SUZUKI
CAVALCADE OWNERS GROUP NEWSLETTER
February, 2004
Here
is the February 2004issue of the Cavalcade Owner’s monthly newsletter.
IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO RECEIVE FUTURE MONTHLY ISSUES OF THIS NEWSLETTER, send
me an e-mail with the subject field phrase “No Future Issues”. My e-mail
address is jay@treefarmtapes.com
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RIDES AND EVENTS:
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CADE RAID 2004
~BRANSON, MISSOURI ~ August 16-21, 2004
Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday afternoons at Cade Raid 2004 we will have an organized ride through the
lake country of the Ozarks. Each ride is different and we let you ride at your
own pace. Join your fellow Cavalcade owners and discover the country back roads
near Branson. In addition to the rides we will have workshop classes and
entertainment packages to enjoy. Of course the best part of attending Cade Raid
2004 is the chance to get to know your fellow Cavalcade owners, ask questions
and talk “Cades.”
Our home base will be
the Grand Plaza Hotel. We have a special group rate of just $55.00 per night for
up to 4 people in a room. And if you want to come early or stay longer you can
reserve nights before and after Cade Raid 2004 at the same rate. www.bransongrandplaza.com
1-800-850-6646. For you campers, contact “America’s Best Campground” 499
Buena Vista Road, Branson, MO 65616 (417) 336-4399
Mark
your calendar now for August 16-20, 2004. We want to see you in Branson.
TORONTO CHARITY
RIDE
A charity ride will
take place on May 29, 2004. It is running from just north of Toronto to Dorset,
Ontario. It's a great ride and ifyou want more info please e-mail: ~Barry Jaynes,
b.jaynes@3web.net
MotorcycleHall
of Fame Museum
When: May 7th, 8th, and
9th.Friday to Sunday. At: The Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, Pickerington,
Ohio.Staying at the Fairfield Inn, 2826 Taylor Rd. Reynoldsburg, Ohio, 43068..
614864 4555...Rate is $59 Double. Campground: Buckeylake KOA 614 928 0706.
Larryand Wayne will plan a ride for Sat. afternoon and then we will have a cook-outat
Wayne’s Sat. night. More info as the time gets closer
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If you are planning a ride or
motorcycle event and would like it posted innext month’s Suzuki Cavalcade
Newsletter, send it to (jay@treefarmtapes.com)
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TRIPS & TIPS…
ALASKA
TOUR IN 2004
Iwould
like to know if anyone has made a trip to Alaska. I live in Oklahoma andnext
summer I would like to ride to Alaska. Does anyone know the do's anddon'ts? Any
info would be of help. ~James, ’97 LXE Oklahoma City
HEAD
SETS
Has
anyone bought the Cade headsets fromValue-Accessories? If
so, is the soundquality ok and is there a lot of wind noise? The cost is
reasonable at $79each, that's $158 for a pair. How good are the ones from Sierra
Electronics anddo they come with the headset to 5 pin connector lead? ~Dave, UK
David,
I’ve tried the ones from SierraElectronics and they are good. The lower priced
headsets are usually not verygood (chatterbox etc.)
and the ones I prefer for themoney come from Air-Rider. They are made with rare
earth and cost a littlemore, but the performance with the Cavalcade radio is
excellent. ~Micky
RIDING
IN WINTER WEATHER
Greetings
from Fallon, Nevada. I'm still ridingevery day. I missed one day due
to ICE at 4 in the morning. My dayjust wasn't right because I had to go to
work in a Cage. It's been cold attimes 9 degrees, but the Cade started
first time every time and was ready togo.
I
think the worst weather wason New Year day! The area Gold Wing group
(Reno, Sparks and Fallon) wasgoing for the Annual Breakfast over in Fernley (36
miles) away. As we gottogether at 9 am, only four of us showed up with two
wheels. We had a Harley, 2Gold Wings and the best bike ...my Cade. Weather
looked bad and there wascross wind. However, at 9:30 there was blue sky.
The wind let up some andit was almost 40 degrees. As we left the protection of
town the wind picked upagain but it was dry. About 7 miles out of town we
got hit with blowingsand for about half mile. But we were still able to
ride on. Most ofthe ride was with about a 25 degree tilt to the left. Two
milesbefore we got into Fernley we got hit with a total white-out of blowingsand. This
reduced our speed to less then 10 mph. I turned on theflasher. You could
not see the on-coming traffic till it passedyou. This lasted for about a
mile. But we got into town and to therestaurant. Now we really had a
bad feeling because the four ofus were the only ones there for a
40-person reservation.
