Posted by John Blalock on March 20, 2000 at 06:47:38:
I just purchased a 1998 Suzuki Savage LS650 from a local Phoenix, Arizona dealer that still had it new in the crate. Cheaper than used 1998 Savages advertized in the paper, and with only 0.6 miles on the odometer! One of the reasons I went with the Savage was the existance of this forum. When the link I got from Hotbot.com no longer worked, I finally went to progressively higher directories until I found the new top-level URL. Then back down and here it is! I found it, non-lurkers have been notified thanks to Linnette, but until the search engines get updated I'm sure that several readers will just assume that the forum is no more...
I like the Savage, lots of fun, plenty of power for my needs, but no place to keep a cover, rainsuit, etc. Yes, it does occasionally rain here in Phoenix! So I ordered the saddlebag supports and the 99950-80030 leather saddlebags that Suzuki has on the Savage page in their accessories catalog. I picked them up Saturday. Although the supports weren't easy to install, I did get them on okay. I first tried to mount the saddlebags by putting the yoke under the passenger seat, but they hung way too low. Putting the yoke across the top of the passenger seat gets them to an acceptable height, but they rub on the turn signals and on the shock absorbers. The tie downs do not align up with the support bars either. Plus, with the yoke on top of the seat, they look to easy to remove if I leave Savage Suzy parked outside my office, for example. I plan on attempting to return these bags to the dealer. What bags are a better fit for the Savage as well as being more permantly mounted? Please share your experiences.
Thanks in advance for your help,
-john