SUZUKI
CAVALCADE OWNERS GROUP NEWSLETTER
September,
2005
Jay
Johnson, Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RIDES
AND EVENTS:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
20th
Anniversary Cavalcade Rally “CADE RAID 2006”
Details will be posted to the
email group shortly. Or, check next month’s issue of this newsletter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REPORT
ON THE 2005: CADE RAID EAST
I'll tell you my story. I
can give my view from the week I was there. I'm told that at the start of
the raid on the Dragon there were around 12 or more bikes...Cades, Harleys and
trikes .... The pictures look awesome. When I caught up with the gang Wed. they
were in
When we got up on
Thurs am... Lar and I packed a picnic lunch for the gang. We loaded up and
headed back up to the
Friday am we loaded Jack in
the van and gathered the bikes. We headed back to the
Sat morning Jim Everett,
Larry, Bob Moore and Bob from Nashville tore into Nashville Bob's bike and
replaced the stator in the parking lot of the hotel...they did it in record time
and we left at 10 Am for the awesome ride through the foothills of Virginia to
the Jeffersonville Winery for a afternoon of Food and song by a gal that sounded
like Nora Roberts. It couldn't have been a nicer afternoon under tents
with a breeze and great food and better company. Bob and Mickey and John
followed the bikes in my van so they could be with the group. We
rode back to the hotel that afternoon and spent our last night together getting
Bob's plastic back on his bike and eating again for our last supper. The
guys stayed up late and exchanged war stories as the gals started packing for
the trip home.
Sun was my
birthday so we all had breakfast at the Pancake House in town and then headed on
our way home. It was sad to part with so many old and new
friends........we had an awesome time and did some of the best riding around
these beautiful states we live in. I'm sure we won't forget this
trip...especially Bob Moore who had a smile on his face the whole ride...
God graced us with beautiful weather and except for things out of our
control...it was an awesome Cade raid...and yes...I did get to spend a day
riding on the Cade, which made it even better. Larry and Wayne
Hughes did an awesome job finding the roads with the most twistys ... Hats off
to you two .......... ~Nurse Ratchet with my view of the ride.
REPORT
ON THE 2005: CADE RAID WEST AT
I was planning to do the last touches on my bike the week before
the raid, but circumstances intervened (as circumstances often do) in the form
of an emergency business trip. My
last three evenings turned into half an evening.
When I got back to the bike, there were switches unwired, plastic pieces
lying all over my garage, dirty, oy vey. I
threw the rest of it together, finishing just after
After riding up from the Bay Area to
At the end of the evening,
I slept lightly with
Although we arrived frozen beyond words, the next day was a bit
warmer. We were then merely frozen
within words. Assuming of course
that one knows a plethora of words, all of them synonymous with "brrrrr."
We rode up into the park, turned north.
I had read much about
We saw an eagle, a coyote, a badger.
Out on the range, we watched the deer and the antelope play.
The deer were leading by two runs. The
buffalo were racking up roaming charges. A
wolf pack was seen wolfing down some hapless beast they had managed to slay.
An elk herd was seen elking down some hapless grass they had managed to
slay.
That evening
The next day we turned south once inside the park.
We went to Old Faithful Inn, where Doug Van Pool purchased a moose for
his wife. Romantic cat, this man!
In twenty one years of marriage, I have never given my bride a moose.
So now I am in the moose market.
Perhaps I can find her a chocolate moose.
All but three of the bikes made a wrong turn and rode out to the
wrong park entrance. The remaining
three realized we were going wrong, so they sat patiently and waited for us to
discover the error of our ways. We
rejoined shortly and rode out to a falls, hiking down to a stunning overlook at
the top of a grand waterfall. Photos
were taken, fond memories were made.
On the return, we allowed the group to subdivide into three
subgroups. Shelly and I were with the last, which included John Harelson from
Oregon riding last in line, Michael from La Mesa, Jay and Bridget on the
blue-on-blue LXE and a couple others. When
we were about 5 miles from the park exit, a buffalo was roaming right down the
middle of the road, going the same direction we were in the left lane.
Jay and Bridget were ahead of us and a couple of cars were ahead of them.
A car went by, the buffalo didn't care. Another car, the buffalo didn't
care. Then Jay went by and the
buffalo freaked a bit, giving him the sideways eyeball.
Given the way buffalo heads are constructed, that is about the only kind
of eyeball he may be able to give, but he did seem to freak out.
We were next, and the buffalo freaked a bit more.
I watched in my mirror as Michael went past, then we proceeded.
A few miles later, at the park exit in
Jay, Bridget, Shelly and I agreed to send the others on back, have
dinner in
That night,
The next day, Thursday, was a free day.
Shelly and I rode back to
Friday Harry Lord led a tour south to
We looked it over and discussed our options.
