Posted by Jim on March 26, 2001 at 20:49:17:
In Reply to: Prime and Seizing Up posted by James Walker on March 26, 2001 at 18:56:08:
James,
I've got no firsthand experience, but I have heard that if you leave the vehicle in prime, gas will fill up the float bowl, then the carb, then run into the cylinder. What's more, I've heard it will even find its way into the crank case where it has the potential to vaporize and explode. The bottom line is that you should never leave it on prime, unless you are doing what it was meant to do (fill the bowl), or unless you have disabled the vacuum hose and need it to run (which is why my hose is still in place and will remain so: I know that sooner or later I'd forget to turn it off).
I have had experiences with mechanics, and I've found that nobody takes care of my bike like me. I've also found an unwillingness and perhaps even a sloppiness to work on Savages by the dealer mechs, because they don't see them as big money makers. As a result, they put new guys on those jobs and the QC sucks.
My recommendation is that since the Savage is relatively mechanically simple, get some good tools and a good maintenance manual and do the work yourself. (You can get the tools for around what it would cost you to pay a mech to do a scheduled service.) If that won't work for you, find an independant mech that you trust. Finding one isn't easy, but try asking around, the best mechs seem to me to be willing to take on new challenges (like metric thumpers!). If they scoff at your bike because it is a Savage/metric/non-HD, don't trust them (but don't get that confused with guys that confine their work to just standard bikes; some of those guys are very good but they just set limits to keep tool inventory and test equipment costs down. If you find one of those guys, he can usually point you in the right direction.).
I know that isn't what you wanted to hear, but I hope it helps.
KTRSD,
-Jim