What both amazes me and would also scare me to death is how aged so many rubber kind of components are on a bike with this many systems. Did Susuki EVER imagine this model would still be in service this many years later? You are one brave dude to take this old gal so far from home! I bought a similar milage Vee strom but that was only like 11 years old and it had troubles even at that relative young age I can only imagine how many things might go wrong with a machine so much older and massively more complex than the little VStrom ...my hats off to you! Like I say Brave man lol
Haha. The Cavalcade was, until a few days ago, my newest bike. Usually I'm riding my 51 year old Moto Guzzi which I ride everywhere (Yukon, BC, Labrador, Newfoundland). People worry too much. Learn your bike and ride, then deal with any issues as and f they arise.
I owned a cavalcade in the early 90's. Extremely durable bike that had no problem hanging with the wings and I didn't have any mechanical issues. Traded for a jeep ! Luvn my jeep !
@@nick949eldo hey nick, when you've done all I have done, you will enjoy those 4 wheels with no top ! Never lookn Back , I didn't come with mirrors ....that for democrats !
I love old Suzukis and this is one of their best. 15 years ago I was riding a 1975 Suzuki 500 street two stroke, the Titan. Loved it but Suzuki didn't carry any parts for it and not much available on the Internet either. Loved that Suzuki but with no parts available I put it up for sale. I needed a daily rider and it was only good for a collector. It was actually stolen before it sold. I had it up for sale by consignment at an independent motorcycle dealer and they closed up shop disappearing in the middle of the night with all their inventory.
That's a sad tale Larry. Ironically, it's probably much easier to get parts for older bikes than it ever has been with eBay and many specialist and fan Facebook and on-line groups. I've always thought the Titan looked like a great bike.
Personally I would hunt the Ba$t@rds down and inflict pain or at least massive fear on them! I had a sort of similar thing happen to me with a car I traded in to a broker (as opposed to a dealer) My trade in was financed and the broker SOLD it without paying it off leaving both me and that buyer in a bad spot meanwhile he closed up shop and moved out of state. I had to do a a lot of snooping a little burglary and then major intimidation to the guys love interest that I managed to find who was still in town selling their joint home (was a man btw I was not terrorizing a woman) I put enough fear into both him and the broker himself that he coughed up the money and saved me from having to pay off a loan on a car I didnt even possess any longer! Turns out the state of California has little interest in helping criminal BROKERS who leave the state ...DMV was beyond worthless refusing to even help with identifying the broker etc....they were more worried about protecting HIM than helping the guys victims! Had it been a dealer? Whole lot of protection in that case but at least at the time brokers were a whole other issue ....and the bond the broker had to have posted? Was nearly impossible to go after ! But I prevailed by playing dirty
Oh and get this I tried to get my finance company to repossess the car from the poor buyer but they refused even though LEGALLY they owned the car BIZARRE....never assume you are protected was my take away
Thanks for the ride along Nick, beautiful route that was. I am going to take my eldorado 1400 out for a ride in the country tomorrow and break in the new metzeler 888's. It's going to get in the mid 40's here in western Mi., so I'll put on the heated gear and go and enjoy what's left of our color. The cavalcade is in beautiful condition and low miles too, You did well on that purchase.
Twin to mine. I don't ride it that much anymore. Pinched nerves in my spine, effects my right leg. Causing me to drop that heavy sob . I dropped it 3 times. So now I just ride my Sportster around. I'm 62 and hope to keep on riding.
Yep, enjoyed the video Nick. Get in all the riding time you can! Look forward to the next installment. Oh, looks like I waited to late on the Ambassador for this year. I believe they're putting chemicals on the highway up there. Do it in the Spring.
Found your youtube channeling while searching for a review on a Suzuki Cavalcade after reading some of your adventures on the bike in a few of your books. Thanks for the review and the books! :)
@@NobleEndeavours123 It was the Guzzi Breva 1100 with full bags. Just time for a change - the Cavalcade is excellent. Please chat through (mudcleats at gmail.com) if interested. The price will be reasonable.