Aboutfifteen minutes later the bad feeling went away when 35 other peopleshowed. However,
no one else was on bikes. They advised it wassnowing when they left and it
was coming our way. The “get together” wasgood but the weather was
turning bad. Now it was time to get on the roadhome. The snow that
came down while we were eating breakfast hadmelted. The temperature had
dropped below freezing, but there was noice. As we got on the road the wind
picked up after we lefttown. Then came the rain, followed by pea size hale. This
cleared upabout half way home, but the wind was still with us. With about a
25degree tilt to the right, we got good tire wear on the tires. Now,
ifyou have never been in Nevada, we have tumble weeds. Some of them are
thesize of a car. With this kind of wind, they come over the top of
sanddunes without any warning. So along with the wind, you have to be on
thelookout for weeds traveling across your path without warning. As the
roadturns, the wind is at your back. So now the tumble weeds ran alongbeside
you.
We made
itback to Fallon and stopped for coffee. As we set around the table...thesubject
of "Why didn't we turn around at the start and get in acage? Everyone
was thinking the same thing...but no one wanted to be thefirst to throw in the
towel. I guess the moral of the story is, “Don't letPride cloud your
judgment!" ~Mac, ‘86 LX, Fallon, NV
LOVE THE CADE
My 12
yearold son and I were exploring our new neighborhood. We had just moved
toSouthern Maine from Massachusetts. As I came around a bend in the road,
Ispotted the most gorgeous touring bike I'd ever seen. Sitting in front of
ahouse with a 'For Sale' sign on it, I was moving too fast to read the price.
Itwas just as well. It was obviously a fairly new bike and way out of my
pricerange. I had given away my 1985 Suzuki Madura before I left Mass. It needed
toomuch work. I promised myself I'd check the price on that beautiful gold/beigetourer
on our return trip home.
It was
gone.It figured. Someone probably snapped it up that afternoon. Obviously a
newbike. Obviously well-maintained. Looked like it was wheeled out of a
showroom!Somebody got themselves a great bike.
As the
summerof 2003 went on, I passed that house several times a week. One
afternoonin late July, I was driving with my son when we spotted that incredible
bikeparked in that same yard with the 'For Sale' sign on it! This time I parked
thecar and went to take a look. It would surely cost over $12,000. But I had
tosee it close-up.
Well, as
youhave probably guessed by now, that gold/beige showroom beauty was a
1986Cavalcade with less than 9000 miles on it. Its original owner only used it
foroccasional touring and then sold it to his best friend, who never quite
gotused to the feel of it. Both owners kept it scratch and scuff-free.
Theoriginal owner had mounted custom lights along the sides and rear.
My wife
fellin love with the Cavalcade. The comfort of the hydraulic seat, the snap
onpurse, the passenger radio controls all impressed her. I think Suzukiknew that
it was often the person in that rear seat who had the loudestvoice in major
purchasing decisions. ;-)
For
$2700.(!!!) I became the owner of that big, beautiful bike. I spent a week
riding itsolo so I could get accustomed to the weight and feel. (All my previous
bikeshave been 450cc to 700cc) Today I have no qualms about taking it into the
cityand maneuvering through traffic. I love this Cavalcade. ~Rick C.
mY LADY WON’T RIDE
Do you have any suggestions on how I can encourage her to takea
ride? ~Mac
Fly her out to Branson for Cade Raid 2004. She'll have achance
to meet a lot of gals who ride in the
passenger seat. Nancy is going to be giving a class for passengers about
ridingsafety. Sometimes learning
more about riding can help overcome the fears. ~Jay
Well Mac, have I got things to share with the Ladies thisyear! Lar
and I like to start riding early in the Am and we try to checkinto Hotels by 4
pm. We don't really like riding at night, but we have doneit. My number one
rule... Make sure you have hotel reservations confirmedat all your stopping
points before you leave home...or make them early in theafternoon on the road.
Wayne and Larry and Cathi and I had some real fun on theway to Nova Scotia. I
plan to share this lovely experience with all of youin Branson. We also
stop about every two hours just to walk and potty andhave a quick drink (water
that is!). Mind you these are usually 15-20 minutestops if that...but it makes
the ride a lot more enjoyable. We have donethe 12 -14 hr ride...but by the
end of the trip we were getting testy andtired.
