Posted by Hackster on September 21, 2000 at 09:10:00:
In Reply to: Regarding WD's TRUE Real Deal..... posted by Ron Wilder on September 21, 2000 at 06:45:01:
First, the good Doctor is as knowledgeable about motorcycles as anyone I've met.
That said, I do differ at least a bit with some (though not all) of his opinions-- for instance, that the Savage is a "throw-away" bike at $4300 US retail. I only paid $1500 for my '87 with <9000 miles... but I still can't consider $1500 "throw-away" money. But that's probably just a matter of semantics.
Also, while I agree that the Savage isn't touring material, some of my best riding has been two-up with my (rather petite) lady friend. Though the Savage is, in fact, too small for me overall, her weight acts mainly as ballast, making the ride a bit more stable. (We had great times recently sparking the pegs in the mountains, as well as cruising the boulevards at the beach.)
I still intend to own a HD (hopefully an FXST) within a year or so (I'm waiting for the local shop to start taking orders again-- I'll be damned if I'll pay several thousand over retail just to get it NOW). But I'll still hang on to the Savage as a great second/utility/"bitch" (no offense!) bike.
Cheers, and KTRSD.
John