Cavalier International
The Magazine for Suzuki Cavalcade Owners. The Best touring August 2013 Bike Ever Made Issue No. 2
Adam Elkins rebuilding his fathers Cavalcade See his story inside 1
Editorial Welcome to the second edition of CAVALIER magazine. The first one went down quite well by all the positive comments that I received. It does take a long time to produce the magazine. Some articles have to be typed in has they come in a read only format, then I have to search for photos sometimes; it does help if photos can be included when sending in items for publication. Send articles to: gv1400lxe@gmail.com The European Cade Raid has been and gone, there are reports inside plus a newspaper article from the press of Finland Inside this issue Page
Article
3
CADE RAIDS REPORTS
5
Newspaper article on European Cade Raid
9
Restoring My Dad’s Cavalcade .
12
Maintenance of your Cavalcade. A) Brake Calliper. B) Electrical System
18
For The Love of Motorcycling. Part 2
19
Fender Bender
20
Mackinac Island
22
The Learning Curve
25
Articles for Sale/Wanted
26/27/28
Cavalcades & Parts for Sale/Wanted.
Click on this link to see photos of the European Cade Raid to Finland HTTP://skydrive.live.com/?cid=f9496995f82f34fd#cid=F9496995F82F34 FD&id=F9496995F82F34FD%21663 2
CADE RAIDS
European Cade Raid, Finland, 2013 by David Hebblethwaite England The European Cade Raid at Santalahti, Kokta, Finland went off with no problems at the venue. However, in England we had to make some rapid decisions, has the ferry we were supposed to travel on, hit the harbour wall and had a hole below the water line and was taken out of service. The ship was set to be back for our 30th June departure, but we were informed the Wednesday before sailing that the delay would be until at least July 3rd. This left us with three options, take a ferry to Holland, travel by channel tunnel to France and then drive to Travlemonte, Germany for the ferry to Helsinki, the third option was to book on a cargo ferry from Immingham, Yorkshire, to Gothenburg. Upon arrival at Gothenburg, all drivers are breathalysed as you are not allowed any alcohol in your blood whilst driving in Sweden, Norway, Denmark or Finland. Then it was a 300 mile dash to Stockholm to catch the 4 pm ferry to Helsinki. Spent the day exploring Helsinki by tour bus. From Helsinki it was 85 miles to Santalahti on one road. We met Timo on the way there. At the site there were only 11 Cavalcades at the Raid from; 5 Finland, 3 England, 2 Norway & 1 Belgium. Sadly none from Sweden, the nearest Country and a short ferry ride away. Bo Alvmark & his son were coming but due to a bereavement in his immediate family, they were unable to attend. We have not seen anyone from Sweden since the Swedish Cade Raid in 2010. Also missing, no Dutch, German or Danish. On the Saturday, we had a 150 Km ride out to the Russian border ROUTE . In the evening we had the presentation of a new CADE RAID TROPHY. This trophy will be sent to the organisers of the next European Cade Raid. (More info at the later). Also, for the first time we had items presented to, the oldest persons, the youngest person, for the Rat Cade, the longest ride to the Raid, the smallest cc bike attending (50 cc Yamaha moped) and gifts for the lady passengers. Hopefully we can keep this going for all future Cade raids.
3
On the Sunday we had a short ride to Kotka to Sapokka Water Park and the Maretarium on the coast. On the Monday we all departed for the journey home. Long Journey Home for Yves Rummens, Belgium. I'm back at home. I ride non-stop 1032 miles +- in 19 hours non-stop. I left Helsinki at 9:30 in the morning and 5 o'clock in the morning I arrived at home. It is an incredible motorcycle. 23 years old and she support without problem so a long way. Totality i ride 2456 Miles for the Cade raid 2013 3
Assortment of photos at the Cade Raid Finland. 1 & 2 are at the Sapokka Water Park.
1
2
4
5
3, 4 & 5 were taken at the Route 66 Motel, bikers shop and cafe were we had lunch. 6 Last photo, 6, is of the Cavalcades at the photo shoot. Outside Santalahti Hotel. This is the new European Cade Raid Trophy. It was presented by Juha Heinonen. The trophy is part of the engine casing off his crashed Cavalcade in Holland, 2007. This will be sent to the organisers of the European Cade Raids along with the European Cade Raid banner. See Finish newspaper article on European Cade Raid on the next pages 4
5
Suzuki Cavalcade motorcycle rally held at Santalahti, Kotka this weekend. Tony Taylor from England participates this international rally.