Nice bike.. i keep and ride old bikes too.. I have a Honda and Kawasaki obsession.. though i like all the metric bikes.. I'm going to look at a Cavalcade LXE that's for sale in my area today.. i hope she's in good shape like yours is.. great review.. thx
Another great review Nick never know that bikes existed. I think it would be a great learning experience for me if you could do a review on my bike. Maybe when it gets a bit warmer I could shoot up to your neck of the woods and we could have that coffee and you can take my bike for a ride. I would really like your insights because we're the same size and close in age it would just be an interesting review. Keep up the good work
I had a BMW K1200LT for a while; similar concept I guess. Like this bike, it was great when on the move, but easy to topple when stopped or almost stationary. I liked the cruise control, the electric screen and the reverse gear, but all the other gizmos, radio, cd player etc. just added unnecessary weight imo. It got through rear tyres at a fair old rate too. Looking forward to seeing more reviews Nick. As always, thanks.
I could happily live without the CB/Radio/Communications and all the weight and other stuff that goes with it as weight really is the major issue. But it is what it is, and while it all works so well, I'm just going to enjoy riding it once it's moving. Thanks for the comment and views Moto. Stay well. Nick.
A Great Video - Thank You! I truly wish that Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki, would return to making their V4, Straight 4, and Straight 6 cylinder luxury touring motorcycles! I do not like where my feet are forced to be on the Gold Wing, because of its horizontally opposed cylinder layout.
When I rode my friend's 2018 Goldwing 1800 I didn't notice any trouble with the foot position. They've moved the engine forward quite a bit - and I don't have massive feet. But I agree - the Suzuki V4 is an absolute beauty - powerful, smooth and (so far) reliable. If you haven't seen it already, there's more Cavalcade adventures here: ua-cam.com/video/TBikiQT9EkM/v-deo.html
Today I my two thumpers having leaky carbs. It's got to be that ethanol thing. One is a 2001 DRZ400e, the other a 1975 Honda CT90. I just don't know how you do it. One thing I have learned - ride 'em or expect trouble.
Good to see you keeping the riding season going. I find wind noise to be more of a bike issue than the helmet. On my Goldwing the wind doesn't really bother recordings but on the CB550F you really have to speak loudly to over come the wind noise at highway speeds. Will it be a Guzzi for the next installment?
You got it! I already did the video for a review of the Convert. Of course, being a dolt, I did some wonderful narration as I rode for about twenty minutes - except I hadn't plugged the mike into the GoPro so ALL I got was wind noise. Oh well, time for some office voice-over. Stay well. Nick.
I had one. The lower end one. I miss it terribly. I went down hard with it. She got totaled. Suzuki should’ve kept up on it like Honda did. Long live the Cavalcade.
About the dash icon flashing falsely, that's fairly common. Try cleaning the contacts at the connectors to the saddlebags. If that does not work, here's what I worked up many years ago to deal with it. This procedure disables the lamp outage icons. Many have done this for various reasons, such as to utilize LED bulbs which draw too little power to satisfy the system. 3rodorcon.com/cav/instruct/files/defeat-2.pdf
I have a 86 Suzuki Cavalcade motorcycle 1400 the clock stop working the dish cam let you know what gear you in and the speed hand and RPM hand stop as well.
@@nick949eldo - I had that problem with my Goldwing. I'm 5'10 but have short legs. If I bought another big bike then I'd also buy a trike kit like from Voyager. Then, there would be no worries about balancing the bike or trying to back it up. There would also be no worries on bad roads, potholes or groove lines in the road.
That sure looked like my territory in Central New York. Looks like our countryside is the same over a large territory. I'm debating whether to check out a Blue 1986 Cavalcade in my city (Syracuse). I had a Goldwing a couple years ago and didn't like it. I'm 77 and trying to back that 800 lbs beast into the garage just about killed me. If I got the Cavalcade, I'd invest in one of those Voyager Trike kits. Then, I could just step off the bike and push it back into the garage without worrying about balancing it. A trike kit would also take a lot of the worry out of bad roads, potholes, groove lines etc. But the more I think about it the more I realize that the only thing to protect me from idiot drivers on their cellphones who cross over into oncoming traffic is a larger vehicle like a truck. Maybe I'll pass on the bike. I just don't heal and recover like I used to 50 years ago.
Since I doubt there is any collector value I would look at stripping off all that radio gear save 20 pounds and maybe even free up some storage space If really thinks a radio is of value they make some really cheap tiny light handhelds these days But I recon if I was REALLY worried about it I would grab the chepest plan and a sat phone or sat emergency beacon which is much more likely to save the day in the middle of nowhere than an old CB rigg
There's one for sale about 250 miles away from where I live. I've admired these for awhile.
Thank you for your video! I like your narrative. Again thank you!
