Posted by pETE on July 30, 2001 at 17:08:24:
In Reply to: Re: Forward controls posted by Steve on July 28, 2001 at 01:13:28:
This is exactly what I did. The first Savages that were produced had drag bars. When Suzuki brought the Savage line back in the 90's, they forgot to produce this option in the bike. Personally, I like the look. An unforeseen benefit of this was that my butt/lower back (I am 5'6" and 190 lbs.) is not hurting like it used to. I searched for the origional bars for a few weeks, but to no avail. I finally went to the local aftermarket Harley/chopper dealer and purchased drag bars. A few suggestions to look out for. Make sure the bars are at least the same length as the pull-back bars that come stock as you will run into problems when trying to install the brake/clutch controls (they may be too close to the fork cap bolt). Something to note with this; the bars that I purchased were made for a Harley. Harleys (with this type of bar) run the control/electrical lines in a small grove on the underside of the bars. If you look at this bar from the side you will notice that it is not round. I had to lightly pry the switch assemblies apart to fit them around this notch. I do not suggest buying this bar as to the control assembly might crack if you try to pry it to far. Also with these bars I was not able to get the throttle/grips all the way on (they stick out about two inches farther than they used to) because of the closeness of the steering stem cap nut and the master cylinder's brake hose as it comes out of the master cylinder body. By the way, my bars do have a rise of about six inches. All in all, I suggest purchasing handlebar holder extensions to raise the drag bar enough to clear the tank or somehow fabricate a piece of metal to go over the tab on the lower part of the steeing stem to limit the turning radius of the forks by a total of 1/4 to 1/2 inch.