CavalierThe Magazine for Suzuki Cavalcade Owners. The Best touringAugust 2013 Bike Ever Made Issue No. 2

International

1

Adam Elkins rebuilding his fathers Cavalcade

See his story inside

Editorial

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.

Welcome to the second edition of CAVALIER magazine.The first one went down quite well by all the positive commentsthat I received. It does take a long time to produce themagazine. Some articles have to be typed in has they come ina read only format, then I have to search for photos sometimes;it does help if photos can be included when sending in itemsfor publication. Send articles to: gv1400lxe@gmail.com

2

The European Cade Raid has been and gone, there are reports inside plus anewspaper article from the press of Finland

Click on this link to see photos of the European Cade Raid to FinlandHTTP://skydrive.live.com/?cid=f9496995f82f34fd#cid=F9496995F82F34FD&id=F9496995F82F34FD%21663

CADE RAIDS

3

The European Cade Raid at Santalahti, Kokta, Finland went off with no problems at thevenue. However, in England we had to make some rapid decisions, has the ferry we weresupposed to travel on, hit the harbour wall and had a hole below the water line and wastaken out of service.

The ship was set to be back for our 30th June departure, but we were informed theWednesday before sailing that the delay would be until at least July 3rd. This left us withthree options, take a ferry to Holland, travel by channel tunnel to France and then drive toTravlemonte, Germany for the ferry to Helsinki, the third option was to book on a cargoferry from Immingham, Yorkshire, to Gothenburg.

Upon arrival at Gothenburg, all drivers are breathalysed as you are not allowed any alcoholin your blood whilst driving in Sweden, Norway, Denmark or Finland. Then it was a 300mile dash to Stockholm to catch the 4 pm ferry to Helsinki. Spent the day exploring Helsinkiby 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 CadeRaid 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 eveningwe had the presentation of a new CADE RAID TROPHY. This trophy will be sent to theorganisers of the next European Cade Raid. (More info at the later). Also, for the first timewe had items presented to, the oldest persons, the youngest person, for the Rat Cade, thelongest ride to the Raid, the smallest cc bike attending (50 cc Yamaha moped) and giftsfor the lady passengers. Hopefully we can keep this going for all future Cade raids.

European Cade Raid, Finland, 2013 by David HebblethwaiteEngland

On the Sunday we had a short ride to Kotka to Sapokka Water Parkand the Maretarium on the coast. On the Monday we all departedfor the journey home.

4

This is the new European Cade Raid Trophy. Itwas presented by Juha Heinonen. The trophyis part of the engine casing off his crashedCavalcade in Holland, 2007. This will be sentto the organisers of the European Cade Raidsalong with the European Cade Raid banner.

Assortment of photos at theCade Raid Finland. 1 & 2 areat the Sapokka Water Park.

3, 4 & 5 were taken at theRoute 66 Motel, bikers shopand cafe were we had lunch.

Last photo, 6, is of theCavalcades at the photo shoot.Outside Santalahti Hotel.

Long Journey Home for Yves Rummens, Belgium.

I'm back at home. I ride non-stop 1032 miles +- in 19 hours non-stop. I leftHelsinki at 9:30 in the morning and 5 o'clock in the morning I arrived at home. Itis an incredible motorcycle. 23 years old and she support without problem so along way. Totality i ride 2456 Miles for the Cade raid 2013

See Finish newspaper article on EuropeanCade Raid on the next pages

3 1 2

4

5

6

5

Suzu

ki C

aval

cade

mot

orcy

cle

rally

hel

d at

San

tala

hti,

Kot

ka th

is w

eeke

nd. T

ony

Tayl

or fr

om E

ngla

nd p

artic

ipat

es th

isin

tern

atio

nal r

ally

.

6

Couch-Suzuki’s curve their way to Kotka

Norwegian Geir Sörum drove with his 13 year old son, Loke Gardar Sörum, a 900 kilometre trip from Osloto Kotka. Dad and son participate this weekend at Suzuki Cavalcade bike event at 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 PalmuBiker fans will find it worthwhile to visit Sapokka Water Park this afternoon, where one can see rareSuzuki Cavalcade motorcycles. Cavalcades, called also couches, and their owners gather thisweekend for European Cade Raid motorcycle rally held in Santalahti, Kotka.

