Savage
SAVAGE
Cycle World Mini-Bike Test
THE Savage mini-bike, made by the Tri-City Welding Co., at 11650 McBean Dr., El Monte, California, through its reputation alone became a bike CYCLE WORLD simply had to test. Since the beginning of the mini-bike fad, somewhere around 1959, few bikes have stirred things up and achieved the reputation that the Savage has. We have been hearing about this little bomb for quite a while; its wins of local events have been quite impressive here in Southern California.
Like most motor sports that have gotten their start here, including karting and mini-bikes, the competition became quite fierce almost immediately due to the large number of people who develop a serious degree of enthusiasm and start applying their abilities to competition and hopping up of the engines.
The Savage conforms to what has become a standard of measurement for bikes of this type; 45" overall length, 30" height, 21" overall handlebar width and a weight of 65 lbs. Most bikes fall into this general range of size. The bike loaned to us for tests by Lou Lomack of Tri City was powered by the well known West Bend two-stroke kart engine developing around 6V2 hp, a more than sufficient amount for the kind of high performance for which mini-bikes are becoming so popular.
A well applied bright red paint job, a contoured motorcycle type seat upholstered in black leather, polished aluminum wheels with 4.10 X 6" knobby tires, ball bearing chain drive with a jack shift, and many detail refinements complete the picture of an excellent example of the mini-bike art.
Our bike was also equipped with the optional extra fenders, full lighting equipment and carry-all rack also available on the Savage at very low extra cost. Controls are by hand with a conventional cycle type throttle on the right hand, and a lever action brake that actuates the rear wheel 4" brake on the left hand. Again, the way we feel all mini-bikes should be fitted.
Another feature that might at first seem of minor consequence is the well sprung seat, the importance of which we cannot overrate. We would like to see some kind of rear suspension on this nifty little bike, too, but this would destroy one of the most important features of the Savage; the price. Only $229.00 complete, plus $12.00 for the fenders. Prices range from: $139.00 without engine, $179.00 with a Clinton 2V2 hp engine, $239.00 with a IV2 hp West Bend engine, to $239.00 with a Briggs & Stratton 3 hp 4-cycle engine.
Since the Savage has earned its reputation in desert and off the road competition, we took it to the location of the Four Aces MC Hare & Hound AMA National event in the desert outside of Los Angeles.
The first, casual, more or less exploratory runs proved, at once, one fact about the Savage which we knew had to be there; its basic engineering is excellent. It is as stable as a vehicle of this size can be. It tracks exceptionally well, steers ideally, and handles as well as any we have ever ridden, and better than most.
Then came several hours of cross country playing, which on the California desert means a variance in terrain unlike anywhere else in the U.S. Some of it is hard packed earth, rocky soil, solid rock, rock in sand, pure uninterrupted sand for miles, gravel, mud (during the winter months only), and about anything else you can think of.
The Savage was never stopped by any of it; it handles like a full size bike almost no matter what you do to it or where you take it. The full virtues of the handling were well displayed when the Editor came flying down a steep, blind, rocky hill, tore around a large rock outcropping and found there wasn’t a trail there anymore. For about 10 seconds he relived his life while sailing through the air, looking for a place to land. Naturally, he found it, but he wasn’t any too happy with it when he did. In the end it was partly the excellent handling of the little bike that kept him on two wheels and still rolling, and partly the best luck of the day.
A thoroughly tired CYCLE WORLD test crew packed the Savage neatly into the back of the company wagon after jumping, sliding, hanging on for dear life occasionally, and just generally good fun of the kind that only a motorcycle can offer, with the firm conviction that, thanks to machines like the Savage, mini-bikes are here to stay. •