Norwegian Geir Sörum drove with his 13 year old son, Loke Gardar Sörum, a 900 kilometre trip from Oslo to Kotka. Dad and son participate this weekend at Suzuki Cavalcade bike event at Kotka.
Couch-Suzuki’s curve their way to Kotka Voyaging with motorcycle is middle-aged men’s hobby. Comment from Juha Heinonen “The amount of young motorcyclist is decreasing in conjunction with the moped license getting more expensive. By Outi Palmu Biker fans will find it worthwhile to visit Sapokka Water Park this afternoon, where one can see rare Suzuki Cavalcade motorcycles. Cavalcades, called also couches, and their owners gather this weekend for European Cade Raid motorcycle rally held in Santalahti, Kotka. “This international rally is held first time in Finland”, informs Juha Heinonen, President of Suzuki Cavalcade Club Finland. Drivers have come from Finland, England, Norway and Belgium. The founder of the event David Hebblethwaite says”that this is his first visit to Finland”. He praises the beautiful nature of Finland and the level roads. Although driving through Sweden we got showers everyday, (this was in 2010 , it was sunny al the way this year) but it goes with the hobby. We need to ride despite the weather, no matter what, laughs 64 years old driver David Hebblethwaite.
6
The rarity of the Suzuki Cavalcade makes this event a special one. These voyager-oriented bikes were in production between 1985 and 1991 with only 9500 pieces made. “In Finland we have about 28 Cavalcades 2, says Heinonen. “Cavalcade was selected as the best voyaging-bike of its time”, says Timo Saarno from Tuusula. One can not see any young riders among the ones who arrived at Kotka. Suzuki enthusiasts admit that, especially voyaging with motorcycles, is mainly a hobby for wealthy middle-aged men. ( Didn’t see any rich men and there were some women there.) Partly that goes to the expensive cost of the bikes. Also spare parts cost a lot. Therefore these gatherings are important. “One can create contacts to foreign countries”, says Heinonen. During last years registration of new motorcycles has gone down in Finland. Situation is quite similar in other European countries. Saarno and Heinonen believe that at present hard financial times, a motorcycle is taken as a luxury, which can be sold away first. Young drivers can not afford to buy a motorcycle. The amount of young motorcyclist is decreasing in conjunction with the moped license getting more expensive. If youngsters do not drive moped license they probably skip the motorcycle license also. In a nutshell: European Cade Raid ● A rally for Suzuki Cavalcade motorcycle voyagers. ● This international event has been held since 2002 in different countries of Europe. ● This year motorist gather first time in Finland at Santalahti, Kotka. ● 2014 these enthusiasts meet in Holland. ( www.suzukicavalcade.nl for information)
How are the motorcyclist taken notice of in traffic Story by Outi Palmu, Photos by Sari Tauru David Hebblethwaite, England “Dangerous situations are usually created by car drivers, they do not take enough notice of the traffic around them. Car drivers need more training of how to encounter other vehicles. That would be the key to improve traffic safety of motorcyclist.”
7
Timo Saarno, Tuusula “I have reminded my daughters that they’re invisible when driving their mopeds scooters. Same goes with motorcycles. A motorist needs to take extra precautions and keep distance to other vehicles. The key is being more proactive than when driving the car.” Tony Taylor, England “I think motorcyclist are taken similarly all over Europe, though we have much more traffic than in Finland, so dangerous are born more easily. Motorcyclist should ride with driving lights on and wear reflective vest when riding so that they would be seen well.” Yves Rummens, Belgium “I have never encountered a dangerous situation in traffic or had any kind of accident. I don’t that there is any difference in driving in Finland than in Belgium. All though there are more cars in Belgium, the drivers are friendly toward motorcyclist.” Kåre Tveit, Norway “I have driven motorcycles for 20 years and have never got into an accident. If one drives obeying the speed limits, having all driving lights on, I do not think there is anything to be scared of in traffic. Especially in Norway, all are good drivers, the motorcyclist as well as the car drivers.” Juha Heinonen, Kouvola
“Car drivers do not take notice that there are other vehicles on the road too. Driving schools should teach attitude for driving with more attention these days. It is vital that motorcyclist also make themselves visible.”