“This international rally is held first time in Finland”, informs Juha Heinonen, President of SuzukiCavalcade Club Finland.

Drivers have come from Finland, England, Norway and Belgium. The founder of the event DavidHebblethwaite says”that this is his first visit to Finland”. He praises the beautiful nature of Finlandand the level roads.

Although driving through Sweden we got showers everyday, (this was in 2010 , it was sunny al theway this year) but it goes with the hobby. We need to ride despite the weather, no matter what, laughs64 years old driver David Hebblethwaite.

7

The rarity of the Suzuki Cavalcade makes this event a special one. These voyager-oriented bikeswere 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 admitthat, 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 expensivecost 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 quitesimilar in other European countries. Saarno and Heinonen believe that at present hard financialtimes, 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 isdecreasing in conjunction with the moped license getting more expensive. If youngsters do notdrive 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 trafficStory by Outi Palmu, Photos by Sari Tauru

David Hebblethwaite, England“Dangerous situations are usually created by car drivers, theydo not take enough notice of the traffic around them. Cardrivers need more training of how to encounter othervehicles. That would be the key to improve traffic safety ofmotorcyclist.”

8

Timo Saarno, Tuusula“I have reminded my daughters that they’re invisiblewhen driving their mopeds scooters. Same goes withmotorcycles. A motorist needs to take extra precautionsand keep distance to other vehicles. The key is beingmore proactive than when driving the car.”

Tony Taylor, England

Yves Rummens, Belgium“I have never encountered a dangerous situation in trafficor had any kind of accident. I don’t that there is anydifference in driving in Finland than in Belgium. Allthough there are more cars in Belgium, the drivers arefriendly toward motorcyclist.”

Kåre Tveit, Norway

“I have driven motorcycles for 20 years and havenever got into an accident. If one drives obeying thespeed limits, having all driving lights on, I do notthink there is anything to be scared of in traffic.Especially in Norway, all are good drivers, themotorcyclist as well as the car drivers.”

Juha Heinonen, Kouvola

“Car drivers do not take notice that there are othervehicles on the road too. Driving schools shouldteach attitude for driving with more attention thesedays. It is vital that motorcyclist also makethemselves visible.”

“I think motorcyclist are taken similarly all over Europe,though we have much more traffic than in Finland, sodangerous are born more easily. Motorcyclist should ridewith driving lights on and wear reflective vest when ridingso that they would be seen well.”

9

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 bitbetter, and purchased a brown/tan Cavalcade LX. We were in the ColonyCruisers - a riding club in The Colony TX. Even back then, I remember beingon that thing... Countless camping trips and tours with the club. Sometimebefore 1990 he got it painted a charcoal gray with light gray accents and somebeautiful pin striping. I wish I had photos of it in this state.

Shortly before the family moved toMichigan it was painted again. This timea deep blue with some mural artdepicting a "space motorcycle"travelling the stars. Dad had originallyasked for something else, I don't recall...an ocean or something maybe, and waspretty 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 fromMichigan 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, butstill saw dad on weekends, him and my stepmom were riding the back roads ofbranch county MI when something started smoking from under the fairing. Hedetermined the main harness needed to be replaced. By 2003 he had a new bikeand the cavalcade was left neglected in the garage mostly torn down from theharness job. In 2005 while riding home from my uncles surgery he slipped intoa diabetic coma and laid his bike down. Shortly after I had a pretty big fallingout with my stepmom.

10

Fast forward to August 2013. I decided to see if the cavalcade was still in the garageand put the issues I had aside. In September me and one of my best friends set offfrom Philly to get dads bike. We had an interesting trip up there with some weirdencounters in Ohio on the way. The next day we picked up an uhaul trailer andheaded 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 spacewas 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 firsttime in at least 15 years. There's still quite a bit to bedone before she's on the road but I'm really lookingforward to sharing it with my son the the way my dadshared it with me.

I’ve put the first 6 miles on. The initial “Is this shit gonnaexplode?” ride. Got her up to 55mph and everything wassmooth. It’s a clunky bike at slow speed, and isn’t afraidto show you how heavy it is when you’re not used to it.

