Cavalier International
Summer 2016 The Magazine for Suzuki Cavalcade Owners. Issue 13
Index 1.
Picture by Tony Taylor, UK
3.
Editorial.
4.
Cade Raids for 2016. European and U.S.A.
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Maintenance:- Brake Tutorial in 3 Languages.
10. The Road To Cadeville 13. Adventures In Europe - Part 2 17. My Life With Bikes - Part 2 23. Suzuki MotoGP Tests at QATAR 25.
Links.
26.
Cavalcade For Sale.
27.
Parts For Sale
28. Tow Pac Advert 29.
Cavalcade Trunk Mirrors For Sale
31.
Cavalcade Gear For Sale.
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Editorial Welcome to the latest edition of CAVALIER INTERNATIONAL magazine. If there is anything that you want to be published in the magazine, then send all information to: gv1400lxe@gmail.com Thank you for all your contributions to this magazine, all are gratefully received. Keep those articles coming, without people writing, there will be no magazine to publish and I’ll be out of a job. This is the time of year when we should be out and about on our motorcycles, it does, of course, depend on the weather. Here in Europe, it has been a case of hot and cold. Sometimes it has been in the high 20’s/low 30’s and other days it has been more like autumn and bucketing down with rain. I imagine that it all depends where you live in the USA. Southern States should be very warm whilst the Northern States the weather has probably been a little mixed has in Europe. Soon Ronnie and I, along with Andy Wainwright and Phil Hinget, will be riding to the 10th European Cade Raid held in Luxemburg and organised by Yves Rummens from Belgium. Then in September it is the turn of riders in the USA to go to their 7th International Cade Raid, that started in 2004, if I’m correct. I’m sure someone will let me know if I’m wrong. Enjoy your trips to the Cade Raids and send me photos and a report of both of them and I will do a special edition of the Cavalier. Ride Safe And Keep It Upright. Don’t forget this is YOUR Magazine. I only put it together and to continue doing that I URGENTLY need more articles about YOUR experiences, rides, just about anything to do with motorcycles but especially the Cavalcade.
All articles received will be published. You will be able to read/download the magazine from this web site: www.cavalcadeeurope.eu/news.htm
CADE RAIDS
The 10th. European Cade Raid The place and hotel is chosen for the Cade Raid 2016 www.hoteldimmer.com The date is from 1 to 4 July, 2016. I have had 20 rooms in options until January 31, 2016 Careful not delay if you want to be sure to have a room. Book quickly. I have had good price for rooms with breakfast and dinner (5-course menu) included. For evenings two menus and a barbecue is planned. Price per person per night including lunch and 5-course menu. Double room (Prestige) 76 Euro Double room (Comfort) 71 Euro Double room (Standard) 68 Euro (at 800 meters from the hotel) Once you have booked please send me an email with the number of person you book. For having prices above, you must imperatively book with the remark Cade Raid 2016 on this email address hdimmer@pt.lu I am at your disposal for any questions. https://www.facebook.com/suzuki.cavalcade All information for this event can be found on the new Cavalcade Europe web site: www.cavalcadeeurope.eu Click on Raids and then 2015. Also at: www.suzukicavalcade.be
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Lodging Locations at Cade Raid ~ September 19-23, 2016 Our host venue for Cade Raid 2016 is going to be the Ken Bar Lodge near Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Our meeting room, Cavalcade Store, classes and workshops will all be held there. The good news is that we have a great group rate on guest rooms of only $50 per night for six nights (Sunday arrival with Saturday departure). The bad news is that we only have a limited number of rooms reserved for our group. This means that some of us will need to stay at the motel across the road. (Details on that location will follow here shortly.) So, the first to make reservations at Ken Bar Lodge, will be staying in our host property. Also, you must book for the full week. Telephone: _270-362-4990_ (http://www.kenbarlodge.com/contact.htm) Website: http://www.kenbarlodge.com/ If you are staying for only part of the week, or if Ken Bar is booked up, you will need to reserve your lodging at the Bel Air Motel (also in Gilbertsville, Kentucky). It is right across the road (Highway US-641). Our group rate for guest rooms there is $55 per night. All the rooms at the Bel Air have microwaves, fridges, and two queen-sized beds. With both locations you will need to identify yourself as a member of the Suzuki Cavalcade Owners group attending Cade Raid 2016. For families and compatible groups, there are also a few cottages which sleep more people. Call for the rates and other details. Reservation Telephone: 270-362-4254 ~ Other Calls: 270-362-7357 Website: http://www.belairmotel.com/ There is a third lodging option. Right next to the Ken Bar Lodge is the Kentucky Lake Resort and RV Park. They have spaces for RVs and also for tents. Additionally, they have cottages for families and small groups. Rates for the RV spaces with power and water are $21 per night. Full hook-ups are $25 per night. We have a group discount of 10%. You will need to call for costs on the cottage rentals. Telephone: 270-362-8652 Our contact is Monty Morehead. Website: http://www.kylakeresort.net/
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Maintenance of Your Cavalcade Brake Tutorial
