2001 Suzuki LS 650 Savage

Summary:

Fantastic down to earth old school motorcycle

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I just bought this when I met my soon to be wife. We had no problem riding around 50 to 100 miles at a time. She had never been on a motorcycle before. It was easy for her to get on and off while she learned how to ride behind me. The whole experience led us to having a motorcycle wedding and traveling from upstate NY to TNN for our honeymoon.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th November, 2016

19th Apr 2017, 07:01

They do have faults; the poor cam chain tensioner set up inside the clutch cover is the main engine fault; when this goes it causes a lot of damage to the valves and head at least. Also the big end and crank pin wear quite fast like most big singles do.

In reply to 19th Apr 2017, 07:01

17th Mar 2021, 22:12

Does yearly service take care of the problems you encountered?

1996 Suzuki LS 650 Savage

Summary:

Good for beginners or city drivers

Faults:

This size of bike is really meant to be driven around town and not on extended highway trips. The drawbacks are the overall weight of the bike and maintenance issues. In cold weather or heavy rain, I would have a hard time starting it up. The bike stalled on me in traffic in a heavy rain. I also had a problem with an oil leak. The bolts on the head were stripped and it was never properly repaired. Because of its age, and the fact I did more highway driving than city driving, I had to trade it in and purchased a Yamaha V Star 1100.

General Comments:

This was my second Suzuki. My first was a 2009 Suzuki GZ250. I bought the 650 as a step up. I like the bike's handling and low seat height. I live in the mountains, and "The Banana" as my bike was called loved the curves.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 28th May, 2016

2002 Suzuki LS 650 Savage

Summary:

Very good bike for local back road highway riding

Faults:

Battery box lid lock come loose and fell off.

Throttle cable was sticking - fixed it.

No other problems.

General Comments:

Great bike. Handles good, real good for curve roads.

Light bike, looks good. I've done some modifications and put some half running boards on the front pegs. Put a windshield on it and show light and fog lights.

It's a good running bike. It does backfire at times, but I have heard that is normal for the Savage 650.

It is not the most comfortable ride; got to stop more often, but it handles real well.

I like the bike; it's good for just me, and to tool around the back roads. I plan to keep the bike, but will get a bigger bike for the wife and me to travel on now if I can talk the wife into it.

Overall the Savage is a great bike. Not the fastest, but a good bike.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th April, 2016

10th Mar 2019, 13:59

I am looking for a windshield for mine. Can't decide on what style or size. What did you go with?

1998 Suzuki LS 650 Savage

Summary:

Great bike for any age, as I bought it when I was 60 and am now 76

Faults:

None, only batteries and tire wear, along with dust boots.

General Comments:

I love the styling and the color (orange).

Very comfortable as the seat is low. Good bike for all around casual riding. Best on the two lane roads.

Easy to clean and maintain. I do all my own servicing.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th January, 2015

2003 Suzuki LS 650 Savage

Summary:

Pass on this one, not worth owning

Faults:

Oil leaks pop up here and there, some disappear on their own, other persist.

Eats batteries, at least one a year.

Being a thumper, it is very sensitive to riding speed as to how much vibration you can stand.

If you let it sit without riding much, you'll have a lot of fuel delivery problems.

General Comments:

Very uncomfortable bike to ride for more than about 20 mile trips, a complete redo on the seat helped.

The lack of a trip odometer is inexcusable; cheap, cheap, cheap.

I've owned over 24 motorcycles, been riding almost 50 years, and this is the only bike that I would not buy again. Handling is awkward, suspension is really bad. Good for a beginner because of the low seat height and low weight.

Suzuki should scrap this bike. If I had not owned other Suzuki's before I bought this one, I would never buy their products. If you can afford to spend a little more money, and must have a Suzuki, try the SV650, it is one of the finest bikes I have ever owned, I'm looking for another one right now.

Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 20th March, 2011

8th Jan 2015, 18:01

I have a 650 thumper. It's a great bike. I have had mine for 9 years now. Very dependable. It's not a real powerful bike, but it gets you to where you need to be.

Upkeep is low; oil changes, charging the battery, etc. Every 2 to 3 years you may have to change the cam chain, which is a bit pricey at around three to four hundred dollars.

It's fun to ride. Sometimes I forget where I'm going to because I am having a fun ride. It's like riding a mini chopper. I am always getting compliments on its style.

All around it's a great bike, and it's lightweight, so on the expressway you may get knocked around.

It's a great city bike. Good on gasoline; about 50 to 60 miles a gallon.

I have no problems with this bike. I've been riding for 16 plus years.

In reply to 8th Jan 2015, 18:01

24th Aug 2015, 11:48

If you visit the Savage forum, you'll find a fix to that cam chain problem. One of the members makes and sells a modified slack adjuster that more than doubles the cam chain life. It's an easy fix and a LOT less expensive than having the cam chain replaced. Google Verslavy.

In reply to 24th Aug 2015, 11:48

8th Sep 2015, 23:06

I have looked at the cam chain extender and slack adjusters to extend chain life.

However, both of these modifications may not give you a much longer life, because both of these modifications make the chain bending angle sharper, which makes the rate of chain wear even faster. Besides, installing slack adjusters or modifying adjusters, adding 1 more hole, may not be such a simple job; adding 1 more hole requires you to do a welding job; installing a slack adjuster makes you remove other parts to clear the area, and the cost of a slack adjuster may not be so cheap.

Modifications may give you a little more chain life, but not too much I think.

In reply to 8th Sep 2015, 23:06

4th Mar 2018, 23:48

The Verslavey cam chain tensioner has been around for a while, and is a superior set up to the stock cam chain tensioner. Will last the life of the bike. Suzuki Savage dot com is about the most extensive Savage site you can find. Lots of great advice on there.

Thanks, Tom W.