8
My DAD’S CAVALCADE By ADAM ELKINS U.S.A.
Back in 86 my dad was ready to give up his Honda CB900 for something a bit better, and purchased a brown/tan Cavalcade LX. We were in the Colony Cruisers - a riding club in The Colony TX. Even back then, I remember being on that thing... Countless camping trips and tours with the club. Sometime before 1990 he got it painted a charcoal gray with light gray accents and some beautiful pin striping. I wish I had photos of it in this state. Shortly before the family moved to Michigan it was painted again. This time a deep blue with some mural art depicting a "space motorcycle" travelling the stars. Dad had originally asked for something else, I don't recall... an ocean or something maybe, and was pretty upset with the results until all the plastics were back on the bike. In this state, I put more miles than I can remember on the back going from Michigan to Texas and back, not to mention all the rides in between. Time went on, and in 1998, I was now living with my mom at this point, but still saw dad on weekends, him and my stepmom were riding the back roads of branch county MI when something started smoking from under the fairing. He determined the main harness needed to be replaced. By 2003 he had a new bike and the cavalcade was left neglected in the garage mostly torn down from the harness job. In 2005 while riding home from my uncles surgery he slipped into a diabetic coma and laid his bike down. Shortly after I had a pretty big falling out with my stepmom.
9
Fast forward to August 2013. I decided to see if the cavalcade was still in the garage and put the issues I had aside. In September me and one of my best friends set off from Philly to get dads bike. We had an interesting trip up there with some weird encounters in Ohio on the way. The next day we picked up an uhaul trailer and headed to dads house.
This was the first time the bike had moved from this spot since 1998. She made the voyage back to Philly in all her dirty and grimy pieces. Since space was limited in Philly, I had to keep it in my buddies garage on the other side of town. I made it over a hand full of times to work on it before it was loaded up again in route to Portland Oregon. Just a couple of weeks ago I got it started for the first time in at least 15 years. There's still quite a bit to be done before she's on the road but I'm really looking forward to sharing it with my son the the way my dad shared it with me. I’ve put the first 6 miles on. The initial “Is this shit gonna explode?” ride. Got her up to 55mph and everything was smooth. It’s a clunky bike at slow speed, and isn’t afraid to show you how heavy it is when you’re not used to it. She needs another bath. Badly. With a scrub brush. Then a wax. A good mount of the chrome is shot, but as is, should clean up to an acceptable level. Almost everything is working. Tested Cruise Control – Rear Lumbar’s working, Auto Level’s working, all the marker lights are good. No comms. 10
Well I've successfully put about 800 miles on the bike since the last update. I went out to Grants Pass, OR to meet up with the others for the West Coast Cade Raid and had an awesome time. Only a few minor problems - so this turned out to be a really good shakeout. On the way down my speedometer stopped working and my left fork started leaking. I suspected the cable had just come loose enough at the gauge, so before heading home I took all the front plastics off and made sure that was secure. But, as it turned out the problem was the drive gear on the wheel. I had a great ride home with no real issues.
11
Maintenance of Your Cavalcade Brake Maintenance by Yves Rummens, Belgium. 1-I have the calliper removed and a small jar placed under the supply line. Everything well clotted since this oil is very aggressive. I remove Black cover with a screwdriver. 1-J’ai démonté la mâchoire et j’ai mis un petit pot en dessous du tuyau d’arrivé. Et j’ai tout bien nettoyé, cette huile est très agressive. Avec un tournevis j’ai enlevé le couvercle noir. 1-Ik heb de remklauw gedemonteerd en een klein potje geplaatst onder de toevoerleiding. Alles goed gekuist daar deze olie is zeer agressief is. Zwart dekseltje heb ik verwijderen met een schroevendraaier. 2-I have take away the two small security clips.
2-J’ai enlever les deux petits goupils de sécurité 2-Ik heb de twee veiligheidsspeldjes verwijderen.
3-Then I removed the two metal pins. Attention: they can be seized by rust and oxidation
3-Puis j’ai enlevé les deux axes. Attention: ils peuvent être grippe par rouille et l’oxydation 3-Dan de twee asjes verwijdert. Opgelet: deze kan door de roest en oxidatie vast zitten. 4-Then I removed the two metal guides.