She needs another bath. Badly. With a scrub brush. Thena 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 themarker lights are good. No comms.

11

Well I've successfully put about 800 miles on thebike since the last update. I went out to GrantsPass, OR to meet up with the others for the WestCoast Cade Raid and had an awesome time.

Only a few minor problems - so this turned out tobe a really goodshakeout. On theway down my speedometer stopped working andmy left fork started leaking. I suspected the cablehad just come loose enough at the gauge, sobefore headinghome I took all thefront plastics offand made sure that

was secure. But, as it turned out the problem was thedrive gear on the wheel. I had a great ride home withno real issues.

Maintenance of YourCavalcade

12

1-I have the calliper removed and a small jar placed under the supply line. Everything well clottedsince 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 dutuyau d’arrivé. Et j’ai tout biennettoyé, cette huile est très agressive. Avec un tournevis j’ai enlevéle couvercle noir.

1-Ik heb de remklauw gedemonteerd en een klein potje geplaatstonder de toevoerleiding. Alles goed gekuist daar deze olie is zeer

Brake Maintenance by Yves Rummens, Belgium.

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 beseized by rust and oxidation

3-Puis j’ai enlevé les deux axes. Attention: ils peuvent êtregrippe par rouille et l’oxydation

3-Dan de twee asjes verwijdert. Opgelet: deze kan doorde 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.

13

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 tedelen. 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 lesflèches. J’ai employé le joint pour avoir une fermeture hermétiqueet 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. Hebde 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 Oneof the reasons for why its function is no longer optimal.

7-Ici on voit bien l’oxydation entre la mâchoire et le piston Une desraisons pour quoi sa fonction est plus optimal.

7-Hier ziet u goed de oxidatie tussen de piston en de remklauw enzo de functie er van niet meer optimaal is.

8-Here we see the inside, with the years the oil has turned into greasewhich reduces braking enormously, and the cups affected by oxidation.

8-Ici on voit l’intérieure, avec les années l’huile a tournée en graissece qui faiblis énormément le freinage, et les coupelles affecté parl’oxydation.

8-En hier hoe het binnen uit ziet. Met de jaren is een deel van de olievet geworden wat het remvermogen ook zeer daalt,en ook deafdichtingringen zijn aangetast van de oxidatie.

9-I just thoroughly cleaned with white spirit, gently scrape the twogrooves with a small screwdriver and clean the interior with fine steelwool, and blow with compressor.

9-J’ai tout bien nettoyé au white spirit, gratter tout doucement lesdeux rainures avec un petit tournevis et passer l’intérieure a la fine

laine de fer et bien souffler le tout au compresseur.

14

9-Ik heb alles goed gekuist met white spirit, voorzichtig de tweeribbeltje met een klein schroevendraaier vrij gekrabd en metstaalwol 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 temperatuurverf te spuiten.

11-I have polished the pistons with fine steel wool as the one to the right in thephoto.

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 Iplaced seals in the grooves.

13-J’ai humidifié l’intérieure de la mâchoire et les coupelles avec l’huilede 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 devoegen.

15

14-I place the piston gently in its location.

14-J’ai placer les pistons doucement dans l’euremplacement.

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 boulonsAttention: au couple de serrage, et mis les guides métalliques.

16-Ik heb de twee delen weer gesloten en met de 4 boutenvast gemakt Opgelet: op het draaimoment en de twee gidsenGelplaatst.

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 bearinggrease in order to limit oxidation. See arrows.

17-J’ai remonter les nouvelles garnitures avec les axes et les deuxpetits goupils de sécurité. J’ai mis dans les deux trous ou termine lesaxes un peut de graisse de roulement pour évité l’oxydation. VoirFlèches

17-Ik heb de nieuwe plaquettes, de assen en de twee veiligheidspelden gemonteerd. In de gatenwaar de twee assen eindigen doe ik er een beetje lagervet in om het oxideren tegen te voorkommen.Zie pijltjes.

16

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MAINTENANCEBy 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 poordesign, which is simply not the case.