By Yves Rummens, Belgium Tutorial pour le changement des disques de freins de la Cavalcade Le gros problème c’est qu’ils ont presque 30 ans dessus et souvent on casse les boulons dans les jantes. Puis nous somme dans la m…….. lol. J’ai quelques petites astuces pour essayer d’éviter cela. Naturellement sans garantie. Mais pour ma part j’ai plus cassé les boulons de cette façon. 1- Bien nettoyer, enlever la rouille des boulons, pour que la clef aille bien dans son emplacement. 2- Le moment de la rupture est dû à la friction et l’échauffement 3- Pour la friction on ne peut rien faire pour éviter cela par contre l’échauffement oui 4- Dévisser seulement de max 5 millimètres chaque boulon l’un après l’autre. 5- Revisser tous les boulons un a un 6- Répéter ce geste (4 et 5) en avançant chaque fois de 5 millimètres. Comme cela les boulons on chaque fois le temps de refroidir. 7- Il faut impérativement revisser les 5 millimètres à chaque fois pour réduire la résistance. Moins de résistance moins de friction. 8- Enlever doucement les disques pour ne pas déchirer les papiers entre le disque et la jante 9- Ne surtout pas jeter les papiers. (Risque de voiler les disques) 10- Si un papier reste collé à un disque, décoller le avec un objet très tranchant. (Gillette) 11- Si vous réutilisé les même boulons ceci bien nettoyer avec une brosse de fer pour enlever les résidus de l’ancien Loctite. 12- Boulonner tous les boulons en respectant les normes 15-25 N-m / 1,5-2,5 kg-m / 11.0-18.0 lb-ft utilisé du Loctite 13- Voilà bonne chance. Tutorial for changing the brake discs from the Cavalcade. The big problem is that they are almost 30 years are on the rim and often we broke the bolts in the wheels. Then we are in the sh...... lol. To prevent this, I have some tips. Of course no guarantee. But since I this application, I don't have more broken bolts. 1- Clean (remove rust) on the bolts, so that the key good goes into the slot. 2- The time of failure is due to the friction and overheating
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3- By the friction we can nothing we can do, but against overheating. 4- Draw all the bolts one by one a lots five millimetres loose. 5- Revised all the bolts one by one 6- Repeat this gesture (4 et 5) by advancing each time by 5 millimetre. Thus the bolts can cool off in each case. 7- It is imperative to tighten the 5 mm each time to reduce resistance. Less resistance less friction. 8- Gently Raise the disks to avoid tearing the paper between the disk and the rim 9- Don’t throw the papers (Risk that the discs warped). 10- If there is a paper sticking on the disc, removed with a very sharp object (Gillette). 11- If you are using the same bolts make it good clean with a wire brush to remove the remnants of the old Loctite. 12- Screw all the bolts firmly and respect the standards 15-25 N-m / 1,5-2,5 kg-m / 11.018.0 lb-ft Use Loctite 13- Well, good luck. Hoe remschijven vervangen van de Cavalcade Het grote probleem is dat deze bijna 30 jaar er op staan, En de bouten dan meestal in de velg breken. Als dit gebeurt, zitten we in de str….. lol. Om dit te voorkomen heb ik enkele tips. Natuurlijk zonder garantie. Moet wel zeggen sinds ik deze toepas heb ik geen meer gebroken. 1- De bouten goed kuisen en de roest verwijderen, zo dat de sleutel goed in zijn ligging past. 2- De breektijdstip komt door de wrijving en oververhitting 3- Tegen de wrijving kunnen we niets doen maar wel tegen de overhitting. 4- Trek al de bouten één na één een 5 tal millimeters los. 5- Trek weer al de bouten weer een na een vast. 6- Herhaal deze (4 et 5) door elke keer 5 millimeters verder te gaan. Zo kunnen de bouten telkens afkoelen. 7- Het is belangrijk telkens weer de 5 millimeters weer vast te vijzen om de weerstand te verminderen. Minder weerstand minder wrijving. 8- Voorzichtig de schijven verwijderen zo dat het papier tussen de schijven en velg niet gaat scheuren. 9- De papiertjes niet verwijderen (risico dat de schijven krom trekken). 10- Indien er een papiertje blijft plakken aan de schijf verwijderd deze met een zeer scherp object (Gillette). 11- Indien u dezelfde bouten weer gebruikt deze goed proper maken met een ijzer borstel om de resten van de oude Loctite te verwijderen. 12- Schroef al de bouten weer vast en respecteer de normen 15-25 N-m / 1,5-2,5 kg-m / 11.0-18.0 lb-ft. Gebruik Loctite 13- Zo, veel geluk
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The Road To Cadeville By Lowell Miller, U.S.A. making my daily commute on the Vstar. No way….. I did a lot of parking lot practice and riding around the neighborhood first. I was, however, able to make the transition to riding a motorcycle most of the time unless I had my daughters with me or faced bad weather. But did my motorcycle story end there …..nope.
Have you ever seen your plans get derailed? Are you where you thought you would be in life or are you living a life that is somewhat different than expected? As I bring myself to write this article I must admit that my “Life Plans” and the life that I am living are far different from each other. I didn’t see divorce coming until my ex-wife and the pastor at our church began having lets say “Private Fellowship” together. Not surprisingly my marriage ended very quickly after that started. I found myself stuck paying $1158 a month in child support and spent a small fortune in attorney fees dissolving a marriage gone bad.
In the fall of 2014, I stumbled onto a 2001 Honda Shadow Sabre 1100 for sale at a nearby motorcycle shop. It was a beautiful blue bike and after some thought I once again spent all of my savings that had been replenished by my tax return on the purchase of a second motorcycle. By this time I was well aware of the power limit of the 650 and the heat that an air cooled bike will generate when stuck in traffic in the 100 + degree heat. The Honda gave me water cooled power, a windshield, a back rest, and lockable saddle bags. Practically a Cadillac compared to the Vstar.
