Suzuki Savage 650 > Reviews (2)

We bought a ‘D’ reg secondhand imported savage last year for £2200 and we are still very happy with our decision. The company we got it from wasn’t as hot as they could have been and mucked us about getting my documents (as its an import) although technically it was the post office and not their fault at all. Anyway... it’s a nice looking bike, we call it our poor mans Harley, (which is why we bought it, you know, shiny and posey)

It’s a single cylinder enginecruiser with a belt drive, the belt is great because its practically zero maintenance (no bloomin’ oil everywhere) so it stays clean for a bit longer. There’s a fair amount of chrome on the bike, some a bit fiddly, so you’ll need to strengthen your polishing finger.

Comfort and Handling:
It’s comfortable for the rider, very torquey, not fast (will do 80mph on the flat, possible 90mph going down a very very steep hill). The riding position is great, nice fat seat, ‘sit up and beg’ type position, which means you can ride happily for a good two hours solid without a break. Which of course coincides with the fuel running out! It’s a low rider so you can put your feet flat on the floor and then some, which means that because of the low centre of balance it handles nicely on the corners but don’t expect to get your knee down. After all it’s not a racer, it’s a cruiser! It’s also lovely for parking because its small and light compared to most 650cc bikes.

As a pillion it’s not so comfy. The seat is very narrow and quite small although there is a back rest for you to lean on. The seat is slightly higher than the riders seat but you are sitting so close you don’t really benefit from it. So, there is no room for manoeuvrability, making a rather uncomfortable pillion ride for long distance.

Reliability and maintenance:
So far it has proven to be reliable, but on the rare occasion that we’ve needed to get something for it, we have found it a bit tricky. This is because there isn’t that many around and bike shops do not keep spares on the shelf, so be prepared to wait a few days if it does break down. Bikedealers also aren’t very interested in servicing the bike because of it being an import, so you may have to go a bit further afield to find a good mechanic. However, if you do service it yourself most of it is very straightforward. The only annoyance is that you have to remove the fuel tank to reach the spark plugs. (Grrrrr)

Bolt on extras:
These also are a bit tricky to get hold of. It’s not that there aren’t any about, but when you do get hold of them they tend to be quite pricey as they are more specialist accessories. We’ve found the one with the most accessories for the savage is Highway Hawk but there are others if you look. We’ve got ourselves a nice set of peaks for our indicators and headlight which gives that little something special. Which at around £30 wasn’t too expensive.

Disadvantages:
As it’s such a low rider with the pegs quite close to the seat it wouldn’t really be suited to anyone over 6ft unless they invested in a set of forward controls to push the foot pegs forward.

Be warned though cars don’t tend to see you as well as they would a bigger bike so be safe, wear your reflective gear and make sure all your lights are clean!

Note:
Anyone who knows me will know that I only hold a CBT and only ride pillion at the moment therefore wondering how I’ve written this op. Well I’ve had a co-writer...technically it’s my fella’s bike (although I like to think its mine too but sadly am not allowed to ride it, so I have to get chauffeured around) So he is my co-writer. Thanks J!

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