Finally Harry decided to press on. No
one ever accused this man of lacking intestinal fortitude.
The group made plans to meet at the Grand Tetons visitor's center at
1430. Shelly and I had to go to the post office to mail back the souvenirs that
we had purchased, as our side bags and trunk were full.
This is where things began to go awry, which wouldn't have happened had
my own wife listened to my advice, which I shall explain if one bears with me.
When you start any long bike trip, the luggage starts out full.
You already know you are going to buy a few souvenirs, so my advice is to
never throw out your ratty old underwear. Keep
it and take it with you on the bike trip, then throw it away as you use it.
No need to do laundry and it makes room for the new stuff you buy on
every trip. My mother told me to
always wear clean underwear when going out riding, in case I crash and get taken
to the emergency room. Clearly this
is absurd advice, for one will always soil one's pants immediately before a
crash anyway. Furthermore, emergency
room personnel seldom stop the time-critical operation to ridicule the victim's
undergarments or inquire as to the identity of the mother that would allow such
a travesty to be worn. Larry and
Nancy can confirm that they actually cut away the undergarments to avoid further
injury to the patient. One would not
wish to have a perfectly good new pair ruined thus, would one?
This of course does introduce a new risk: if you stay in nicer,
more upscale accommodations, the hotel cleaning staff may conclude that you left
the undergarments by mistake, and mail them back to you.
I offer two solutions to this problem.
The first, the one I use, is to avoid nicer more upscale accommodations.
The second is to register under the address of your favorite senator
("Teddy, who is Spike Jones, and why is he sending you these ratty used
undergarments?) Or better yet the
IRS. It helps to have a name like
Jones or Johnson if you pull that IRS gag.
Otherwise they are liable to audit your ass.
But I digress. Where
was I? Motorcycles! Cade Raid! Oh
yes,
After scarfing burritos we hurried to the visitor's center in
Jackson Wyoming but no cavalcades were to be seen there.
I was in the parking lot checking dem oil levels (all of dem) when Shelly
came back out with the news that we were evidently at the wrong visitor's
center. We hurried on down the road,
but by the time we got to the Grand Tetons visitors center in Moose it was
already twenty minutes past the time we were supposed to meet.
We concluded we were behind and hurried to the entrance gate to the
park. The rangers there said there were no bikes like ours that had come thru in
the past few minutes, but they had just changed shifts, so they could have come
thru. We made a U-turn and went back
to the Moose visitor’s center. I
asked around, but they had seen no gang of bikers.
I concluded that the others had met up before the visitors’ center, and
then since they were late, had concluded that we were ahead of them, skipped the
visitors’ center and had set out in pursuit of us.
So I tore off in wild pursuit of them.
We were chasing each other, but I was confident that I could catch them
before they caught me.
But I never caught them, no matter how fast I went, because they
were behind me. They went thru the
entrance gate three minutes after we did. The
rangers told them that a bony guy and a woman apparently his wife, went thru
twice looking for them, so they took out after me.
We arrived back at the hotel well ahead of the others.
I enjoyed
Our farewell dinner was a wonderful time with good food and good
friends. We agreed that lives have been saved because of what
A good life made of these kinds of memories. ~spike
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are planning
a ride, rally, or other motorcycle event
of interest to the membership of the Suzuki Cavalcade
Owners Group, send the information to jay@treefarmtapes.com
and it will be posted in the next issue of this newsletter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ TRIPS AND TIPS ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PARTS EXCHANGE
SITE
I've
been wondering in the back of my mind how a person could relieve himself of
extra parts, other than paying bloated eBay and Paypal fees. Parts
Suppliers are a necessity to those that ride these Classic bikes and will only
become MORE critical as the numbers dwindle.
My first reaction to the post is that I don't like when someone says I have a
(part) that I want to sell... who will give me the most for it. Typically, I
don't even give a post of that nature the time of day and simply delete it. I
prefer that a price be set. A person knows what he needs to make off of a part
to break even. Set a price above that and make the offer is my philosophy. If it
doesn’t sell... back the price up. If the first person to see it buys
it, that's life. Wal-Mart doesn’t send out a circular for discontinued -
reduced for quick sale stock. The first one to see it on the shelf buys it.
That's supply and demand that dictates the price... check your local gas station
for a first hand example.
I just coming off of Cade Raid East Coast and meeting so many fine people that
love their Cades and the people that ride them... it disappoints me to see the
bickering among such a fine group of people. So, I spent about 5 minutes
wondering how this could be fixed without so much energy being wasted in the
fussing process. 1.) The answer was simple 2.)It took 5 minutes to fix it.
3.) It didn't cost anything! And 4.)If it's a good idea... Use it.