4-Puis j’ai enlevé les deux guides métalliques. 4-Dan heb ik de twee metalen gidsen verwijderd.
12
5-Remove the 4 bolts, as numbered, and separate the two halves. Warning! There could still be fluid coming out. 5-Puis j’ai devisé les 4 visent pour ouvrir la mâchoire en deux parties. Attention: il y a encore de l’huile qui pourrait sortir dehors. 5-Dan heb ik de 4 bouten verwijderd om de remklauw in twee te delen. Opgelet: er kan nog olie uit kommen 6-Spray WD40 were the arrows point. Push out pistons using air gun. Do not use high pressure. 6-J’ai mis du décale tout WD40 sur les bords du piston voir les flèches. J’ai employé le joint pour avoir une fermeture hermétique et j’ai soufflé avec un compresseur les pistons or de l’eur logement. 6-Ik heb in de voeg van de pistons WD40 gespoten zie pijlen. Heb de dichting gebruikt om een hermetische afsluiting te bekomen en zo de pistons langs daar met de compressor uit geblazen. 7-Here we can see the oxidation between the jaw and the piston One of the reasons for why its function is no longer optimal. 7-Ici on voit bien l’oxydation entre la mâchoire et le piston Une des raisons pour quoi sa fonction est plus optimal. 7-Hier ziet u goed de oxidatie tussen de piston en de remklauw en zo de functie er van niet meer optimaal is. 8-Here we see the inside, with the years the oil has turned into grease which reduces braking enormously, and the cups affected by oxidation. 8-Ici on voit l’intérieure, avec les années l’huile a tournée en graisse ce qui faiblis énormément le freinage, et les coupelles affecté par l’oxydation. 8-En hier hoe het binnen uit ziet. Met de jaren is een deel van de olie vet geworden wat het remvermogen ook zeer daalt,en ook de afdichtingringen zijn aangetast van de oxidatie.
9-I just thoroughly cleaned with white spirit, gently scrape the two grooves with a small screwdriver and clean the interior with fine steel wool, and blow with compressor. 9-J’ai tout bien nettoyé au white spirit, gratter tout doucement les deux rainures avec un petit tournevis et passer l’intérieure a la fine laine de fer et bien souffler le tout au compresseur.
13
9-Ik heb alles goed gekuist met white spirit, voorzichtig de twee ribbeltje met een klein schroevendraaier vrij gekrabd en met staalwol geëindigd. En dan alles goed vrij geblazen.
10-I also took to get everything in high temperature paint. 10-J’ai aussi profité de remettre tout en peinture haute température. 10-Ik heb er van geprofiteerd om alles weer in hoge temperatuur verf te spuiten. 11-I have polished the pistons with fine steel wool as the one to the right in the photo. 11-J’ai poli les pistons a la fine laine de fer comme celle de droite sur la photo. 11-Ik heb de pistons gepolierd met fijne staalwol zoals rechts op de foto te zien.
12-The new kit. 12-Le nouveau kit. 12-De nieuwe kit.
13-I moistened the inside of the jaw and the cups with brake fluid and I placed seals in the grooves. 13-J’ai humidifié l’intérieure de la mâchoire et les coupelles avec l’huile de frein et je l’ai placé dans les rainures.
13-Ik heb de binnenkant en de dichtingringen bevochtigen met de remolie. En ze geplaatst in de voegen.
14
14-I place the piston gently in its location. 14-J’ai placer les pistons doucement dans l’eur emplacement. 14-Ik heb voorzichtig de pistons in hun ligplaats geplaatst.
15-I have the small seal placed in his berth. 15-J’ai remis le petit joint dans sont emplacement. 15-Ik heb de kleine dichting in zijn ligplaats geplaatst
16-I have the two halves fastened together with the 4 bolts, use a torque wrench for this. Replace the 2 guides. 16-J’ai refermer les deux parties et remis les 4 boulons Attention: au couple de serrage, et mis les guides métalliques. 16-Ik heb de twee delen weer gesloten en met de 4 bouten vast gemakt Opgelet: op het draaimoment en de twee gidsen Gelplaatst. 17-I have the new plaques, the axles and the two safety pins installed. In the holes where the two pins end, I have placed a little bearing grease in order to limit oxidation. See arrows. 17-J’ai remonter les nouvelles garnitures avec les axes et les deux petits goupils de sécurité. J’ai mis dans les deux trous ou termine les axes un peut de graisse de roulement pour évité l’oxydation. Voir Flèches 17-Ik heb de nieuwe plaquettes, de assen en de twee veiligheid spelden gemonteerd. In de gaten waar de twee assen eindigen doe ik er een beetje lagervet in om het oxideren tegen te voorkommen.
