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Originally Posted by music man
I was not jumping on you or chastising you
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No offense taken - sorry if I came off as having taken offense. We'd better stop that now or we'll put Easy Rider to sleep.
I owned a Vulcan 500, and it would go a lot more than 90 mph. Same engine as the Ninja 500 with slightly different cam setup. Very fast off the line. I can't find an MCN test for the Vulcan 500, but the Ninja 500 has a top speed of 109, and the Vulcan has the same engine and 6 speed transmission. I'd bet it'll do 100 anyway.
The Ninja 250 is a different class and style of bike, but it still will give more bang for the buck than the Savage. Both are one step up from the GZ performance wise. The Ninja 250 redlines at 13 - 14000 rpm. Run it in the power band, and it's a surprisingly fun ride. I had my daughter's over 90 once, and it was not finished. Again, the 6 speed transmission helps.
Don't underestimate the Hyosung. That thing has roller bearings for the camshafts! They may not have the name recognition, but they are a very well built bike. Hyosung makes some of the Suzuki engines, by the way. There's a Hyosung dealership in Manchester, and they sell a lot of them. Several of my friends have had them. Actually, three of my friends have had the same one. No one I know has had any trouble at all with them. So I think they're about as bulletproof as anything around.
I'm not saying the Savage is a bad bike, and if it's what someone wants, then it's what they should buy. My original point was that, given what else is out there, it doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't seem to me to fit any need profile that something else won't fit better. It's not the best absolute beginner bike, and it's not the best first step up from same. It's somewhere in between.
Having said all that, I am sure that there are lots of people out there who are very happy with them. They do have one very important thing going for them. They are a motorcycle! Is there any such thing as a really bad motorcycle?