So here it is: The Suzuki Cavalcade Parts Group:
http://groups.msn.com/SuzukiCavalcadePartsGroup It’s
an open forum for the BUY- SELL- and TRADE of Cavalcade parts, parts bikes, and
ready to ride bikes. AND, it gives the T-man another outlet for his
"magic" parts.
~
89 & 90
MODEL CAVALCADES?
Well
guys, this blows my beak. After years of rumors, I have learned that there
really were a few Cades built after the 88 series. A guy from
Perhaps
all of the 89s or 90s went
NOVA
The Canadian
REPLACING
THE SEAT COVER
Well,
after 18 years and 120,000 miles, I must replace the seat cover on my Cavalcade.
Only the seat part needs to be replaced. So I have some questions and need
some do's and don’ts. My question is where would you suggest that I take
it? Just an auto upholstery place? What do you think something like
this is going to cost? I will take the seat off and bring it to them.
And lastly, do you have any things to watch out for and to look for? ~Tom
(1986 LXE in
Tom: Go to the
SuzukiCavalcade.com web site. Under Parts/Vendors. B&H Specialties.
Ask
in the bike shops who they have do the seats. Decide beforehand what you want to
cover it with, color, texture, material etc. Only go to experienced seat
upholsterer. It’s not hard to do but it is easy to screw it up too. I believe
you can buy an entire cover for the seat, check on the web site. ~Red
I
just swapped the seat cover from my LX seat to LXE. It’s easy but you need an
electric stapler. Pull out the old staples carefully and slowly separate the
seat from foam glued-on, slowly peeling and separating the foam from the seat
cover. Buy new adhesive from Advanced Auto Parts Store by 3m in spray can read
and follow instructions. Put on slowly and stretch so there are no wrinkles. Tip
over, stretch over the side evenly and staple. You must hold the stapler very
tight and hit trigger. They wanted over $100 to switch both. But I couldn’t wait
for 1-1/2 weeks. So now it’s done. The job was not very hard to do. Just be
patient and take your time. ~Frank
REPLACING THE
SPRINGS
How
big of a job is it to replace the springs? Where in the manual is this shown? ~Bucky
Bucky, I just
did it. No big deal. Get the springs and gasket from your dealer or Tracy. Put
the rear wheel on a two by four and the bike on the side stand. Remove the right
foot peg. In my case, LXE engine guard, take out the lower mounting bolts to
allow the guard to swing forward. Remove engine cover. There are four bolts on
the clutch, remove one at a time and replace the spring behind them. Tighten to
specs. Cleaning the gasket off of the cover and engine is the hardest part. Do
it completely and carefully. Apply gasket maker to left and right sides where
the two engine halves meet. Put on the gasket. Put it back together. ~Red
SOLVED STARTING
ISSUE
Well
after months of cleaning connectors, tracing wires, losing eye sight trying to
follow schematic, (Finally paid &1.49 to get the darn thing blown up where
you can trace wires)I finally fixed my intermittent starting issue. For future
reference if you are having issues with the start button and you have added the
hydraulic switches, check to see if the fuel pump will prime the carbs. My pump
wouldn't always prime the carbs and it seemed to be about the same time the
starter would not engage. I found there was one wire that was common between the
starter switch, solenoid and fuel pump relay. It was the Yellow/Green. I then
checked the fuel pump relay. Checked out of range, replaced and the ol' girl has
fired up as sure as ever since then. Maybe one of you bright electricians can
explain it, but all I know is I can count on the ol' girl starting now. Just
something to keep in mind if you ever are faced with this. ~Maury, ’86 LXE
FEELS HEAVY!
After
working on the Cade for several weekends, I finally got on the road this
weekend. I have always owned smaller bikes (Honda 750 was the largest) and
haven't ridden for several years. Impressions and questions: The bike seems to
steer VERY heavy when going slow. I feel like I've been steer wrestling. Is this
normal? ~ The throttle only turns a little less than 1/4 turn. Very short throw
judging from my past experience. It'll still get going decently, but it
seems
underpowered, and at 55-60 in 5th, doesn't seem to want to accelerate much on
hills. Is this normal? When I had it apart, I could see nothing binding and the
carbs/cable seemed to be ok. ~Dan
Dan, The heavy
feel could be low air pressure in the front tire or maybe steering head to tight
or binding. It does turn hard when sitting still. At below counter steer
speeds with feet up should be fairly easy but takes a little muscle compared to
small bikes because it wants to fall into the turns just a little and you need
to hold it back some. At counter
steer speed and above it's big but not hard to turn. Personally I think the Cade
has good manners for a big bike with a high center of gravity. I always have my
feet on the pegs before the clutch is all the way out.
There should be
only a little more than a quarter turn of throttle. Check to make sure the
butterflies are opening fully. The V-4 has over a hundred horse power and plenty
of torque. It should make good power from idol to redline if it is not there is
a problem somewhere. Not too much throttle response but builds power nicely.