What both amazes me and would also scare me to death is how aged so many rubber kind of components are on a bike with this many systems. Did Susuki EVER imagine this model would still be in service this many years later? You are one brave dude to take this old gal so far from home! I bought a similar milage Vee strom but that was only like 11 years old and it had troubles even at that relative young age I can only imagine how many things might go wrong with a machine so much older and massively more complex than the little VStrom ...my hats off to you! Like I say Brave man lol
Haha. The Cavalcade was, until a few days ago, my newest bike. Usually I'm riding my 51 year old Moto Guzzi which I ride everywhere (Yukon, BC, Labrador, Newfoundland). People worry too much. Learn your bike and ride, then deal with any issues as and f they arise.
I owned a cavalcade in the early 90's.
Extremely durable bike that had no problem hanging with the wings and I didn't have any mechanical issues. Traded for a jeep ! Luvn my jeep !
Yep, great bike. Thanks for the memories. But four wheels is no substitute for two IMHO.
@@nick949eldo hey nick, when you've done all I have done, you will enjoy those 4 wheels with no top !
Never lookn Back ,
I didn't come with mirrors ....that for democrats !
I love old Suzukis and this is one of their best. 15 years ago I was riding a 1975 Suzuki 500 street two stroke, the Titan. Loved it but Suzuki didn't carry any parts for it and not much available on the Internet either. Loved that Suzuki but with no parts available I put it up for sale. I needed a daily rider and it was only good for a collector. It was actually stolen before it sold. I had it up for sale by consignment at an independent motorcycle dealer and they closed up shop disappearing in the middle of the night with all their inventory.
That's a sad tale Larry. Ironically, it's probably much easier to get parts for older bikes than it ever has been with eBay and many specialist and fan Facebook and on-line groups. I've always thought the Titan looked like a great bike.
Personally I would hunt the Ba$t@rds down and inflict pain or at least massive fear on them! I had a sort of similar thing happen to me with a car I traded in to a broker (as opposed to a dealer) My trade in was financed and the broker SOLD it without paying it off leaving both me and that buyer in a bad spot meanwhile he closed up shop and moved out of state. I had to do a a lot of snooping a little burglary and then major intimidation to the guys love interest that I managed to find who was still in town selling their joint home (was a man btw I was not terrorizing a woman) I put enough fear into both him and the broker himself that he coughed up the money and saved me from having to pay off a loan on a car I didnt even possess any longer! Turns out the state of California has little interest in helping criminal BROKERS who leave the state ...DMV was beyond worthless refusing to even help with identifying the broker etc....they were more worried about protecting HIM than helping the guys victims! Had it been a dealer? Whole lot of protection in that case but at least at the time brokers were a whole other issue ....and the bond the broker had to have posted? Was nearly impossible to go after ! But I prevailed by playing dirty
Oh and get this I tried to get my finance company to repossess the car from the poor buyer but they refused even though LEGALLY they owned the car BIZARRE....never assume you are protected was my take away
On Amazon the 750 Shadow doesn't exist. The dealership also had trouble.
Excellent video. Thanks for the straightforward information and great description.
Thanks for the ride along Nick, beautiful route that was. I am going to take my eldorado 1400 out for a ride in the country tomorrow and break in the new metzeler 888's. It's going to get in the mid 40's here in western Mi., so I'll put on the heated gear and go and enjoy what's left of our color.
The cavalcade is in beautiful condition and low miles too, You did well on that purchase.
Safe ride Jim. Watch for idiots.
Thanks Nick, there are alot of careless inconsiderate and distracted idiots around here. But like you I love to ride, especially my Guzzi .
Twin to mine. I don't ride it that much anymore. Pinched nerves in my spine, effects my right leg. Causing me to drop that heavy sob . I dropped it 3 times. So now I just ride my Sportster around. I'm 62 and hope to keep on riding.
Too bad John. I'm nine years older than you and, now I'm used to it, it isn't much of a handful. Stay well. Keep riding - even a Sportster
It's July 2023 (nearly) and I am looking to buy a Suzuki Cavalcade in Santa Rosa, California area. Thanks, Mike.
Hi Mike, Its a long way from Ontario to California. I suspect you'll find one close by. Good luck.
This is a great looking bike!! I have a 1985 Honda Goldwing Limited, would love to see you review it.... Thanks for posting!!
Yep, enjoyed the video Nick. Get in all the riding time you can! Look forward to the next installment. Oh, looks like I waited to late on the Ambassador for this year. I believe they're putting chemicals on the highway up there. Do it in the Spring.
