Posted by Frank Moss on July 12, 2000 at 04:59:49:
Hello Forum; This could be interesting to those who do their own maintenance. I made a stool to support the Savage in a vertical position for wheel maintenance, polishing rims, brake work, etc. It's simply a seven inch high, four legged metal stool, two inches wide and eight inches long with a wooden surface bolted on to it to prevent scratching the frame underneath. The legs are set at 30 degrees which gives about a nine inch spread for stability.
You lean the motorcycle over on the side stand until the front wheel comes off the floor, and then with your foot you slide the stool under and rock the motorcycle back on to the stool. Presto! The Motorcycle is now vertical and both wheels are off the floor. What's interesting about this is that I wanted to check the belt tension at 2800 miles, and suspending the motorcycle on the stool, I then proceeded to insert the adjustment gauge in the frame fixture. What I found was that the gauge registered over the highest mark which is far too loose, yet the belt never seemed to be that loose before. I read the directions in the Suzuki Factory OEM and it said to lean the bike on the side stand for accurate adjustment. I took the bike off the stool, leaned it on the side stand, inserted the gage, and it now registered slightly over the middle mark! Apparently the bike must be sitting on it's wheels to get the right adjustment. When you think about it, if there is no load at all on the rear wheel, and especially if the rear wheel is hanging down, this would give a false reading on the gauge. I just thought I would pass this on, could prevent overtightening the belt.
The stool is still useful for cleaning the wheels, at least I can use it for that.