Faced with a struggle to stay in my house and pay my bills, I decided to wipe out the last of my life saving in April of 2013 and purchase an 11 year old Yamaha Vstar 650 Classic and make it into my primary vehicle. This decision came over the span of several months as I researched motorcycle options and prices, plus factored in the low cost of cruiser insurance. One of my conditions for purchasing the Yamaha was for it to be ridden by the seller to my house. I hadn’t ridden in 35 years and was quite frankly scared to death to get back on a motorcycle and ride in the DFW traffic. I enrolled in a motorcycle safety class and got the M added to my Texas driver’s license. But was I ready to get out there and begin
Then I listed the Vstar on Cycle Trader and Craigs list and got a potential buyer after only a couple of days. Or was he ? It turns out it was someone with a criminal record who wanted to steal the Vstar and even tried to break into my house. It was a nightmare. I engaged the police and took down the listing. The would be bike thief / home burglar was persistent but eventually gave up. The ordeal was very unsettling and I was not excited about the thought of
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At first I would have preferred driving my car any day over riding. I missed being surrounded by steel, having heat and A/C, a stereo, room to take anything with me that I wanted. But this was my new life I decided to try and make the most of it and and I was actually starting to like this part figure out the best bike for any given ride of it. that I was going to make. I became a DFW Motorcycle Ride Analyst. I would consider Being able to put the best machine on the the heat, the distance, freeway miles vs street to match the ride I needed to make local streets, what I needed to carry. If it was huge for me. I did manage to hang was going to be excessively windy then I on financially and eventually discovered would take the Honda and take advantage a flaw with my Two Bike Solution. Both of that tall windshield. Why not ride the bikes were very different except they Yamaha during the winter, after all the were both V-twins. Not really my cold air would be perfect for an air cooled favorite power plant due to the inherent bike and I ride down to about 35 degrees. vibration but they were affordable and It was definitely prime time for the Honda that is what led me to them. To date I had Sabre when it was above 90 degrees or for not ridden more than about 35 miles at a long freeway ride. I was getting picky one time without stopping. Usually by about every ride but it was working. I that time I was happy to get off either called it my Two Bike Solution. My goals bike, even the Honda Sabre 1100 which were very basic; to limit my car miles to did have less vibration than the Vstar. I 5K per year, no limit on the miles that I put started to research touring bikes to see on the bikes, extend my cruising range on what engine configurations were the motorcycles, buy some time and figure available that were not of the V-Twin out what to do with the Yamaha 650. But variety. The Honda Inline Six was easy through this process something was to find. But WOW those Goldwings were changing in me. Having a choice of more more than a little bit intimidating and than one two-wheeled vehicle opened my very expensive for my budget. A little eyes to more aspects of motorcycling than more research and I found that the older I had considered before. Had the would be Goldwings from the 1980’s had four motorcycle thief actually placed me on a cylinder engines. That might be better for different path in life? Was this a temporary someone in their 50’s who stands 6ft tall phase that I would get tired of or would it and weights 190 lbs. I also found that be around a while? Could I hang on Yamaha and Suzuki offered four cylinder touring bikes from the same era. Was I financially until my next tax refund? about to change lanes again? Sure these It took the better part of three riding bikes looked good on the computer but seasons and a choice of two cycles to ride now we are talking bikes that are 30 years before I started to actually like riding motorcycles.
selling to a stranger again. But now what? I had not planned on having two motorcycles but for some reason there I was.
old. Sure I was doing great with by then selling the Cade and I saw it shinning in 13 and 14 year old cruisers but these the front window of the showroom. The touring bikes are double that age. bike started right up and idled like a dream. I started to search Cycle Trader and Ebay to see what four cylinder touring bikes were for sale. There was one standout 1989 Goldwing in El Paso that looked really good. The price at $4000 though was well over my once again tax refund replenished savings. I looked on. Then there was the Yamaha Venture in Colorodo that looked almost like new. But to get me there or the Venture to Fort Worth was going to be about the same price as the 89 Goldwing. Then I spotted an 86 Suzuki Cavalcade for sale in Plano, TX with only 28,000 miles. Could a 30 year old bike actually only have 28,000 miles? It did look pretty good in the pictures and I shot them a couple of questions via email. Not really that much of a serious inquiry, but the bike was only 50 miles away. The answers came in on the bike and a few days passed while I thought it over. As the weekend approached, I called my long time friend Ron, who is interested in motorcycles also, “Hey Ron would you like to go along with me to Plano Saturday morning to look at a Suzuki Cavalcade …..” The conversation went on and Ron was in. My hopes were not all that high, I didn’t take any money or any riding gear, after all I was just going to look the bike over and think about it. How nice could a 30 year old bike be anyway? My jaw dropped as we pulled into the parking lot of the dealer
Overall the bike seemed solid in the mechanical department, no oil leaks or exhaust leaks and it ran great. Electrically too, all the lights and horn worked, it was a pretty solid bike and the paint was awesome! But their were some issues too; no radio, non -functioning speedometer, micro-checked windshield, the seat was falling apart, minor fairing damage from being dropped, and the left mirror was loosing it’s silver. We talked price $1400 cash. Now that’s a lot of bike for $1400 even with those issues and it is only half of my saving this time. But still what was I going to do? It seemed that I had travelled a long journey to get to that place and make that decision. I refer to it now as “The Road To Cadeville”. Yes I decided that day to enter “Cadeville” I went to a nearby bank branch got the cash and Ron drove my car back to Fort Worth while I took my first Cade ride. Without his help I would not have made it to the finish line….. well this is what I was thinking as I began this article. Part way through I made another discovery. Cadeville is not a destination as I had been thinking. Cadeville is really a road itself. So it seems that “The Road To Cadeville” was but another beginning. I have to wonder where it will lead.
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Adventures in Europe Part 2 By Veronica Hebblethwaite, UK
The next day we continued to make our way to Vienna but after trying for nearly 1 hour to get to the centre, we decided to give it a miss and headed for the Hungarian border. At the check point, we had no trouble in changing Eurocheques, although people had told us that they were not acceptable in Hungary. The most amazing sight at the border was the number of Trabants that were loaded to the hilt with coffee, the most expensive item in their country. It was here that we had our first taste of Hungarian food, the meal was very good and cost the grand total of £1.50 pence each.
this was mainly due to hotels being full or too expensive, e.g. Nova Hotel £110 per night per room. Also there was a misunderstanding between Dave and Mark. Dave was leading the way to a small pension off the main road, but unfortunately Dave could not see Mark in the mirrors and whilst looking for Mark, he went straight passed the turning for the pension. The cost of an en-suite room per night was £27 with breakfast, and a black and white TV. We unloaded the bikes and took a stroll to find a cafe or bar/restaurant, but all we could find was a grocery store. Here they sold bread by the kilogram and beer at 17p per pint. After buying some bread, butter, jam and a few beers we returned to our room for a “feast” and to watch the World Cup, proper football. (The rules came from our home city of Sheffield, Yorkshire, England in 1857, written by the oldest football club in the world, Sheffield F.C.)