Zie pijltjes.
15
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE By Ed Siler, U.S.A. Lately there has been a lot of discussion regarding electrical system faults, particularly the charging system. Some have stated that it's a failure-prone poor design, which is simply not the case. Most of the problems are not the fault of the bike or it's design. The Cavalcade's wiring system is nearly a work of art! Yes there is the known ground issue near the battery. Easily corrected if done before it fails & potentially causes further problems. Charging system failures happen on every vehicle. Drive a car/truck/bike/whatever long enough and you WILL be replacing an alternator/generator/stator/regulator. Period. And if there's an uncorrected weakness in the system, you may well be doing it again. It's also possible to get a faulty new replacement part on any vehicle & from any source - I've warranted a whole lot of OEM Ford parts during my career at the dealership! In many cases, the system suffers from unintentional neglect over the years. Few people think of wiring as something which requires maintenance, and it seldom does. But in the case of a 20+ yr old vehicle which has probably spent a good chunk of it's life sitting dormant AND has likely been exposed to the elements often while in use, electrical maintenance is vital! A little corrosion here, little there - it all adds up to a lot of electrical resistance. This would be true of any such vehicle, but the more complex it is the more likely a problem will surface. Then add in the "creative wiring" that is found on many bikes. Much is done with little regard to the impact on the system. Maybe a former owner added some lights. A trailer wire, horn or whatever. Maybe something was added in 87 & removed in 92 - leaving a bunch of wires nicked by "scotchlok" connectors. Or someone runs a too-long bolt into a loom. And so on. Over twenty five years worth of potential screw-ups! Point is that the machine is not at fault & does not have serious design flaws. The work to take care of things is easy & minor, and I know that many owners do it routinely. Whenever you have an area exposed, simply treat each available connection. Make sure the various ground points are clean, including the one at the starter. Take a look at wires for previous work, pinched areas, etc. Don't add or alter 16
things without knowing how to do so properly. If something was added by a previous owner, take a second to make sure it's correct. (It can "work" yet still be wrong) To properly service connections you need a good contact cleaner and silicone dielectric compound. I recommend DeoxIt D5 spray treatment, available online or at electronics suppliers. Unplug a connector. Spray the cleaner lightly into each side. Reconnect it, unplug again, repeat a few times to work the terminals clean. Spray lightly again & put a dab of dielectric compound in the connector, reconnect. Put dielectric compound into the back (wire) side of the connector as well to prevent moisture entry. Do this once every decade or so to remove corrosion & oxidation and prevent problems. On every bike that I've done this to, the lights are brighter & more constant, audio clearer, and so on. Reseal the ignitor boxes, they are above the headlamp on the left (clutch) side. Simply put a small bead of silicone sealant around the case seams to prevent water entry. Clean and tighten the screw terminals on the instrument cluster. Again, this is preventative maintenance and need not be a major project. Just do whatever is exposed when you have a panel off for other reasons and eventually they'll all get done. ________________________________________________________________
17
FOR THE LOVE OF MOTORCYCLING PART TWO – THE NEIGHBOUR & THE DIRT BIKE By Gary T. Schenk, U.S.A. I have performed the maintenance on my vehicles for more reasons than the sheer enjoyment. But, sometimes the learning experience resulted in less than a profitable endeavor either because I broke something that wasn’t broken or because I did some trouble-shooting with new parts that did not solve the problem or because I had to purchase a special tool to complete the task. Because I spent so much time in my garage, enjoying myself, a young fellow from the neighborhood came wandering into my driveway one day with the question “I see you working on your cars; do you think you could put a clutch in my dirt bike”? To which I answered “I think I could figure that out”. So over the next couple of days we disassembled a Kawasaki 125 to replace the clutch plates. This all started out as a learning experience and turned into a lifelong friendship, and as you will read in future articles, I worked for him in his Suzuki shop eight years later. The task was mostly uneventful until we needed a special spanner wrench tool to remove the nut from the clutch. We all know about necessity being the mother of invention and such is the case here. I took a 7/8” deep – deep well 