My neglected bike

My Ultra Classic has sat unused in a blueberry field
for a month or so because I am having so much fun riding
my latest acquisition -- a 650 single (uh, anyone for saki?...)
Suzuki S40, aka Savage.

I never thought it would come to this -- losing the will
to ride a Harley, and, what's worse, preferring a rice
burner. My HD wrench was less than impressed.
"Why didn't you get a Sportster?" was all he could say,
although his wry smirk and body language indicated
firm disapproval.

Essentially I traded my former town bike (Virago 250,
too light and too underpowered) for this one because
(apart from its pedigree) it's near perfect for
what I wanted -- something with more cubes but
still light weight and easy to manage (350 lbs dry)
compared to my Electra-Behemoth (800+ lbs), and even
the base model Sportster 883 close to 600 lb.

The handling is good and it's just massive enough
to feel well planted and stable in twisties.
650cc with good torque on a light bike adds up
to some kind of fun.

Looks like a poor man's Dyna. I appreciate your post but don't really get
it. For what you're talking about I'd rather have a Buell or Deuce.

Also there's something visceral about riding a single.
It's a simple, basic machine that actually feels like
a motorcycle, unlike so many bikes out of Japan that
seem more like appliances.

Why doesn't the MoCo make something like this
(not counting Buell, since I'm not comfortable
on sportbikes)? There's obviously a demand,
as the Savage has been in production (off and on)
for decades and they're popular in Europe.

However the MoCo hasn't produced any for quite a while
and it was easier to get a modern metric than to find
and restore a 1920's Harley single banger:

Well the UC and the open road still call, when I have
time to listen; the S40 is for "town" -- around here
an awkward patchwork of cities, bridges and freeways
where riding consists of slow crawls through traffic
lights followed by short but fast (if it isn't rush hour)
highway runs.

Sean_Q_
Vancouver, BC, Canada