After the meal, we headed to the motorway. This was only half complete but work was in progress along a 20 mile stretch. We passed quite a few campsites on the way to Gyor and all seemed to be up to good standards. Passing through Gyor, you couldn’t fail to notice the detached houses with huge gardens to the front and rear all full of vegetables and at The next day we hopped on to a “free” the top of the paths, the proverbial bus, well they’re not really free as tickets should be purchased at the central bus Trabant. terminus, but nobody checked if you had Petrol was only £1.20p per gallon, set by them or not, so people didn’t bother to buy the government, so after filling up we them. There is plenty to see in Budapest resumed our journey to Budapest, arriving and we would recommend a holiday there, at 6 pm. It took until 9 pm to find a hotel, you will not be disappointed.
The shops are crammed full with goods and food, not at all as the propaganda in the press would have us believe, and we didn’t see anybody sleeping in cardboard boxes as in London, etc.
thought that this was an excellent way of teaching children how bad smoking and drinking are to your well being. There was plenty of other things to see, planes, trains, a typical post office, etc.
One of our highlights was a Suzuki Savage being sold by, would you believe it, a Volvo dealer.
The next trip took us Szeged. Here we had a conducted tour around the sights of the city including a synagogue where the Jews placed all their clothes, furniture and jewellery, to be reclaimed after the war, most never came back. In the foyer, there were two black coffins to symbolize the people killed in the concentration camps.
Meals are very cheap and the food very good. We had a 5 course meal plus wine for Mark, beer for Dave and me, plus coffees all for £4 each. On the Friday morning, June 5th. , We departed Budapest and took the road to Kiskundorozsma, near Szeged, for the FIM Moto Camp. The campsite was OK, not brilliant, the swimming pool was filthy and the make shift toilets were not working when we got there but were soon sorted out.
Back at the campsite every night, there was entertainment. The first night we had the typical Hungarian folk music, the second night a rock band and the third night was the price giving and games. The Suzuki Owners Club UK did alright, receiving a certificate of attendance and a husband and wife team won a bottle of wine in a wine drinking contest guessing were the grapes in the wine were grown.
Later that day we signed in 7 other Suzuki Owners Club members, including our friends from Sweden Lars, Ilona and Jorgan. The cost for 3 nights camping, 3 meals a day and trips organized by the Hungarian Motorcycle Federation, was £44 per person.
On Monday 18th., There was a mass exodus to Belgrade, Yugoslavia and the Great Rip Off.
The first trip took us to a village vas it was at the turn of the century. In the school house there hung a pictorial view of two brothers, one smoked, drank and had bad health, his children went without good food and he died young. The other didn’t drink, smoke, had good health and kept his family well fed, lived a long life and prospered. I
Arriving at the control centre at 1 pm, we had to queue to book in for an extra night camping, then join another queue to pay and yet another queue to get a pass to the camp site. This took 3 hours and the cost was £12 for two people and £9 for a single person. When we arrived
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At the camp, it was overcrowded, the site was meant for 600 people and by Tuesday there were 950 people and the facillities were totally inadiquate. There was no hot water, no toilet paper, toilets never cleaned, only 5 showers for each sex and no camp shop because this had been turned into a bar where any drink, coke, beer or coffee cost £1. Not much good when you’re hungry. We found out that there was a shop half a mile from the camp and beer was only 50p (half of a £) a bottle and the food was cheap. That first night everybody went to the hotel next to the camp for a meal, this cost £7.50 each just for a pork chop and chips, drinks were £1.25 per bottle. The next day, we had to go back to the hotel to book in for the rally. Again we had to queue and we weren’t allowed to remove our bikes from the compound until 5 pm. This caused an argument with the organizers and some of the participents because the evening meal should have been served at 7 pm, which didn’t leave much time for the people to get back to the camp site and get ready. As Dave and I left the compound, the bike started to misbehave again and I was worried in case we couldn’t get it home. Wednesday was a “Do what you want
day”, so the three of us had a stroll to the shop for some plonk and nibbles. The rest of the day Dave spent checking the bike but didn’t find anything obvious. Plugs wre OK, petrol getting through so the only thing that he could think of was the octane wasn’t high enough. On the Thursday they took us to Topola, a fortified town buil;t in 1804 by Karageorge who was the first ruler of Yugoslavia. The coaches set off at 8 am, arriving at 9 am. Half the place was shut and by 1 pm everybody was just hanging around bored to death with nothing to do. In the meantime, we found out that the FIM committee had been taken to a vineyard tour and came back loaded with wine. That really put the cat amongst the pigeons. Apparentl, we bikers might smash the place up so we weren’t allowed to go. After another argument, we were allowed to leave Topola at 4 pm and be taken back to the camp site. That is when Dave lost my camera. One was handed into the committee, and nobody claimed it, but they refused to let Dave look at it to see if it was ours. Friday and the last day of the rally. The FIM committee came to look at the camp site conditions. Of course someone had forwarned the management because the toilets had been cleaned, there was loo paper and
a promise of more showers that day, alas, they didn’t arrive. This was also the day of the motorcycle cavalcade through Belgrade, this took over two hours, and was the highlight of the rally. That evening the meal consisted of a salad, water and a bottle of beer apiece. When people went to the bars for more drinks they were turned away on the orders of the FIM committee, who had as much wine has they wanted, and demonstrated once more that they didn’t care at all about bikers. One biker throw
a bread cake at the committee, when the lights went dim, and it hit one on the head. I hope it was the one with the lost camera! The best part of the evening, was when the rally trophy was presented to the British Team for accumilating the most points, although we only had 202 entrants and the Germans had 300. There were many complaints about the rally, which was nicknamed “The Great Rip Off”, and the organizers attitude to the bikers. These were the main four. 1) The over pricing of the camp
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site and the lack of facilities. 2) Organizers had air conditioned coach whilst we had over crowded bendy buses 3) All meals were cold, airline pre-packed and only on the last day did we have a decent place to eat in. 4) At the meals, the participants were only allowed one drink and had to pay £1.25 for a small tin of warm beer or soft drink. Don’t let this put you off going to the Dutch Rally in July. We were promised, by the Dutch people, that the FIM committee will not be treated any differently to anybody else and the meals will be far better, both in quality and quantity. Also the event is to be sponsered by the Electrical gaint, Philips. We will be there with some other Suzuki Owners Club members. To be concluded in the next issue.