This is all just my opinion of my old bike with
Heavy
steering can be a number of things. I would look at the steering head bearings,
front tire, tire pressure, fork brace etc. If you only have ¼ throttle then
something is wrong. Lots of power! ~
OVERHEATING
I've
noticed that the Cade overheats eventually, no matter. Even at highway speeds,
the needle slowly creeps up to the "H". I know the sensor that turns
on the fan is shot and I have one on order. I've rigged a manual switch for when
it gets high and that helps in the short term. What I'm observing is that once
it gets hot, even running the fan won't cool it down much. It drops to about 3/4
up the temp gauge but will never go below that. Could it need a thermostat? ~ I
read in a recent post that there was a cheaper alternative for the fan heat
sensor switch. I searched through old posts but could not find the answer. I
have one ordered through BikeBandit, but they're back ordered. ~Dan
Dan. You may look for something else to cause
the overheating. I just returned from a 3000 plus mile trip up and down
hills and temperatures in the 90's. Whenever I was running at speed
(sometimes 75 mph for an hour) my motorcycle would be in the cool range. I
know that the gauges are notorious for inaccuracies but definitely in the lower
third of the range. When in stop and go traffic, the needle would creep up
to the upper third of the range and the fan would come on lowering the
temperature. Could your radiator be blocked not allowing the coolant to
circulate? Or the water pump? Just a couple of thoughts. ~Tom (1986
LXE in
Sounds like your
radiator is plugged up either internally or the front of it is caked with crap
or the fins are all bent not letting air thru it. ~Brian in IN, 87 tt
Gray LX
There
are several other models of switch that are also direct screw in replacements
that can be had at your local
Forget the
water pump, it's not your problem. If it's an LX it's going to run hotter than
an LXE. The size of the vents in the lower fairings are about 1/3 the size of
those on the LXE and that's part of the problem. I run the FS198 switch that
turns on the fan quicker and mine runs cooler than it used to simply because the
fan comes on at a lower temp. Check the fins, but I doubt there's anything that
can be flushed out of the inside. I've worked on a lot of these bikes and the
cooling systems don't get gunked up generally.
You can also run
a little Water Wetter in the system and that helps to transfer heat. It doesn't
work miracles but it can't hurt. Change the coolant (use a no silicate formula
like the extended versions that are orange in color). Takes 3 drainings to do it
right. Drain, fill with clean water, run for 15 minutes, let cool for a bit,
drain, fill with clean water and run for 15 minutes, let cool for a bit and
drain again. The drain water should be fairly clear by that point. If not, do it
again.
Drain the
overflow tanks (have to disconnect the small hose at the radiator filler).
Replace the fan switch. Start by filling the system with about 1 1/2 quarts of
antifreeze, put in 2 ounces of Barsleak, some Water Wetter (read the container
for about 3-4 quarts capacity) and then top it off with distilled or RO water.
Cap it and let it run for a bit, let it cool, top off with water again. Mix a
50/50 solution and refill the overflow tanks. Watch the level of the upper
overflow tank for a few days and refill it to the mark as needed. Or, you can
just fill it up past the mark and let it puke out on the ground when it gets
warmed up. It will find its own level that way. ~
STA-BIL
Friends
I am here to testify: that fuel stabilizer called Sta-Bil works exactly as it
says on the bottle. I bought a second Cade in February 2004, and spent the next
couple rainy months working on that, then the next several sunny months riding
it. Short version of the story: the original Cade went 17 months without
being started. I suspected it would be a while before I got back to it, so
back then I added an ounce of Sta-Bil to the fuel.
Yesterday
I charged the battery. This evening she started right up with about 3
seconds of cranking. That same bike fell out of service for about the same
time span back in the early 90s (graduate school and other messed-up
priorities). It was a helllllll of a job to get her back on her feet.
This time, nooo problem at all. Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer, that’s the ticket.
~Spike
Been
using that stuff for 35 years in anything that uses gasoline as fuel. It works
great! ~Mike
Spike, up here
in the North, you know where it actually gets cold, Sta-bil is standard
every year. Lawn mower, bikes, trimmers, etc. You are preaching to the choir.
~Red
BRAKES LOCK UP
Can
someone tell me why the front brakes would build up so much pressure in the
system that it locks the brakes on as I'm going down the road? Calipers have new
seals, I've made sure there's all new Valvoline dot 4 synthetic fluid in the
lines, the lines have been bled and for 2 weeks I had a fairly good front brake,
then all of a sudden I'm riding along and the bike is going hard so I pull on
the front brake lever and it doesn't move. If I crack the bleeders they release,
then I might go 10 miles then have to do it again or maybe not at all for the
rest of the ride. I've tried cleaning the vent hole in the mc, that doesn't seem
to have helped. ~Dave, ‘86 LXE
Do
you have new brake lines? Mine did the same thing until I changed them. The line
to the splitter was sucking in air somehow and caused them to build up pressure.
