Suzuki Savage 650 reviews

I bought a new 2001 Suzuki Savage in September of 2001. I am 57 years old and had not ridden a bike in many years. I FINALLY got MY license in February of this year. I like the bike very much. I take my cell phone and take off by myself quite often. My husband does not like to ride as much as I do. I have found the bike to be very manageable and quite easy to handle on the road. I would highly recommend this bike for women especially. It is not so big, but has lots of power.

The last motorcycle I had was a Triumph 650, which I purchased new in 1971 in London. It was a great motorcycle if you didn't mind tightening everything on a constant basis. Its undependability led me to abandon cycling for almost a quarter of a century until I awakened one bright sunny Florida morning and wondered why I didn't own a bike anymore. A little research led me to Suzuki's LS 650 Savage. I purchased my '99 model used and have ridden it now for almost 3 years. Since that day, I've replaced the battery, the oil every three months, and the spark plug every year. It's been an absolute delight to ride. It's also been a delight to read the reviews of the Boulevard 650, the Savage's successor. I'm glad the new model is at least the equal of the previous model. I couldn't recommend this line of bikes more highly. As for me, I'm entertaining fantasies of the S50 Boulevard. Ain't nothing like a good thing.

I bought my five year old '98 Savage with 2100 miles on it, and have put on that many more in five months. It is an elemental throwback, a pure motorbike. The tachometer is your butt and your ears, the gear indicator is what it feels like when you let the clutch out, and it can take you from cowpaths through pastures to the passing lane on the interstate, but its element is back roads and state highways. It handles like a dream, is easy to maintain, will last longer than you will, and get more admiring glances than you deserve. You can get new repair manuals and parts to service Savages dating from the '80s. If it ain't broke, go ride it!

I am new to motorcycling and bought a Savage because I didn't want to outgrow my first purchase. The Savage has proved to be an excellent choice. While I sometimes long for a V-twin for its smoother operation, everytime I ride the Savage, I walk away very pleased and impressed. The bike's strength is in the mountains where its power curve and handling are superb. I expect to keep my Savage for a long time to come.

I have 7000 mi. on the clock of my little bike since I bought it new and it has been almost trouble free .It developed an oil leak on the right side of the head . I pulled the head cover off and discovered that it was a rubber access plug for the head bolt below that had came loose . I recoated it with silicon and pushed it back in and it hasn't leaked since .Thats not exactly a great design in my book suzuki and I think you could have come up with a better solution . I also changed out the muffler on mine so it could get rid of the exhaust gas easier .According to the speedo , it will now do 100 mph but barely . I also took it out on a 600 mile round trip and the bike did excellent except it can be a real butt killer. The main point is it is capable as a tourer if you want to go the distance and can stand a little discomfort . Knowing what I know now would I buy it again ? HELL YEAH !!!

I wrote an earlier review after the first 2500 miles on my bike. Now I have 5400 miles on the odometer and I can't say enough good things about this bike. As a smaller motorcycle, it is extremely easy to handle both at slow and higher speeds. My only wish is that it had more power between 65 and 75 mph. I have had almost no mechanical problems so far and that persistant oil leak that seems to plague the LS650 Savage is absent from mine. For cruising around town, on the back roads and through the mountains, the Savage cannot be beat. I recommend this bike for anyone who is just starting out riding and for those who have been away from riding for a while and want to get back into the sport. I expect to keep my Savage until I am at least 70 years old or until I cannot ride anymore, whichever comes first.

I was the previous owner of a Virago 250cc and really felt the quality was there. So what to do? I was going to purchase another Yamaha, a 650cc Custom. The one thing I could not get over was all of the plastic parts on the Custom. Even the head cover chromes are plastic. I was sure that this was done to save weight. Then I went to my local Suzuki dealer and noticed the Savage LS 650. I had never really considered a single. Then I got on my knees and noticed the fenders were metal as well as the other components on the handle bars. The height and weight were similar to the Virago, but there was an increase 400cc of thrust. The price was also $1500 less than the 650 Yamaha. that's what sold me. The bike is light and has a similiar displacement to the Custom and it's quicker off the line. Supertrapp exhaust as well as rejeting improved performance and it sounds good with 6 discs. It feels comfortable on the highway when it isn't too windy, and the bike will go about 95 mph with the exhaust improvement. The only sad part is the limited number of after market parts available. But with all the standard chrome, all one really needs is a functional crash bar. I gave my buddy's 2000 883 a run for it's money now and have only 50% of the cost. It gets alot of looks for it isn't a twin, but the long wheelbase gives it that distinctive style of a real cruiser. It's easy to maintain as well with a belt that lasts 50,000 miles. Good riding to you all.

I just bought mine a few months ago and have been riding it constantly since. I think I put about 2000 miles on it already. I got a great price on a very good condition '96. Nice pull at the low end and fun for cruising around town. Perhaps with better tires it would make a perfect commuter - but as it is, the long wheelbase combined with its light weight makes the rear end feel a little unstable. Also the stock muffler definitely needs to go - I have already ordered a Jardine slip-on that is supposedly "harley-esque". All in all though, this bike is a spectacular value. Very easy to maintain, good-looking, easy to handle and enough power to get around town. If you're reading this in the early Spring of 2002, give me a ring and maybe I'll be willing to sell. Until then - safe riding!

Regarding the Aug. 4 review saying the new Savage had no get up and go. Mine was like that when new. I didn't think it could make it up my driveway at first. After 400 miles it loosened up greatly and became a different bike. It pulls strongly in 5th gear at 45mph and I weight 220 lbs. Perhaps it seems that way when new because it is a single cylinder engine.

I bought this bike this year and being a 2001 I can say this a great litte cruiser with about 3000 miles on it already. I ride it to work everyday and its been on the freeway and it holds it own for the size. The gas mileage is fantastic. I am a new rider and had a Honda CL200 to learn on and was going to buy a GZ250 but decided to buy the Savage and glad I did. Of course if I drove a 1100CC this would feel kind sluggish but this has power when needed. I plan on keeping it for a long time.