12 point socket and with the use of a hacksaw, we had a spanner wrench. I still keep it in my motorcycle tool portion of my tool box. We succeeded in installing the clutch plates and putting the bike back on the dirt. And so, another facet of motorcycling was added to my interests. Over the next couple of weeks I discovered that the lady, who had the Honda 400 in my first article, owned a Bultaco 250 dirt bike stored in her shed that had not been operated for some time. With my interest sparked by the Kawasaki I inquired as to what price she may take for it and we settled on a trade for a sears lawn tractor. Of course this took some effort to make it operational and since this bike is not arranged similar to anything else I had worked on. Another whole set of specifications and special tools. So now I am on the brink of a new learning experience. Once it was operational, I and the kid on the Kawasaki spent several hours doing things with a motorcycle on his self designed track that I heretofore was not aware a motorcycle would do. I had no dirt riding experience so this was 18
all new to me. I actually thought that the motorcycle had two wheels so that the bike would have two tires on the ground at all times. I came to realize that your weight and its position on the bike when in mid air is a large factor in your landing posture. After many hours of attempting to learn how to maneuver this machine I decided that I prefer smooth highway riding. I managed to make a deal with the previous owner of the Bultaco and I ended up with a refrigerator that came to be a draft beer system. I still have the refrigerator so all is well that ends well. My love of dirt riding lasted a very short period of time but I will admit the handling experience has been beneficial on the street. Some years later I was riding a dirt bike with two others who were on three wheelers. A culvert surprised me and down I went. It took some time to work off the dirt rash and this was my last experience on a dirt bike. No harm done just the occasional weather warning big toe ache. Stay tuned for “Along came the Honda 750 Four� ________________________________________________________________
Fender Bender by Dug I was riding down the free-way, smelled burning rubber; thought it was the guy in front of me (he was dragging his boots on the highway--I assume to 'clean' the soles), next thing I know, there is a weird sound coming from my front-end. So I pulled over to find this (picture). So I lost the emblem, the trim and, of course, the front fender is now junk. Luckily, only (1) of mounting bolts was missing & (1) just happened to fall out on the ground at the side of the road. After pulling out my trusty Cavalcade Tool Kit; I was able to (with much frustration) finagle the bolt that fell out back into place & and then to tighten the three that were there. This got me home and I was able to do a proper repair. If you have ever had your front fender off--PLEASE re-check the mounting bolts (4) tightness and maybe put a little lock-tight on them prior to re-assembly.
19
Mackinac Island, Michigan Richard Boyce, New Zealand Suzuki Cavalcade Group Yes, I have been to Mackinac Island. In 2008 on our travels to the States, we took the long way round from New Zealand to the Cade Raid in Tennessee. We flew NZ-SFO-ORD-DTW then drove from Detroit to Traverse City for a few days on the shore of Lake Michigan. Then we drove north to where we decided to base ourselves in St. Ignace on Michigans Upper Peninsular. From there we caught the ferry to Mackinac Island. There only service vehicles are allowed on the island. If you want to get around, then it has to be by foot, bicycle, on a horse, or horse drawn cart.
Mackinac Island
Arriving at the port on
The Port from above
the island
The weather on the day we went was perfect. We chose to walk around the main township and tasted some of the food and sights on offer.
Main street Mackinac
The horse transport
20
Part of the Fort
Why do people go to Mackinaw Island you may ask, some go because they want to walk the broadwalk at the “Grand Hotel”. If you so desire and you are not a Hotel guest, then you will have to part with some serious money for the experience. The Hotel and Broadwalk were made famous by the movie “Somewhere in Time” filmed on the island. What has this got to do with Cavalcades? While we were in the area, Red Sloan from Muskegon, Mi, sent out an email to the group saying that he was making a trip to “The Big Mac” for lunch and if anybody wanted to meet up with him on the ride or at lunch they could. I took this to be Mackinaw City and responded to say that I could meet him for lunch. He replied asking how come I was from New Zealand and that I would meet him there. I said that I was on my way to the Cade Raid, this just confused him further as I was further away from NZ than I needed to be. We meet up in Mackinaw City and talked Cavalcades for a while and then he rode off into the sunset.