After the change there was no problem. Now I can ride it to find the other
problems, if it ever stops raining in
Dave,
Remove the master cylinder cover, you will see a breather hole that needs to be
cleaned out. You can remove the splash shield from inside the cover to clean it.
When plugged it builds pressure in the system. Also check the small hole in the
bottom of the reservoir to see if it is plugged and not allowing fluid to
return. ~Jerry Wisc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SECONDARY SEAL
38 MPG and
better is somewhat a rarity. I get 35-36 most of the time but I'm pretty hard
with the right wrist. If you sneak the idle mixture screws in a little (1/4
turn) you might be able to bump it a few MPG. You can continue to do that until
you start to get an off-idle stumble then back them back out until it goes away.
Rider weight, elevation, riding style, mix of town/hiway, etc. all has an
impact. ~
THESE CARBS SUCK
These bikes have
the worst carb problems...One more week with my bike and it's sianora, adios. No
wonder they stopped making these money pits.
The only reason
you have carb problems is that the seals and o-rings are almost 20 years old.
Lots of Cades don’t have carb problems. And, the carbs are the same as those
used on millions of other bikes. They are just a CV Mikuni. How could you
possibly blame carbs that aren't even made by Suzuki for the demise of the bike?
Get a better mechanic that knows what he's doing. ~
MORE POWER!
I
would like information on getting more horse power out of my 88 Cade;
are there any performance parts I can get for this Cade? ~Beckholm
There
are no performance parts for the Cade. The only thing you can do is open up the
intake and exhaust which requires re-jetting of the carbs (jets are available).
Anything else (like cams exhaust etc.) you have to have made
or
make them yourself. ~
OIL
PRESSURE LIGHT
I
went for a little ride yesterday and the bike ran great. When I got back
into town
and stopped at a stop sign, the oil pressure light came on. I will probably
have to pull the oil pan and check the relief valve. How big a job is that? I am
guessing I will at least need the oil pan gasket. ~Mike
Low
oil pressure that comes on suddenly might be the pressure relief valve, might be
the sender, and might be one of the metal plugs in the crankshaft. If you get
lucky, it's the relief valve (something stuck in it) that just requires a pan
gasket. If you're not as lucky and it's a plug in the crank, the motor has to
come out to fix it. ~
FRAYED
THROTTLE CABLE
I
had minor carb problem that I was able to clear up, however, when removing the
carb unit, I noticed that the throttle adjustment at the carbs was not in
alignment and has caused the cable to begin to fray. The cable is discontinued
so I am asking if anyone else has a solution to correct the fraying or is my
only option to try and find someone who makes these cables to replace it?
My second question is, does the cruse actuator that the cables go into come
apart for cable replacements, and is this a difficult operation ~
Yes.
You can take the cable out of the junction box. You have to take out the battery
and maybe the battery holder. When you take the cover off there will be a wound
spring that is attached to the cover and it needs to be rewound the correct
amount when you put it back on. Pay attention to how it's set up in there and
you can put it right back. And, yes, you can have a new inner cable made to
replace the frayed one. If your local shop can't do it, I have the cable ends
and cable to repair it. ~
CAVALCADE RECALLS
The
most serious recall was due to lack of grease in the rear wheel bearing (the
needle bearing on the left side). The other one that was noted by the NTSB was
with the headlight switch as Spike noted. Unfortunately, the inner race of that
bearing (which is the axle spacer inside the wheel) can wear out and there is no
replacement available from Suzuki. If it becomes an issue that we run out of
viable used parts then I will start making them (in the same fashion as the
upgraded Suzuki part being fully hardened and hard chrome plated).
We
have identified also the plug (which you are already aware of) and the early
driveshaft u-joint (not a particularly urgent issue since it can take 80K +
miles to fail) that are things that need to be addressed or a watchful eye kept
on to prevent bad things from happening at speed. The u-joint normally makes a
distinct and audible clunk sound during 1st gear throttle on/off so it's fairly
easy to know when it's time for a replacement. You can also peel the boot back
and simply look in there and see what it's doing while moving the rear tire back
and forth.
A
few other things are the lack of grease in the steering head bearings (they put
but a smear on them from the factory) and in the swig arm pivot. The swing arm
bearings can loosen up and the rear end gets a little funky
feeling
or you get instability at certain speeds. It's an easy fix to reset the preload
as they are adjustable. You might as well grease them at the same time.