Most of the problems are not the fault of the bike or it's design. The Cavalcade'swiring system is nearly a work of art! Yes there is the known ground issue near thebattery. Easily corrected if done before it fails & potentially causes further problems.

Charging system failures happen on every vehicle. Drive a car/truck/bike/whateverlong 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 bedoing 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 careerat the dealership!

In many cases, the system suffers from unintentional neglect over the years. Fewpeople think of wiring as something which requires maintenance, and it seldomdoes. But in the case of a 20+ yr old vehicle which has probably spent a good chunkof it's life sitting dormant AND has likely been exposed to the elements often whilein use, electrical maintenance is vital! A little corrosion here, little there - it all addsup to a lot of electrical resistance. This would be true of any such vehicle, but themore 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 withlittle 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 in92 - leaving a bunch of wires nicked by "scotchlok" connectors. Or someone runsa too-long bolt into a loom. And so on. Over twenty five years worth of potentialscrew-ups!

Point is that the machine is not at fault & does not have serious design flaws. Thework to take care of things is easy & minor, and I know that many owners do itroutinely. Whenever you have an area exposed, simply treat each availableconnection. Make sure the various ground points are clean, including the one at thestarter. Take a look at wires for previous work, pinched areas, etc. Don't add or alter

things without knowing how to do so properly. If something was added by aprevious owner, take a second to make sure it's correct. (It can "work" yet still bewrong)

To properly service connections you need a good contact cleaner and siliconedielectric compound. I recommend DeoxIt D5 spray treatment, available onlineor at electronics suppliers. Unplug a connector. Spray the cleaner lightly intoeach side. Reconnect it, unplug again, repeat a few times to work the terminalsclean. Spray lightly again & put a dab of dielectric compound in the connector,reconnect. Put dielectric compound into the back (wire) side of the connector aswell to prevent moisture entry. Do this once every decade or so to removecorrosion & oxidation and prevent problems. On every bike that I've done thisto, 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 preventwater entry. Clean and tighten the screw terminals on the instrument cluster.

Again, this is preventative maintenance and need not be a major project. Just dowhatever is exposed when you have a panel off for other reasons and eventuallythey'll all get done.________________________________________________________________

17

18

FOR THE LOVE OF MOTORCYCLINGPART TWO – THE NEIGHBOUR & THE DIRT BIKE

I have performed the maintenance on my vehicles for more reasons than the sheerenjoyment. But, sometimes the learning experience resulted in less than aprofitable endeavor either because I broke something that wasn’t broken orbecause I did some trouble-shooting with new parts that did not solve the problemor 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 fromthe neighborhood came wandering into my driveway one day with the question “Isee you working on your cars; do you think you could put a clutch in my dirtbike”? 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 theclutch plates. This all started out as a learning experience and turned into alifelong friendship, and as you will read in future articles, I worked for him in hisSuzuki shop eight years later. The task was mostly uneventful until we needed aspecial spanner wrench tool to remove the nut from the clutch. We all know aboutnecessity 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 spannerwrench. I still keep it in my motorcycle tool portion of my tool box. Wesucceeded 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 nextcouple of weeks I discovered that the lady, who had the Honda 400 in my firstarticle, owned a Bultaco 250 dirt bike stored in her shed that had not been operatedfor some time. With my interest sparked by the Kawasaki I inquired as to whatprice 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 notarranged similar to anything else I had worked on. Another whole set ofspecifications and special tools. So now I am on the brink of a new learningexperience. Once it was operational, I and the kid on the Kawasaki spent severalhours doing things with a motorcycle on his self designed track that I heretoforewas not aware a motorcycle would do. I had no dirt riding experience so this was

By Gary T. Schenk, U.S.A.

19

all new to me. I actually thought that the motorcycle had two wheels so that thebike would have two tires on the ground at all times. I came to realize that yourweight and its position on the bike when in mid air is a large factor in your landingposture. After many hours of attempting to learn how to maneuver this machineI decided that I prefer smooth highway riding. I managed to make a deal with theprevious owner of the Bultaco and I ended up with a refrigerator that came to bea draft beer system. I still have the refrigerator so all is well that ends well. Mylove of dirt riding lasted a very short period of time but I will admit the handlingexperience has been beneficial on the street.