If your honey would like to chat with me about what to bringand
any other questions she might have feel free to email me and I'll get backwith
her or she can call me. Believe me I can understand fear of riding.
Especiallyafter having been in our accident this summer, but you gotta get on
the steadand just work it out. Getting all the safety courses you can and
justpracticing in parking lots on slow turns will boost her confidence in
yourabilities. Hope this helps a little.........Nancy (alias
Motherwind,Nurse Ratchet, Flying Nurse, Tigger (without the bounce in my tail)
and thefamous Ditch Witch.
REPLACINGTHE
HEADLIGHT
I have
a headlight outand want to know the best way to change it without having to take
off thefairing. ~Randy
Randy,
I’ve found that if you remove thehorns from between the forks, then you’ll
have room to remove and reinstall thebulb. It’s a little tricky so take your
time. Don’t touch the glass portion ofthe light bulb. Use a soft cotton cloth.
~Micky
REMOVING THE SEAT
Can anyone tell me how
totake the Cade seat off? Do you have to take the bracket of the saddle bags
offto get at the seat or is there an easy way. All info is welcome. Thanks. ~Donin
Mass.
Don, it’s real easy.
After youget the instructions you’re going to feel silly. Open the saddle
bag tops andlet them hang next to the saddle bag. Now with a 12 mm socket and
an extensionand socket wrench remove the only 12 mm bolt on each side about
middle way fromthe hand support to the edge of the rear trunk. Yep. Those are
the ones. Onceremoved simply lift the seat from the truck area slowly and take
the air supplyline loose. Then simply remove the seat. I hope this helps. ~Micky
wateroverflow
I have an ‘86 Cade, had
itfor a few months, last time I rode it, I noticed the temp come up while
Iwaited in traffic, never got real hot, and when I started the temp came
backdown where I am used to seeing it. When I got to work, I had a
continuousdrip out of my overflow hose. When I got home, I removed the
farings; Ihad full fluids in the radiator. This is the first bike I have had
that iswater cooled. Any ideas as to what the problem may be. I
would liketo fix it before I ride again. ~Roger.
TIRE WEAR ON LEFT
Doesanybody
have ideas as to why my rear tire would wear more on the left-hand sidethan the
right? It’s almost bear on left side but still has some tread on theright
half? ~John
John, Bike tires
willgenerally wear more on the left side than the right, since roads are crowned
tolet the water run off of them: The center is higher than the shoulder.
Inthe UK, tires wear faster on the right side.
Sounds like your case is
moreextreme than most though. Putting your tools in the left bag to makeyour
bike lean a little to the right might help it a little. Otherthan
that, it’s new tire time. {8-] Spike
Spike, is this another bit
ofyour wisdom that can be found in the "Gospel according to Spike"book?
This sounds a bit like the heat coming off the exhaust pipecomment. I
suppose this crown thing might have some validity to it, but myfirst thought was
that the extra bit of wear is caused more from the driveshaft being on that side
of the bike. Mine does the same thing. Anothershade tree theory is
that cornering to the left is happening a lot more. Or inmy case, I'm more
comfortable cornering left than right, therefore I cornerleft at least 5 mph
more than right. I know this will have some long termeffect on tire wear.
Lastly, I can see the wear coming from a slightly out ofline rear tire. When
I remove both hands from the bars, my bike doesn'ttrack straight; it goes left a
bit, nothing drastic, but definitely left. Ican also accept this will have
adverse effect on tire wear. I guess wewill have to wait and see what the
King says; I really would value his opinionon this subject. ~Jack in NV
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CLUTCH PRESSURE
Tracy, I went to start
my Cade last week (it's beensitting for awhile) and the clutch lever went right
to the handlebar with noresistance. Fluid was low so I topped it off but I'm
wondering if maybe theslave
cylinder is leaking. Any
thoughts? ~Mike
It’s probably the
slave. Need to bleed it at the mastercylinder banjo bolt to get pressure back.
Might just need a fluid change butthe slave seal has a habit of going tits up if
it hasn't been attended to sincenew. Remember, DOT 4 only. ~Tracy
Thanks
for the info. I will try to bleed it this weekend and see what happens.
If I do need toreplace the slave, am I right that the secondary has to come off?