By James Mink
Reminiscing and looking back over the last 50 plus years, here are some short stories along with stock images of the motorcycles I have had the pleasure of riding and or owning, starting with my first motorcycle ride. Later that year - 1976 - after my brief ride on Benny's Harley, my dad retired and he and mom moved down south, to Ewing, Virginia. Year 1979 - Age 34: and it has been 24 years since my Uncle Doc took me for my first ever ride on his Harley. I bought my first "there will be more" motorcycles. I am now the proud owner of a brown 1975 Honda 500 Twin, 500 cc. 4.8 gal w/reserve gas tank, almost new tires and a big seat. This also happens to be the the beginning of the first story/adventure to tell. I should mention that not only did I own the bike - but I was also in possession of a Wisconsin (temporary) motorcycle license. In those days, with a temporary license, you could practice riding until you felt like you were ready to pass the DMV bike exam and riding course. You were restricted to day time riding only within the state of Wisconsin, only and no passengers were allowed. I purchased this bike from a co-worker
in early spring and rode it as much as the changeable spring weather allowed, gaining experience to prepare for the exam. I got in more seat time when summer arrived. It was during one of these rides that I thought of a way to really put some hours on the bike - and gain plenty of riding experience. And visit my parents in Virginia, at the same time. Shortly plans were under way to take a motorcycle trip to Virginia. The purpose was now three fold. (1.) A very short visit with my parents; (2.) to take possession of a truck I had previously purchased from Dad; (3.) and become as experienced as Evel Knievel on a bike. Ha, ha. The idea was to ride the Honda to Ewing, Virginia, stay overnight, and leave the next morning after breakfast. I would load the Honda in the truck bed and head back home. Vacation time off from work was arranged - and I decided to leave on a Thursday, to give myself some extra time should something unexpected happen.
I also told a couple of my friends Duane and Mike - what I was planning to do. They let me know they didn't care much for the idea of me riding alone that far on a motorcycle. So like good buddies always do - they said, what the heck, we'll go with you. Then if something happens, you've got the brain gang to bail you out. Well, Mike owned a 1973 Moto Guzzi 850. Duane didn't own a bike yet - but said he would ride double with Mike until we got to Duane's uncle Boone's. Boone lived north of Vandalia, Illinois, and he just happened to own TWO motorcycles. Duane told me he had called his uncle - and told Boone about the trip - and Boone said no problem, Duane could use one of his bikes. I had told my brother, Randy. about the trip to see Mom and Dad so Ran called back and said he also wanted to be included in the ride. That was fine with me - but I did ask him if he felt brave enough to ride that far with me. He had seen me in enough scrapes that it was general knowledge any thing I did MIGHT involve a close call or two. However, he was up for the challenge. His answer was, are you kidding? I don't want to miss all the fun! In fact, he had already made arrangements with one of his friends to loan him the use of his bike, just in case I said he could come. My solo trip was now up to four. We had a convoy! Like me, Mike and Duane also had
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temporary licenses. Randy actually had a motorcycle license - so he was ahead of me on that one. After all the trip details were finalized, I called my brother and told him we would meet him at a predetermined place on Thursday afternoon. Thursday arrived. Mike had picked up Duane and were at my house with the Moto Guzzi packed. I strapped my duffle bag onto the seat behind me to serve as kind of backrest. We left my house in Clinton, Wisconsin around 1:00 in the afternoon and headed south for the first leg of our 700 plus mile trip. The first 275 miles would be the distance to Boone's house in Vandalia. After meeting up with Randy and making introductions, we were back on the road. The bike Randy had borrowed was a Honda 750. The first 150 miles passed in what seemed like no time at all. The weather was beautiful, there were two nice,quiet running Honda's and a Moto Guzzi all of which had comfortable seats and big gas tanks. What more could we ask for? After another 25 miles or so had passed, we decided it was time to fill the tanks. This would give us time to stretch and take a short break. After filling up the bikes with gas, and checking the tires and oil, we continued on our destination.
The next 100 miles had soon passed and we arrived at Boone's house. Boone saw us coming down the lane and was outside, waiting for us. After Duane had made the introductions, Boone said that ever since Duane had called him to inquire about borrowing a bike for the trip, the more he thought about it, the more it sounded like a lot of fun. He asked if he, too, could join us. He told us that we would be staying with him for the night and we would leave in the morning. Then Boone took us to the garage where his two motorcycles were. The one Duane was to ride was a Honda 450. Boone would ride the other, which was a Kawasaki 500 Triple two stroke. I noticed the Kawasaki had a header for exhaust and a small looking gas tank. I asked Boone about the size of the tank. He said it held about 3.5 gal - more or less. The other bikes held closer to 5 gal. When Boone started the Kawasaki, it sounded like a chainsaw firing up - and I was thankful he would be riding it and not me. Next he started the Honda. It was a little bit quieter. I guessed that Duane's uncle didn't make his living as a mechanic. Turned out, I was right, Boone was a physical therapist. Darkness was now beginning to fall, so we all went inside. Boone showed us where we could shower and sleep - then he got busy, making a pot of soup and pile of sandwiches. So the guy didn't know a hammer from a tong. He sure
did know how to treat company. After we finished eating, we visited for a while longer, finalizing the trip directions and last minute details. Nothing was overlooked. Then we called it a night. The next morning, we awoke to a bright, sunny day. After polishing off a huge breakfast, we helped Boone clean up and put away the dishes. Finally. We were ready to get underway. We pushed the bikes out of the garage and helped Boone secure his bag to the seat. He locked up the place and we hit the road at 10:00 am. We followed him down the lane to the highway, I noticed our quiet ride had now became noisier. We stopped at a gas station in Vandalia to fill the tanks and check the vitals on all the bikes. Boone would take the lead along some 70 miles of southern Illinois back roads, until we reached Mount Vernon, Illinois. There, we merged onto I-64, heading for Louisville, Kentucky some 185 miles away. Following behind Boone, we could all hear the header noise. On the outskirts of Mount Vernon, Boone pointed to his tank indicating he needed gas. I thought that's not possible. We had just filled up, some 70 miles back. But oh, no. Seems he did need gas. While Boone was filling up, I mentally divided 2.8 gals into the 70 miles we had traveled - and realized he was getting a measly 25 mpg. It was going to be a long trip. Little did the rest of us know at the time - but this 25 mpg would be a blessing.