As
long as you are aware of those things then you are in pretty good shape. The
stock fork brace is a thin piece of shit (POS) that should also be replaced (I
make a machined billet one that actually deserves the name
"brace").
Other than that, it's just making sure that anything that moves has lubrication.
Little things like the lever pivots, rear brake pivot, and shifter pivot are
also important to keep lubed and moving properly. Change the clutch fluid every
year or two with DOT 4 fluid (synthetic preferred) to prevent the mysterious
disappearing clutch after time at speed on a hot day. Deal with the ground
connector in the battery compartment, clean the banjo fittings in the compressor
(the first 2 generally get really gunked up with rust), change the fork fluid
(even though it's a total PA, Pain in the Ass) and note whether there is a
coating of oil in the inner tubes and an oily dirt ring on the inner tubes that
is usually just out of site when standing (have to get down to see it usually).
That's the sign that the forks are
ready
for a refresh with new seals and probably new bushings. Pay attention to any new
smells (like burning 90W, oil or antifreeze) as those will tell you where to
look for problems.
Lower
radiator overflow tank gets cracks and leaks usually on the left side (new ones
are available), water pump lasts about 40K miles (leaks out of the right front
lower of engine when the seal fails), stators last about the same (some last a
LOT longer), regulators eventually fail, clutch springs are too light, rear
shocks go bye-bye eventually etc. But, all of those are just parts that one
expects to wear out and replacements are available.
20
year old brake lines should be replaced with stainless braided, brake pads
should be checked from time to time and the discs should be measured for wear
below the limit (the back one most of the time gets ignored and the
disc
gets trashed by a worn out pad). Brake fluids should be changed from time to
time and so should the antifreeze (low or no silicate type preferred, saves the
water pump seal). Thermostats give little trouble but the fan switch does (and
sometimes the noise suppressor) but, again, suitable OEM and aftermarket spares
are plentiful.
There
are tons of electrical connections and they should all at some time be
disassembled, cleaned, tightened if loose and dosed with some dielectric grease
to prevent future problems. I went on way too long and got off the subject of
the recalls but maybe some of the newbies will get a benefit from my spew. ~
REBUILDING
THE CARBS
I just finished
my fourth carb rebuild in as many weeks and thought I would share some info and
ask a question.
Each set of
carbs had a little different history. One set has been sitting for several
years, another was off a running bike that had set for several years, the other
set was one that had been disassembled by someone else and was sent to me for
reassembly and the other was off a running bike that wasn't running very well.
The common theme amongst these was the condition of the o-rings; shaft seals and
choke plunger seals, there were all in pretty deteriorated condition. I suppose
I knew that was the case with most carbs that are almost 20 years old and is why I
put together the carb kit that I offer. However, I know that there are
a number of you out there that will have the need for a carb rebuild
but would like to do it yourself to save some $.
While rebuilding
a set of Cade carbs isn't hard I've seen enough stripped screw heads and bent up
throttle cable brackets and bent linkage and way off float levels and incorrect
reassembly to know that some instruction might be helpful for those that
want to take on the project themselves. So, the question has to do with a video
of the process. How much interest would there be in a video of removing,
rebuilding, reinstalling and balancing the carbs on the Cade? And, would you be
willing to pay something for it? I'm not talking a lot of money, maybe $10-$15
to help cover the cost of producing it and making the DVD copies.
This is not
something that I can get to right away. In fact, it will probably be months
before I can even get started on it, I'm just trying to get a sense of the
interest level at this point. I will continue to offer a carb rebuilding service
for those that don't want to tackle the rebuild job but can get them off and
back on and balanced (I can only bench balance the final balance has to be done
on the bike). ~
STUMBLES WHEN
COLD (Don’t We All?)
Hi,
I'm a new Cade owner. When I first start my bike it misses and stumbles a bit
until it warms up. A gold wing owner I work with suggested that a tune up might
make a lot of difference. The gas mileage seems a little off but I did ride over
a hundred miles yesterday without problems. Do you think new plugs might make a
difference or do the carbs need to get cleaned and reset??? ~Lou
The
stumbling when cold is pretty normal. The Cade is set up lean enough that it
will cough and spit a little till it starts to warm up. There isn't really a
tune up for the Cade. A new set of spark plugs is about all that you can do for
a so-called tune up. If the mileage is pretty lousy (low 30s) then there's
probably a carb issue that needs to be resolved. From what I've seen, if the
carbs have never been reworked then it's time for many of them. 20 years is a
long time and that takes its toll on the o-rings and seals. New plugs probably
won't do much. They might make a little difference but if you have a carb
problem then any improvement might be short-lived. ~
RE-WELDING
THE EXPANSION TANK
Just so that we
all know, the expansion tank is made from cross-linked polyethylene. The
difference between that and straight polyethylene is that after it's molded,
chemicals put into the polymer react with heat and moisture to cause the
individual polyethylene chains to be linked together along their length. The
purpose of this is so that the cross-linked material has a much higher heat
tolerance than un-cross-linked polymer (it will retain its shape even when
heated to nearly its melting point and even when it gets to its melting point it
doesn't collapse unless you make it collapse).