Some years later I was riding a dirt bike with two others who were on threewheelers. A culvert surprised me and down I went. It took some time to workoff the dirt rash and this was my last experience on a dirt bike. No harm done justthe occasional weather warning big toe ache.Stay tuned for “Along came the Honda 750 Four”________________________________________________________________

I was riding down the free-way, smelled burning rubber; thought it was theguy in front of me (he was dragging his boots on the highway--I assume to

'clean' the soles), next thing I know, there is aweird sound coming from my front-end.

So I pulled over to find this (picture). So I lostthe emblem, the trim and, of course, the frontfender is now junk.  Luckily, only (1) ofmounting bolts was missing & (1) justhappened to fall out on the ground at the sideof the road.

After pulling out my trusty Cavalcade Tool Kit;I was able to (with much frustration) finagle thebolt  that fell out  back into place & and thento tighten the three that were there.  This gotme 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)tightnessand maybe put a little lock-tight on them priorto re-assembly.

Fender Bender by Dug

20

Mackinac Island, MichiganRichard Boyce, New Zealand Suzuki Cavalcade Group

Yes, I have been to Mackinac Island. In 2008 on our travels to the States, wetook 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 afew days on the shore of Lake Michigan. Then we drove north to where wedecided to base ourselves in St. Ignace on Michigans Upper Peninsular.From there we caught the ferry to Mackinac Island. There only servicevehicles are allowed on the island. If you want to get around, then it has tobe by foot, bicycle, on a horse, or horse drawn cart.

Mackinac Island Arriving at the port onthe island

The Port from above

The weather on the day we went was perfect. We chose to walk aroundthe main township and tasted some of the food and sights on offer.

Main street Mackinac The horse transport Part of the Fort

21

Why do people go to Mackinaw Island you may ask, some go becausethey want to walk the broadwalk at the “Grand Hotel”. If you so desire andyou are not a Hotel guest, then you will have to part with some seriousmoney for the experience. The Hotel and Broadwalk were made famousby the movie “Somewhere in Time” filmed on the island.

What has this got to do with Cavalcades? While we were in the area, RedSloan from Muskegon, Mi, sent out an email to the group saying that hewas making a trip to “The Big Mac” for lunch and if anybody wanted tomeet up with him on the ride or at lunch they could. I took this to beMackinaw City and responded to say that I could meet him for lunch. Hereplied asking how come I was from New Zealand and that I would meethim there. I said that I was on my way to the Cade Raid, this justconfused 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 thenhe 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 andother “Youper” attractions, hopefully next time will be on a Cade.

22

byThe 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 usuallymanaged to afford the things heliked - despite a stringentbudget - even if it meantcharging the children room andboard. Or, as he put it, teachingthem to be self-sufficient.

With time on his hands when heretired at 62, he sorted thestacks of honey-do lists and setabout getting them done. Thisled to searches on Ebay andCraigslist, where everything

needed for such projects was available. There was no part too small, piecetoo antiquated or gizmo so rare, that it couldn't be bought online for a fewdollars. Which was wonderful. He went through our house, top to bottom,on a fix or replace mission. Even tracked down a filament spool for anobsolete, electric weed eater. But that only lasted so long. With everythingup and running again - and James at loose ends - he broadened his websearch, finding items pricier than we needed or could afford. That didn'tfaze him, though. If he found something he liked, he bid on it. Not hugebids, of course - and never enough to meet the reserve amount. Justenough 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. Hesigned on one morning to check email – and learned that he had placedthe 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. Iknow better. Of course he did. His past is littered with assorted and sundrymotorcycles, beginning with a dirt bike when he was a teen. During hisaffair with classic muscle cars, he did give up being a biker. The cost oflicensing, insuring, and servicing both was too much. Still - whenever amotorcycle 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.

So - we went to get the Cavalcade. The seller lived in Wausaukee Wisconsin northof Green Bay. We stopped on the outskirts of the city and picked up a rental trailerto 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 directionsto the middle of nowhere, we found his house - surrounded by woods, with a yardknee-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. Thejunked mowers explained the weeds out front. A golden-eyed, red bone houndwas stretched across the front stoop, gnawing on what had recently been the hindleg of a deer. I am not making this up. We got out of the Aviator, but kept ourdistance. The dog raised its head to assess us, then went back to crunching itslunch. James and I surveyed our surroundings. There was no sign of themotorcycle  we had purchased. Actually, no sign that anyone even lived in thedarkened house. I wondered if we had been conned.