No one else needed gas, so we were soon back on the road, heading east on I-64, with me now taking over the lead. With the restrictions on Boone's riding range, we began using 50 miles as a sign to start watching for gas stations so he could fill up. It was during the next stop that I began to notice a slight tingling in the backside. The others were also noticing it. Boone filled up again, and once again none of us needed to. And we would repeat this every 50 miles. At the next stop, we all filled up, had a snack and stretched, while massaging our backsides. I noticed this gas stop took a lot longer. For some reason, it appeared that not one of us was very eager to get back on these "five wonderful machines". BUT - we also knew that if we are going to finish the trip, we had to get back on the four lane highway toward Louisville. The duration of the next stop was even longer. The massaging and stretching time was doubled. We were all hesitant to re-mount the flat wooden boards that had somehow replaced the comfortable seats we used to have. Our next stop was just out side Louisville - and everyone filled up..... whether he needed to or not. This stop was again unnecessarily prolonged by flimsy delaying tactics since nobody wanted to get back on the seats, which had now morphed into skinny 1 x 2's. Our once comfy seats had been replaced by instruments of torture. But hey - we were men - so digging down 20
deep, found the grit and determination to mount up and head out. Right into the middle of rush hour traffic. Now is when I want you to remember that none of us had ever ridden in full-blown, busy, crazy rush hour traffic, any where, anytime, any place. I am still in the lead - and we're travelling close to 70 miles an hour, just to keep from being run over constantly watching the traffic all around us - while simultaneously keeping an eye on the others following behind. I could see Duane in my rear view mirror..... and his eyes were as big as a dinner plate - and bugging out of his head, past his nose. I think the rest of us looked the same. The cars and semi's were whipping past us - and a couple of the semis were so close, that if I had the time, I think I could have counted the bugs on their grills. After an invigorating, terrifying, exciting 20 minutes - we reached the outskirts of Louisville and started looking for a place to stop. As soon as we an easy exit station, we pulled over and stopped. Of course, we needed gas. But mostly, we needed to let our heart rates slow down, let our blood pressure drop below stroke level - and start trying to pry our fingers off the handle bars. This time, we were definitely not in any hurry to get back on those bike seats - which had narrowed to razor blade status. But - knowing that it was a mere 40 miles or so to Lexington, we found the
gumption to climb back on those seats and head on down the road. We were some 20 miles from Lexington when we realized that the good Lord was travelling with us. We were moving at a good speed, about 65 miles per hour in the right lane, when a pickup towing a long camping trailer passed us. Looking in the rear view mirror, I noticed behind him was another pickup, also towing a long trailer. The second one was in the process of passing me, while a short distance ahead, the first pickup and trailer were exiting directly ahead. The second pickup was now travelling alongside me on my motorcycle. Apparently, this one was a travelling buddy with the first one. Seeing his buddy was exiting, this one now had to make a very abrupt lane change to exit with him. Which left me with no place to to go, except into the passenger side of his trailer or travel in tandem with him and take the same exit. We were - almost literally - joined at the hip. Kissing paint jobs, as the saying goes. While all of this was happening, I was busy grabbing brakes, looking for a soft spot to land, and praying..... all at the same time. Somehow I managed to avoid hitting this guy and his trailer. The others, following my lead, were right behind me, taking the same exit. When the driver of the truck stopped at the stop sign, I reached over and tapped on his passenger window. The guy looked at me kind of funny, but rolled down his window. I asked him what the blank were you thinking?? You could have killed me. He blinked a few times, then apologized - and for the first time, I heard the excuse that four wheelers always give two wheelers..... "I'm sorry, I didn't see
you." Seriously. It took a couple of minutes for my shaking to subside. That was a closer call than I ever want to have again. The other guys said they were scared to death, watching what was happening, and not able to do a thing about it. They thought I was a goner. It was a come to Jesus moment for all of us. The final 20 miles to our exit for I-75 South into Lexington gave us time to reflect on how an instant in time can change everything. Taking our exit into Lexington, we got off and found a restaurant and sat down for a good, hot dinner. It would have been even more enjoyable if the booth seats had been made of something besides concrete. Leaving the restaurant, we noticed the great weather we had been enjoying for the whole trip was now fogging over. The last thing I wanted to do was ride on that razor blade seat through the mountains in heavy fog. After a brief, 10 second discussion on whether or not we should continue the ride - our sore, aching backsides decided for us - and we got adjoining rooms at one of the hotels. After hot showers, a good night's sleep and hearty breakfasts, we were ready to hit the road. The sunrise was slowly beginning to burn off the mountain fog. It is amazing how a goods night rest can change your out look. It was no problem to seat ourselves astride those padded boards for the final 160 mile leg of the trip. Following our standard 50 mile fill up routine, we reached the London Kentucky exit, 45 miles away, gassed up and and massaged, then merged onto highway 25-E. Our next goal was 60 miles to my birthplace of Middlesboro, Kentucky. On
25-E, we could enjoy a pleasant ride on a good, two lane road - winding through the small towns dotting the way through the Cumberland mountains, toward Virginia. We arrived in Middlesboro, and did our final gas/massage/ stretch before the last leg of our trip - about 25 miles in distance. Leaving Middlesboro, we crossed the Cumberland Gap into Virginia - and 18 miles later - we reached our destination, safe at my parents home in Ewing,Virginia. We had ridden our motorcycles 695 miles from Clinton, Wisconsin. After hugs, kisses, and introductions, we began telling my parents about our trip..... leaving out the scary part about me almost getting killed. We had dinner around 6 pm, visited some more, and finally decided to call it a night around 10 pm. Everyone took showers, then turned in so we could be ready to go, early the next morning. We had to load the Honda into the pickup bed for the return trip back. Image of a Honda 500.