Some of the Grand Hotel
The Grand Hotel from the Ferry Cavalcade in Mackinaw
Would I go back, Yes if I ever get back to the “UP” so I can see this and other “Youper” attractions, hopefully next time will be on a Cade.
21
by The Yankee I'm married to has good taste in most things. Me, of course. Also, antique furniture, classic cars, any type of firearm, and sharp looking motorcycles. He usually managed to afford the things he liked - despite a stringent budget - even if it meant charging the children room and board. Or, as he put it, teaching them to be self-sufficient. With time on his hands when he retired at 62, he sorted the stacks of honey-do lists and set about getting them done. This led to searches on Ebay and Craigslist, where everything needed for such projects was available. There was no part too small, piece too antiquated or gizmo so rare, that it couldn't be bought online for a few dollars. Which was wonderful. He went through our house, top to bottom, on a fix or replace mission. Even tracked down a filament spool for an obsolete, electric weed eater. But that only lasted so long. With everything up and running again - and James at loose ends - he broadened his web search, finding items pricier than we needed or could afford. That didn't faze him, though. If he found something he liked, he bid on it. Not huge bids, of course - and never enough to meet the reserve amount. Just enough to indulge his fantasy that we had the money to be players. Fortunately, no one ever called his bluff..... until he bid on a bike. He signed on one morning to check email – and learned that he had placed the winning bid on a 1987 two-toned blue Suzuki LX Cavalcade. If James was telling this story, he would swear he didn't mean to buy it. I know better. Of course he did. His past is littered with assorted and sundry motorcycles, beginning with a dirt bike when he was a teen. During his affair with classic muscle cars, he did give up being a biker. The cost of licensing, insuring, and servicing both was too much. Still - whenever a motorcycle zipped past our house, or we encountered one on the road James Andrew's head would swivel toward it like a bird dog going on point. It was obvious his heart still yearned to own one. 22
So - we went to get the Cavalcade. The seller lived in Wausaukee Wisconsin north of Green Bay. We stopped on the outskirts of the city and picked up a rental trailer to haul it in - and James called the guy for directions to his house. The man said he was still at work, so we would probably get there before he did but if we didn't mind, just wait in the driveway until he arrived. Following directions to the middle of nowhere, we found his house - surrounded by woods, with a yard knee-high in weeds. The back yard was cluttered with a fleet of disabled vehicles, a variety of camper shells, old farm implements, and rusting lawn mowers. The junked mowers explained the weeds out front. A golden-eyed, red bone hound was stretched across the front stoop, gnawing on what had recently been the hind leg of a deer. I am not making this up. We got out of the Aviator, but kept our distance. The dog raised its head to assess us, then went back to crunching its lunch. James and I surveyed our surroundings. There was no sign of the motorcycle we had purchased. Actually, no sign that anyone even lived in the darkened house. I wondered if we had been conned. The Yankee and I walked to the end of the driveway and stood there, looking up and down the road for a sign of life. A black truck finally appeared and signalled it was turning in where we waited. It pulled up in front of the stoop and stopped. We walked back to meet the occupant. The dog left off chewing the leg bone to get up and greet the guy, so we figured he lived there. We introduced ourselves and exchanged a few amenities. This close to the garage, I noticed a good-sized oil spill in the dirt - and asked him if the bike we purchased had leaked that oil. The man assured me it hadn't. Said that his son had kicked over the bucket he used for collecting dirty oil and he hadn't gotten around to covering it up, yet. Because? I asked. Well, his wife's mother, who lived in Michigan, was dying of cancer - so he took his wife and kids to her house to spend whatever time was left, visiting with her. That sobering statement silenced me for a few moments but the question had to be asked. Where is the motorcycle? He reached in his pocket, pulled out some keys, unlocked the single garage door, then wrestled it up. Sitting smack in the middle, on a dirt floor, surrounded by piles of junk..... was this shiny, gorgeous, what looked like a brand-new bike. James and I were stunned. It was wa---aay beyond what we expected from the sale photo. Not a scratch on it. No rust. No dirt. No worn spots on the seats. Not to mention, it was a HUGE machine. The guy wheeled it outside. Reached over, turned the key. It started. Told James to take it for a run. Still in a daze, James got on, headed down the driveway, turned right onto the road, and vanished out of sight beyond the trees with hardly a sound to mark his going. And left me behind (for all he knew) with an axe murderer and a hungry hound. Then it started to rain.