Once the chains
are cross-linked, they are essentially unavailable for welding. When you weld
plastic (using whatever heat source you chose), the melted polymer opens up and
the polymer chains can be mixed together (entangled) so when it cools it
becomes nearly as it was before when it was first molded. However, I would
suspect that about 70% of the chains have been cross-linked during the
reaction process so that only leaves about 30% for "welding". And, since
the cross-linked polymer doesn't "melt" (it just gets like Jell-O),
you can't really get the chains to entangle properly and even if you get some of
them to do that, the new welded bond is only polyethylene and not cross-linked
so the heat tolerance of the repair is much less than the rest of the tank.
Hey, for $36 for
a brand new what’s the beef? Why screw around trying to fix
something that will never be as good as it was when new? I admit to fixing a lot
of stuff with a soldering iron but that's only because it's either really pricey
or I know the repair is as good as the original part. That's just not the case
with the expansion tank. It's in a very hostile environment down there and a
marginal repair just won't last. ~
LOOSING
CLUTCH FLUID
I keep loosing
clutch fluid. I believe it is leaking at the bottom near the clutch but I
am not sure. Has anyone had this problem and can offer advise. It
will be going into the shop next week but would appreciate any advice before it
goes in. Also, I have an 86 brown and I am looking for a lower fairing panel for
the left side and the black panel left side that runs behind the speaker and
down to the compressor switch. ~Don
It's the slave
cylinder most likely. Might as well do all of the seals down there while the
secondary drive is off to fix the slave. Must also check the plug in the driven
gear in the secondary. Best to replace it with my pressed in aluminum version.
The stock ones have a habit of falling out and you will lose gear oil in the
drive and if it gets low enough bad things happen. ~
AUTO-LEVEL
SWITCH
Just unplug it
and check it with a meter. 2 of the pins in the connector will be for the switch
and there may be 2 more for the light. If you can't get the pump to run by
supplying power DIRECTLY to it (unplug the white connector with red/black wires
and supply 12 volts and ground) then your compressor motor is crapped. That's
unusual. I know of only a few that compressor motors that have failed. There are
a number of checks that can be done on the auto level system all of which are
outlined in the service manual. ~
BACKFIRE
I
went out for a ride yesterday and the old girl started backing firing on the
right side. There’s significant loss of power also. It kind of surges, power
wise. Do you think this is carb related or spark related? I believe it's
the right front cylinder acting up. Took the spark plug wire off and attached an
old spark plug, and while running it seems to be putting out plenty of spark.
Any ideas? ~Dan
Could
be a fouling plug, could be carb, might be a coil (even with spark out of the
hole it might not fire under cylinder pressure), might be a sparkplug wire.
Change the plug and see what happens. If it doesn't cure it then go onto the
carb and/or coil and/or wire. ~
BEFORE YOU BUY A CAVALCADE
I sent the
following reply to someone off list and thought that it might be helpful
for others that are considering the purchase of a Cade. All Cades had the same
issues which really weren't that many. Regardless of how well the bike was
maintained by the prior owner, the first thing one is to do when they get it is
to just go through the bike from end to end to make sure that all things are in
order.
Before you buy,
check the secondary fluid (make a dipstick 2 -13/16" long out of any bit of
wire). Is it up to level? Is it clean? Check the final fluid. Does everything
work? Has the fairing been off for repairs and why? Has the stator and/or
regulator been changed? Does it smell gassy when idling? What kind of gas
mileage does it get (35ish or better is normal)? What kind of oil has been used?
How does the motor sound (lots of ticking indicates a poor oil choice)? Does the
clutch slip in high gear roll-ons? Is there any oily residue on the fork inners?
Is there any oil residue of the inside of the fork lowers? How are the brake
pads? How are the brake discs (take a caliper or micrometer with you)? Did the
bike sit for extended periods? Do the forks bottom easily? Does the rear bounce
up and down like a rocking horse (damping is gone)? Does it auto-level? Does the
cruise work? Has the clutch safety switch been bypassed? Was the antifreeze ever
changed? Were the brake and clutch fluids ever changed? Is there any audible
clunk during 1st gear throttle on/off? Is there any oily residue on the
underside of the motor or swing arm? Are the brakes spongy? How old are the
tires? Who has been doing the service work? Do all the cylinders fire (use a
water spray on the exhausts after a few minutes of warming up)? Is there any
leakage from the right front lower corner of the motor (water pump is going
out)? Does the fan come on (letting it sit an idle for 15 minutes should reveal
that if it doesn't come on while riding in slow traffic)? Has the prior owner
added any electrical accessories (sometimes they can make a real mess of
things)? What parts have been replaced and when?