command of the Sixth Air Refuelling Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California, April 29th. And photo of Justin, on the right, receiving the standard from his commanding officer.
By James Mink. Photo of me and Janice in Hangar P-14, attending the ceremony giving son Justin
To be continued.
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VIÑALES & SUZUKI FOURTH AT THE CATALAN Team Suzuki Press Office – June 5th. Maverick Viñales scored a brilliant result at his home MotoGP™ race for Team SUZUKI ECSTAR at the Circuit Catalunya-Barcelona today with a hard-fought fourth position aboard his GSX-RR.
The 21-year-old Spaniard set a blistering pace from the start, moving-up to fifth from his sixth-placed grid position, to hound the leading pack in the early stages, as he lapped even faster than the leaders: In his fifth lap he scored the new circuit record with the stunning 1'45.971, but as the chase to the podium positions was very demanding for the tyres, this forced him to reserve wear and settle for the fourth position. Team-mate Aleix Espargaró, unfortunately suffered with electronic issues. After the normal tyres dropped, the issue became too prevalent and he had to pull-out of his home race with seven laps to go. Team SUZUKI ECSTAR will now stay one more day in Catalunya for a session of IRTA tests tomorrow where technicians will verify the data collected over the weekend and prepare for the upcoming races; working particularly with the evolution chassis and fine-tuning of electronics. Ken Kawauchi – Technical Manager: “Firstly, I want to very-much thank both riders because they kept on working both yesterday and today, even though on Friday they lost a very good friend of theirs. They did positive work, and in particular Maverick did a good job in the race. In the first part of the race he stayed with the top competitors, fighting at the same level or even faster, but when the tyre-drop downed our performance, he suffered more than the others, so this is one aspect we have to work on. Anyway, he took the maximum from our machine, he scored fourth and we are happy with this. Aleix, unfortunately, had some electronic issues during the race that forced him to enter the pit lane and retire.
This weekend he struggled to find a good feeling with the bike and we will use tomorrow’s test to try to deliver him a more comfortable bike and look towards the next race in Assen positively and with the best attitude.” Maverick Viñales:
“I’m happy with the final result of the race, although I had to struggle towards the end with the rear grip and maybe I couldn’t take the whole profit from of our race. I managed to make a really good jump and stay close to the leading group, my laps were consistent and fast, but it took me a lot to overtake for the fifth and then to the fourth positions, stressing my tyres. I’m happy, but it’s also a pity, because if I managed to overtake sooner, my pace would have allowed me to fight for the podium. We still lack in rear grip, we have been dealing with this for a while now and we will work further on that in tomorrow’s test. We will try the evolution chassis again in order to understand how to improve. We still have room for improvement, but overall I can say I’m happy with this fourth place; it’s a good way to remember my friend Luis Salom who passed away on Friday.” Aleix Espargaró: “Unfortunately during the race I had electronic issues that prevented me finishing. There was an unusual intervention of the traction control which prevented the bike delivering the power we had, and lap-after-lap, with the consumption of the tyres, the situation got worse and worse, until I had to stop. It’s a pity, I feel at home in Montmelò and I really wanted to have a great race. Unfortunately, we couldn’t be really competitive the whole weekend, we still need to work and get a better feeling, so tomorrow’s test will be very important in this sense. Let’s try to forget this race, focus on the job and think ahead to Assen, which is one of my best tracks.”
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LINKS ALLEN KING - Cavalcade parts used and new: www.cadecountry.com TRACY PRESNEL - New Cavalcade parts: www.billydump.com BAKER WINGS - Wind deflectors for Cavalcade: www.bakerwings.com SILVER STAR BULBS - Headlight bulbs: www.consumabulbs.com AGM BATTERY (UK) - Leoch YTX24HL-BS 12V 21Ah: http://www.hardwarexpress.co.uk/ytx24hl-bs-motorcycle-battery-12v-21ah2790-p.asp
BELGIUM - www.suzukicavalcade.be FINLAND - www.sccf.fi HOLLAND - www.suzukicavalcade.nl NORWAY - www.sccn.no SWEDEN - www.cavalcadeclub.se UNITED KINGDOM - www.cavalcade.webspace.virginmedia.com U.S.A. - www.suzukicavalcade.com CAVALCADE_USA - Email group. https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Cavalcade_USA/info Send me your LINKS to add to this list. It can be someone who services the Cavalcade, parts supplier- used or new, in the US or rest of the world. Where you get your battery or tyres from. The list will be updated with new LINKS when available, it all depends on you to have them added. I am hoping to eventually to do a LINKS supplement separate to the magazine. People could then print it off to keep as a reference when needing parts.