23
We dashed into the garage and stood in the clear space vacated by the Cavalcade. The dog joined us under cover, dragging the leg bone inside. I guess you could say it broke the ice. I inquired about the deer road kill he responded “Dog dragged it away and hid it somewhere and been bringing home parts to eat, ever since.” I nodded. I grew up in the country. Dogs will do that, when you let them run free. I then asked why he was selling his bike. Said he didn't ride motorcycles. He was out in California to pick up a load of stuff he had bought on the Internet and came across it. Got it for a good price, so brought it home to sell with the rest of the haul. Ah ah, I thought. That explained a lot. “What about the cars, trucks, tractors, and stuff in the back yard”? I questioned. Well.....seems he originally bought them to fix up and resell – but hadn't gotten around to it, yet. Actually, never would, he admitted. When he started checking into it..... well..... turned out, they weren't worth what it would cost him to repair. I told him we saved our metal bits and pieces to sell at the recycling plant for cash. He had a half-acre of stuff he could sell. All that metal and any catalytic converters should be worth good money. The guy shrugged and responded amiably. Guess so, but probably never get around to that, either. Okay, so he didn't have much business acumen - but I did admire his blunt honesty concerning his limits. And thankfully, James returned not long after, wet from riding in the rain - but 100% sold on the Cavalcade. I think the guy could have raised the price, right then and there, and the Yankee would cheerfully have forked over the extra cash to clinch the sale. However, the man wasn't much of a horse trader. He even threw in some extras to sweeten the deal for us - an assortment of bungee cords, rope and straps to help secure the load for the road - then helped James push the bike up in the trailer and tie it down. As we pulled out of the driveway to leave, I looked back. He was standing in front of the open garage, the hound beside him, looking rather forlorn. He must have been lonesome, with his wife and children in Michigan and no idea how long they would be there. I hoped things went well for them. Then James and I looked at each other and smiled. By sheer serendipity, we had become the new owners of a beautiful motorcycle - a marvel of brilliant engineering and timeless design - at a price we were willing to pay, and were taking it home to ride. The adventure was about to begin. (Photos of me and James with our Cavalcade)
24
New: Fleece with Grey on Black LXE on front left breast and Horse/Rider + Cavalcade script on rear. Colour: Plum Size: Man’s XXL Price: £25 (Usually £35) + p&p.
New: Sweater with two tone Gold LX on left breast. Colour: Royal Blue Size: Man’s XXL Price: £15 (Usually £25) + p&p. Both the above can be paid for using PayPal. Send an email to: postmaster@sccuk.f9.co.uk
To see the full range of regalia on offer, go to: www.sccuk.f9.co.uk/page12a.html
25
Cavalcades & Parts For Sale/Wanted
This is Mike Bagshaw . I live in Idaho. I got a cavalcade at a storage sale. It has been laid over on the left side. I would like to sale it. Please give me a call at 208 360 0084 . Thank You
Need parts for your Cavalcade? Look no further go to; www.cadecountry.com or www.cademaster.com For all your needs. 26
Cavalcades & Parts For Sale/Wanted Cont.
Front Disk Plate Rotor Cover Set (condition of the fantastic). €200 +p&p
Front Caliper Cover Set (condition of the fantastic) €200+p&p
Rear Centre lights €200+p&p
LXE Cornering Light set. Poor condition. €50 + p&p
Cavalcade Radio Fully working. €300 + p&p
27
Cavalcades & Parts For Sale/Wanted Cont. Buy Only Original Parts 1) Cavalcades Original Rear Mud Flap 2) Cavalcades Original Travel Trunk Ruck Bag (outside!!) 3) Cavalcades Original Passenger Arm Rest 4) Cavalcades Original Driver Heel toe Set
If you are interested in any of these items or have the parts I require, contact Juha Heinonen by email:sccfin@gmail.com _________________________________________________
Send any articles, items for sale/wanted, photos reports on Cade Raids, etc. to: Gv1400lxe@gmail.com Magazine edited by David Hebblethwaite Stories, articles, sales /wanted given by the Suzuki Cavalcade Group. ŠŽ All content of this magazine belong to the Suzuki Cavalcade Group.
28