The Yankee and I walked to the end of the driveway and stood there, looking upand down the road for a sign of life. A black truck finally appeared and signalledit 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 toget up and greet the guy, so we figured he lived there. We introduced ourselvesand exchanged a few amenities. This close to the garage, I noticed a good-sizedoil 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 heused 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 ofcancer - so he took his wife and kids to her house to spend whatever time wasleft, 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 hispocket, pulled out some keys, unlocked the single garage door, then wrestled itup. 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 werestunned. It was wa---aay beyond what we expected from the sale photo. Not ascratch on it. No rust. No dirt. No worn spots on the seats. Not to mention, itwas a HUGE machine.

The guy wheeled it outside. Reached over, turned the key. It started. Told Jamesto take it for a run. Still in a daze, James got on, headed down thedriveway, 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) withan 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 couldsay it broke the ice.

I inquired about the deer road kill he responded “Dog dragged it away and hid itsomewhere and been bringing home parts to eat, ever since.”

I nodded. I grew up in the country. Dogswill do that, when you let them run free. Ithen asked why he was selling his bike.Said he didn't ride motorcycles. He wasout in California to pick up a load of stuff hehad bought on the Internet and cameacross it. Got it for a good price, so broughtit home to sell with the rest of the haul. Ahah, I thought. That explained a lot.

“What about the cars, trucks, tractors, andstuff 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, headmitted. When he started checking into it..... well..... turned out, they weren'tworth what it would cost him to repair. I told him we saved our metal bits andpieces to sell at the recycling plant for cash. He had a half-acre of stuff he couldsell. All that metal and any catalytic converters should be worth good money. Theguy shrugged and responded amiably. Guess so, but probably never get aroundto that, either. Okay, so he didn't have much business acumen - but I did admirehis blunt honesty concerning his limits. And thankfully, James returned not longafter, 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 Yankeewould cheerfully have forked over the extra cash to clinch the sale. However, theman wasn't much of a horse trader. He even threw in some extras to sweeten thedeal for us - an assortment of bungee cords, rope and straps to help secure theload 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 frontof the open garage, the hound beside him, looking rather forlorn. He must havebeen lonesome, with his wife and children in Michigan and no idea how long theywould be there. I hoped things went well for them. Then James and I looked ateach other and smiled. By sheer serendipity, we had become the new owners ofa beautiful motorcycle - a marvel of brilliant engineering and timeless design - at aprice we were willing to pay, and were taking it home to ride. The adventure wasabout to begin. (Photos of me and James with our Cavalcade)

24

25

New: Fleece withGrey on Black LXEon front left breastand Horse/Rider +Cavalcade script onrear.

Colour: Plum

Size: Man’s XXL

Price: £25 (Usually£35) + p&p.

New: Sweater with two tone Gold LX onleft breast.

Colour: Royal Blue

Size: Man’s XXL

Price: £15 (Usually £25) + p&p.

Both the above can be paid for usingPayPal.

Send an email to:postmaster@sccuk.f9.co.uk

To see the full range of regalia onoffer, go to:

www.sccuk.f9.co.uk/page12a.html

26

Cavalcades & Parts For Sale/Wanted

Need parts for your Cavalcade?

Look no further go to;

www.cadecountry.com or www.cademaster.com

For all your needs.

This is Mike Bagshaw . I live in Idaho. I got a cavalcade ata 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

27

Cavalcades & Parts For Sale/Wanted Cont.

Front Disk Plate RotorCover 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

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 Irequire, contact Juha Heinonen by email:sccfin@gmail.com_________________________________________________

Send any articles, items forsale/wanted, photos reports on Cade

Raids, etc. to:Gv1400lxe@gmail.com

28

Magazine edited by David Hebblethwaite

Stories, articles, sales /wanted given by the Suzuki Cavalcade Group.

©® All content of this magazine belong to the Suzuki Cavalcade Group.