Suzuki Cavalcade 1400 1986 Base color gold Condition used kind of drive motor year built 1986 number of cylinders 4-cylinder mileage 62000 km. Description we offer our well maintained motor. Many years we have this tour Buffalo and had a lot of fun. Every winter it is in a garage with a stove. There is also a fixer-upper. Maintenance is made at Terbraake motors for Nijeveen. For years a free member of the Suzuki Cavalcade Club Netherlands. i. v. m night work Please call after 1400 hours 0629006768
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For Sale Drivers Backrest made by Drag Specialties. It is complete with all hardware. I can be contacted at
jccalcourt@aol.com or call 812-389-3955 for details Here are the photos for the backrest. If anyone is interested I can send them more photos. Thanks James
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Suzuki Cavalcade kofferbak spiegel /trunk mirror Afmeting: 17,5 x 12,5 cm Deze spiegel is gemaakt op het formaat van de spiegelhouder in de topkoffer achter op de Suzuki Cavalcade. This mirror is especialy made at the size for the trunk of the Suzuki Cavalcade.
Op speciaal verzoek van mijn kennis Henk Bierman c.q. ter gelegenheid van de SCCNL (Suzuki Cavalcade club Nederland) raid 2011 naar Engeland, heb ik zijn Suzuki Cavalcade getekent en op de spiegel gegraveerd. De spiegel past precies in de spiegelhouder in de topkoffer achterop de motor. Spiegels zoals deze Cavalcade spiegel worden op de achterzijde van de spiegel (in spiegelbeeld) met een speciale diamantfrees gegraveerd. Na het graveren worden de lijnen en letters met speciale watervaste witte (of evt. zwarte) verf met de hand ingekleurd zodat de afbeelding goed zichtbaar wordt en blijft. Vooral als de spiegel in een spiegelhouder zoals in de koffer achterop de motor wordt geplaatst. Spiegel van Suzuki Cavalcade € 27,95;Afmeting: 17,5 x 12,5 cm; Dikte 3 mm. ; Incl. BTW Gratis verzending binnen Nederland. Especially for foreign countries like USA: I will also send mirrors to foreign countries at shipping cost US $ 25,50* ( € 19,-) This mirror cost currently US $ 37,50* (€ 27.95) Note: collectively order will reduce shipping costs per mirror. graveur: Johan Gasman; e-mail: info@creattent.nl telefoon: van maandag t/m donderdag: 9.00 - 11.30 uur: 06 - 522 91 633
Wanneer bellen niet (meteen) lukt, dan kunt u ook een verzoek doen om u terug te laten bellen: Stuurt u in dat geval een terug-bel-verzoek of spreek uw naam en nummer in waarop u teruggebeld wilt worden. adres: Isebrandtsheerd 199 (bezoek: alleen op afspraak); 9737 LR Groningen On special request of my knowledge Henk Bierman or to mark the SCCNL (Suzuki Cavalcade club Netherlands) raid in 2011 to England, I have Suzuki Cavalcade getekent and engraved on the mirror. The mirror fits into the mirror holder in the trunk behind the engine. Mirrors as Cavalcade mirror engraved on the back of the mirror (mirror image) with a special diamond cutter. After etching the lines and letters with special waterproof white (or possibly. Black) paint with hand coloured so that the image is clearly visible and remain. Especially if the mirror in a mirror holder, such as in the case is inserted. The back of the engine. Mirror Suzuki Cavalcade € 27.95 Size: 17,5 x 12,5 cm Thickness 3 mm. Incl. VAT Free shipping within the Netherlands. Especially for foreign countries like USA: I will send usefull mirrors to foreign countries at shipping cost US $ 25.50 * (€ 19, -) This mirror cost hört US $ 37.50 * (€ 27.95). Note: Collectively orderwill reduce
shipping costs per mirror. Note: Collectively order will reduce shipping costs per mirror. engraver Johan Gasman ;e-mail: info@creattent.nl ; Phone: Monday / Thursday: 9:00 to 11:30 am: 06-522 91 633 When to call not (immediately) work, you can also make a request to let you call back: You send in that case, a call-back request or record your name and number in which you want to be called back. address: Isebrandtsheerd 199 (visits by appointment only) 9737 AE Groningen
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Cavalcade gear Replica belt buckle. £10 inc p&p Worldwide Cap with bike and Cavalcade script. Any colour. £10 + p&p:
Pin badges. £3 each including p&p worldwide Special offer: 2 badges for £5 inc. p&p
Paddock Jacket; quilted inside, with or without wool collar. Cost: £60 + post and Package. Ship World Wide Description below FRONT: Club logo on left breast SHOULDERS: CAVALCADE or SUZUKI flashes on both. BACK: Horse/Rider & Cavalcade Script. The jacket can be ordered with just the Horse/Rider + Cavalcade Script on the back & flashes on the shoulders £55 + p&p For a jacket email with size & with or without collar.
Pay with PayPal
Email gv1400lxe@gmail.com to order
T-shirt with bike & Cavalcade Script on left breast £15 + p&p Polo shirt with bike and Cavalcade Script on left breast £20 + p&p Postage & Packing for World wide is: 1 shirt £7; 2 shirts £10. Sweatshirts with bike & Cavalcade Script on left breast £20 + p&p Postage and Packing for World Wide is: 1 Sweat shirt £9; 2 sweatshirts £12.00 Fleece, Full Length Zip, with bike & Cavalcade script or Club logo on left breast: £25+ p&p. Postage & packing World Wide is: 1 fleece £9; 2 fleeces £12. Email the size(s), colour of garment(s) & quantity. Also the main colour and the inset panel colour. Click Here Please remember when ordering that the thread colours can vary in shade and, therefore, each garment could have slightly different shades on the bikes and Cavalcade script if ordered at different times.
All garments with logo on left breast . T-shirt £12 + p&p; Polo shirt £16 + p&p; Sweatshirt £20 + p&p Postage and Packing Costs T-shirt/Polo shirt: 1 shirt £5 2 shirts £7 Sweatshirt: 1 shirt £7 2 shirts £9 Email the size(s), colour(s) & quantity required to postmaster. State which Country or State required.
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Cap with Horse/Rider design : £10 + p&p. Postage &Package: 1 Cap £2.50 2 Caps £3.50 Ship World Wide. Click Here