If you're
competent mechanic and don't mind working on the bike to bring it up to snuff
then a lot of these aren't big issues. However, a $3500 bike that needs a bunch
of replacement things can burn a hole in a $2000 bill pretty fast; especially if
you have someone else do the work. That's not just the Cade but any bike that's
20 years old is probably gonna need something unless the prior owner took care
of everything.
~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CADES FOR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upstate
87
LXE 35,779 mi as of 7/23/05 ~
Avon Venom X tires this year ~ Honda Rotor Covers ~ Cade caliper covers ~ Front
fender rail ~ SS front & back brake lines ~ Hydraulic brake and clutch
switches ~ Chrome "S" reservoir covers ~ Braided clutch and brake
levers ~ Recovered black & blue seat, back rests, & head rest ~ Utopia
back rest ~ NOT corked (still dry) ~ Some extras to the successful bidder. ~
$4000 or BO ~ I also reserve the right to NOT accept too low an offer.
Kenz Hemi Blue
Harley Cade… asking $4000. Contact KennG kgdd@rochester.rr.com
OR (315) 781-2356.
Okay guys,
Here’s the scoop. August 16th I
was diagnosed with MS and I'm cleaning out my house of all things that will not
fit in to my life anymore. Part of
this clutter includes an 86 LX blue/grey with 46k miles.
There is already no way I can muscle this 850 pound bike around the road
and it’s only going to get worse. Best
case scenario is I sell the Cade and buy a small 400cc to run around town with.
The specs on the Cade are pretty good, everything but the cruise control
works. I just had it running and
took it around the block twice. The
battery is completely dead and will not hold a charge no matter how long I let
the bike run. It needs to be jumped
to start and there is some plastic damage due to misplaced brake fluid from the
clutch cylinder and in the trunk. It
also looks like the last time I bled the clutch the gasket tore so that will
have to be replaced as well. Most of
the buttons on the radio work and it plays fine.
I even have the winter wings that attach to the faring to divert heat
from the engine over your legs. First
I'd like to ask what you think this would be worth.
I'm thinking around 2K in the condition it’s in.
I bought it for 3k and the only damage I've done is the plastic.
According to the list this VIN has been corked and I've never had any
problem with the secondary since I've had it.
I mostly just want to know if my 2k starting price is too high or to low.
Thanks for the help. -- Rev Peter M. Semadeni,
1986 Brown Suzuki Cavalcade LX ~ Features are: Electronic cruise
control. Passenger controlled air cushion system in seat and backrest.
Adjustable rear trunk for passenger comfort. Adjustable passenger foot rests.
Intercom system for driver and passenger. CB radio for communication with other
motorcycles. Passenger controls for am/fm radio, tape player and CB. Removable
am/fm radio, tape player with auto volume control. One touch automatic level
system. Map holder. Digital warning for kickstand, lights, battery, clock, gear
position-indicator. Adjustable handlebars. Heat vents to warm legs in cold
weather. Cold air vents in lower fairing. Vanity mirror and light in trunk. I
can email a photo so you can see it has a lot of factory -made accessories. Phil
was a mechanic and he maintained it lovingly. ~LaVerne Radmore Email: lradmore@albertahighspeed.net
This is just to
let those of you who are looking for a Cavalcade know that I am selling a 1986
for my father-in-law. He can no longer ride, 70+. The starting price is 2795.00.
Any one that is interested can e-mail me. ~Al Email: alpal52@cox.net
Cade for Sale
- $3,900.00 86
Blue on Blue LXE, 69K miles, Like new condition – no scratches, Heel & toe
shifter, driver back rest, trailer hitch, etc. Always garaged. Two helmets w/
intercom included, one XL, one medium and full bike storage cover. Everything
works except the CB. Will need new front tire soon, rear tire is in good
shape. Located in
86
Cade for sale again. Gold and brown. 50k miles. Runs very good, looks good.
$3000.00. Located in western NC. E-mail: tunemann_2000@yahoo.com.
Must sell.
I have a 1987 LXE for sale in
I have a Cade
87LX for sale. Grey on Grey with 63133 miles. Paint faded a little and small
cracks on plastic. Runs great. Had full tune up in May 05 with 62767 miles. All
fluid change. Had
Cade
w/sidecar ~
‘86
LX with sidecar back on for sale 43000 mi it has T plug Barnett springs radio
rebuilt new paint on car Cade emblems on front and rear new battery and rear
tire 491 last fall was asking $4500 but lowered to $4000 or would trade for?
Located in N.C. can e-mail pics thx Mike Email: greene@ureach.com