I dohave the CD so I will look there too. ~Mike
Yep. Might as well go
ahead and do the plug fix andreplace all of the seals in that area. I have the
seal/gasket kit that does thecomplete secondary RR and it includes the slave
seal for $56. I've found thatmost slave cylinders are okay with a honing as the
pressure in the system ispretty low and there's a lot of forgiveness in the
diameter. ~Tracy
How does one bleed at
theBanjo Bolt? Allot of directions on bleeding at the slave but any for on
theBanjo? ~John H.
Just use the banjo bolt
likea bleeder. Pressure on lever, loosen banjo, pull lever to grip, tighten
banjo.Repeat until only fluid. Be careful, brake fluid eats paint and plastic.
Covereverything with plastic and rags. ~Tracy
CARB REBUILD
Where can
Iget kits for rebuild? I'll assume there isn't any difference betweenthese
and auto carbs. My inexperience will show when trying to tune the
4together. Should I attempt it myself or take it to the local shop,
whichhappens to be a Harley shop. I understand the basic concept using
vacuumgauges, but have never attempted anything like this before. ~Jack in
NV
Kits
areprobably not available. You may have to buy just the individual parts
butthere's only a bowl gasket and some o-rings for a "rebuild". If
youwant to do the needles/seats, you will have to order them separately.
Thebiggest problem with CV carbs is pinholes in the slide diaphragms. They
areexpensive to replace (about $80 each carb) but can affect mixture
prettybadly and lead to poor gas mileage. There's also another diaphragm that
cancause problems but they're less and off e-bay you can get them for about
$20ea. Balancing is not hard, just a little tedious. Use gauges or mercury
sticks,it just takes a little patience to get them all the same. ~Tracy
STARTING THE CADE
<<Put
on the newClutch switch I got from Tracy, bike would still start while in
neutral.>
That tells me that there is something
else bypassed in the system. You needto look a little deeper as, from my
understanding; the bike will not start atall with the clutch out. Does the
cruise work? Does it trip out when you pullin the clutch? These are things that
will help to sort out the problem.
<<Three days later bike won't
start. It seems to want to startbut won't. >>
This is the starting process.
1) Key to on
2) Don't pull in clutch but hit
starter button. You will hear clicks from underthe right rear of the seat. Hold
the starter button until the clicking stops.If your bike will turn over without
pulling in the clutch, you have
another problem. It may be that the
previous owner bypassed the clutch switchdeeper inside the fairing and the new
switch you put on isn't doing anythingfor you. Possibly, you have a bad diode
somewhere on the wiring harness. Justhave to check them all to (about 8 or so)
to see if one's bad.
Please note: Unless you can get the
carbs primed with #2 above, starting isgoing to be near impossible. If the fuel
pump cannot build pressure to the carbs,you can crank your brains out and it may
never start.
3) Pull choke lever all the way on. If
you haven't done so, check the movementof the choke slides on the carbs to make
sure that the cable is actuallypulling the slides fully. If there's too much
slack in the cable, the chokewon't be effective. Conversely, if the cable is
sticking or adjusted too tight,the choke will be on all the time and gas mileage
will suffer.
4) WITHOUT TOUCHING THE THROTTLE, pull
in the clutch and hit the starter button.It may not fire on all cylinders
immediately but one or two should fire and itmay try to run. If it runs and
dies, do it again but DON'T TOUCH THE THROTTLE!Just let the choke do its job.
5) When it does fire it may run like
crap for a few seconds until the othercylinders start to fire but should start
to run on all cylinders and you may haveto back off the choke to slow it down to
around 1500-2000 RPM. It should takeabout a minute or so and you should be able
to back the choke off completelyand the throttle will be pretty well responsive.
<<Before this happen I got it to
the point to where all I had to dowas touch the starter and she would purr like
a kitten. >>
When it's warm, it should start
easily.
<<I am thinking about changing
the plugs but feel this is not theproblem. >>
I wouldn't suspect that all of the
plugs went bad at the same time. I personallybelieve that you have a fuel
problem and the fuel pump must be allowed to fillthe bowls fully and pressure up
the system. ~Tracy
LH
Rear wheel bearingsdiscontinued?
