk to me because I rode into the prison yard on a Harley , in the grand scheme of things it was worth it. So , after only one year and 24,000 miles my “Thumper” sat in the garage, while I became a Harley guy. Multiple prisons later , about 50,000 miles on a 1200cc Sportster and then another 80,000 miles on an ‘03 Superglide . I made the right decision for the right reason . In my experience much of the “ motorcycle experience” was the same , whether on a large Harley or a big bore single. However , If it is a requirement to impress people then , you might need a Harley or some other large motorcycle , on the other hand if you just want to experience the joy of riding , and don’t really care what other people think , there are lots of options! It has been a lot of years and I am 72 years old now and although I still ride the ‘03 SUPERGLIDE some , I am really beginning to miss the Suzuki 650 Savage “THUMPER” . I still have it , and even though it hasn’t started in a long time I think that with a little work , it has an exciting future ahead of it . I am anxious to get started on it . God has been very good and protected me all of these miles , I ask for His continued protection , not only for me but for everyone on two wheels ! Show less