Posted by Frank on January 08, 19100 at 23:09:45:
In Reply to: Savage a good choice for a first bike? posted by Bill in Oregon on January 08, 19100 at 22:08:58:
Hi Bill, welcome to the forum. Since this is an active Savage owners web site, you will hear a lot about it's quirks (and there are some, just like any motorcycle), but by and large the Savage is an extremely reliable bike and inexpensive to maintain. It's a perfect bike for a beginner, especially for someone mature like yourself who probably won't get hungry for roadracing and canyon carving later on. Motorcycling probably interest you as a new way to see the road and you'll most likely just enjoy cruiseing the country side or visiting your local coffee shop. The savage is an excellent bike for short weekend trips (100 miles in the saddle at a time), and weekday commuting through traffic. I'm a full time experienced rider with over one hundred thousand miles under me. I use the Savage exclusively to ride to work (124 miles round trip a day). I enjoy it because I can scoot through traffic with ease as it is a smallish bike. It has some moderate torque to squirt out in front of traffic at stop lights and maintains a good mid range pace. Since I put a lot of wear and tear on the bike, I like the simple maintenance chores to keep it running. For a beginner, the savage is not intimidating. It's not a big massive harley that's hard to hold up and it's not a crotch rocket that could get you into trouble. The seat height is low to the ground, so most riders can put both feet flat on the ground. If your tall, you might feel a bit cramped but for average size riders, it's pretty comfortable. The only drawback I have found with Savage performance is top end cruising speed. It feels a little out of breath at anything over 65mph. That makes it a bit uncomfortable around freeway traffic going 70-75. Other than that, I think it's an inexpensive way to discover the two-wheel world and still get a nice looking cruiser. Good luck and let us know if you get one.