Thiscould
become a problem here in the near future. All my sources tell me that theLeft
Hand Rear Wheel Bearings have been discontinued and are no longeravailable. The
Right Hand Bearings are still available but it seems to me thatif you’re going
to replace one side, it would be foolish not to do both. Sohere is my question
for the group... Does anyone have a good alternate partnumber for the Suzuki
part #09263-30020 for the left hand rear wheel bearing? Mybearings are still
serviceable but they are beginning to show the
miles. ~Scott
Scott, That bearing is a
needle type with loads ofbearing area unlike the right side that is a standard
ball bearing. Unless youhave some specific reason to replace it other than just
because, don't. Justgrease it. It is more than capable of doing its job. I do
have the number ifyou want a replacement but, again, it's not needed unless you
determine thatyours is somehow worn out but the reason it's discontinued is
because it wasn'tbeing replaced. That speaks volumes. ~Tracy
FUEL PROBLEM
I seem
tohave a fuel problem with my 86 Cade, the fuel pump seems to be running when
Iturn over the ignition, and when it is running, but no fuel shows up in
thefilter while it is running. I had to prime the system to start
mymotorcycle. Is there another pump that keeps pressure on the fuel
system? I am at a loss just now. Any help would be appreciated. ~Roger
Roger, I have seen one
pumpwhere one of the rubber valves became dislodged and the pump would run
ratherfast and not pump properly. It was repairable. Also, since the pump is a
prettylow volume, it doesn't prime very well if the connecting line to the tank
isempty. If the bike sits for an extended length of time, the line may
evaporatesome but I've not seen a case where the pump wouldn't prime eventually
on itsown.
It is the only pump in
thesystem. ~Tracy
REPAIRING THE PLASTIC
After 17 seasons of use
I haveencountered some minor plastic fatigue around some anchor points.
What isthe compound of choice to fix or rebuild the plastic on a Cade? ~Roy B
Pencil
tip soldering ironwith the tip ground to a chisel point. It works better than
any glue. You maywant to reinforce it after welding with some epoxy or something
but I've hadgreat luck with just welding it. ~Tracy
~PARTS ~
HIGHWAYPEGS
OR BOARDS
I seem to remember on a
previous post something aboutchrome clamps that fit the LXE engine guard to
properly mount highwaypegs/boards. I would
like to be able tostretch my legs out. Does anyone know where these might be
available and howmuch? ~Dwight,
Edmonton ‘86 LX
VOLT METER
I am looking for the
right volt meter for my ‘86 LXE. Iknow at one time or another I have seen you
all
talk about one that you all like. Who
to contact, how much and how to getit would be very appreciative.
Anyone heard of the Venco digital volt
meter that Venco has for sale. Lookslike a good unit but it is
$80. Kinda high $$ I think. ~Kevin 86
LXE
TOPEKA, KANSAS
Hey all, my good old
Cavalcade is for sale, the bike hasbeen great to me. I am the second owner of
the
motorcycle. It has taken me to a lot
of places over the past 3 years. Ithas 47,000 on the odometer. I have taken the
bike all over the USA. Just last summerIi toured for two weeks all over Kentucky
and Tennessee. It has been to Sturgis3 times and I have never had a breakdown on
the road, it has not let me downeven once. She is still in good shape, lots of
chrome, and still runs great. Emailme at mrgreenman75@hotmail.com, asking price
is $2800, ~Jason Green
METHUEN, MASS.
I have
justheard from a Cavalcade owner that lives here in Methuen, but I don't think
heis a member of the group. He has
decidedto sell an 86 LXE -- 62,000 miles. I saw the bike last summer and it
lookedgood. Here is his Description and email address if anyone wants to contact
him.“I just put a new rear tire, battery, stator, sent radio out for new
switches.62,000 Mi. still in excellent condition. Haven't replaced the plug,
justchanged the fluid...8oz. out 8oz.in. No sign of leak. Could have been
replacedbefore I got it with 52,000 MI. Bike is ready to go. I bought a 2004
HarleyFLHT. I would like to get somewhere near $4500.00, considering what I just
putinto the bike last week.”
His email address is: J1M1B101@aol.com
~Al from Mass
NEVADA
I am selling my 1987
Cade. Bike runs but needs carbsrebuilt. I have a clear NV title but can not find
the keys. You can see pics ofbike at http://members.cox.net/tlg8n.
I don't have thefunds to have carbs rebuilt so I am letting bike go for $1500
OBO. Thank You,~John S.
I have
apolice buddy that is looking for a Cade .I have an 86 LX and he loves it
andwould love to find one in Indiana or near by. Let me know if there is
any4-sale close by. I live South of Indianapolis. Thanks, ~ "Todd
Craighead"<nightsight41174@yahoo.com>