Found your youtube channeling while searching for a review on a Suzuki Cavalcade after reading some of your adventures on the bike in a few of your books. Thanks for the review and the books! :)
Great bike. Reluctantly I'm going to be selling mine in the spring as I have another, lighter bike that will do the same job.
@@nick949eldo I am very tempted since I also live in Ontario. Which bike did you replace it with? Was it the VStrom?
@@NobleEndeavours123 It was the Guzzi Breva 1100 with full bags. Just time for a change - the Cavalcade is excellent. Please chat through (mudcleats at gmail.com) if interested. The price will be reasonable.
Nice bike.. i keep and ride old bikes too.. I have a Honda and Kawasaki obsession.. though i like all the metric bikes.. I'm going to look at a Cavalcade LXE that's for sale in my area today.. i hope she's in good shape like yours is.. great review.. thx
Another great review Nick never know that bikes existed. I think it would be a great learning experience for me if you could do a review on my bike. Maybe when it gets a bit warmer I could shoot up to your neck of the woods and we could have that coffee and you can take my bike for a ride. I would really like your insights because we're the same size and close in age it would just be an interesting review. Keep up the good work
You're on. Pray for good weather.
I had a BMW K1200LT for a while; similar concept I guess. Like this bike, it was great when on the move, but easy to topple when stopped or almost stationary. I liked the cruise control, the electric screen and the reverse gear, but all the other gizmos, radio, cd player etc. just added unnecessary weight imo. It got through rear tyres at a fair old rate too.
Looking forward to seeing more reviews Nick.
As always, thanks.
I could happily live without the CB/Radio/Communications and all the weight and other stuff that goes with it as weight really is the major issue. But it is what it is, and while it all works so well, I'm just going to enjoy riding it once it's moving. Thanks for the comment and views Moto. Stay well. Nick.
A Great Video - Thank You! I truly wish that Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki, would return to making their V4, Straight 4, and Straight 6 cylinder luxury touring motorcycles! I do not like where my feet are forced to be on the Gold Wing, because of its horizontally opposed cylinder layout.
When I rode my friend's 2018 Goldwing 1800 I didn't notice any trouble with the foot position. They've moved the engine forward quite a bit - and I don't have massive feet. But I agree - the Suzuki V4 is an absolute beauty - powerful, smooth and (so far) reliable. If you haven't seen it already, there's more Cavalcade adventures here: ua-cam.com/video/TBikiQT9EkM/v-deo.html
@@nick949eldo Thank you; I'll view promptly!
I have the same issue with the tail light error
Today I my two thumpers having leaky carbs. It's got to be that ethanol thing. One is a 2001 DRZ400e, the other a 1975 Honda CT90.
I just don't know how you do it. One thing I have learned - ride 'em or expect trouble.
Absolutely the worst thing that can happen to a bike is for it to sit. They don't respond well - you're right.
Good to see you keeping the riding season going. I find wind noise to be more of a bike issue than the helmet. On my Goldwing the wind doesn't really bother recordings but on the CB550F you really have to speak loudly to over come the wind noise at highway speeds. Will it be a Guzzi for the next installment?
You got it! I already did the video for a review of the Convert. Of course, being a dolt, I did some wonderful narration as I rode for about twenty minutes - except I hadn't plugged the mike into the GoPro so ALL I got was wind noise. Oh well, time for some office voice-over. Stay well. Nick.
I had one. The lower end one. I miss it terribly.
I went down hard with it. She got totaled.
Suzuki should’ve kept up on it like Honda did. Long live the Cavalcade.
Sorry you lost yours. You have to wonder what they would be like now if they'd stayed with it. That V4 is superb
Hello I'm DA'WARGAMES !! I JUST PICKED UP A 86 CALVACADE LXE 1400 ! A FEW HOURS AGO IN
PHILADELPHIA, PA !!! I'LL BE IN TOUCH!!
About the dash icon flashing falsely, that's fairly common. Try cleaning the contacts at the connectors to the saddlebags. If that does not work, here's what I worked up many years ago to deal with it. This procedure disables the lamp outage icons. Many have done this for various reasons, such as to utilize LED bulbs which draw too little power to satisfy the system.
3rodorcon.com/cav/instruct/files/defeat-2.pdf
Thanks Ed. I'll give it a try.
I have a 86 Suzuki Cavalcade motorcycle 1400 the clock stop working the dish cam let you know what gear you in and the speed hand and RPM hand stop as well.
Cbs are useful for long distance riding. Listen in on channel 19 and youll hear truckers talking about wrecks where cops are slow traffic etc.
I have a 90 base Goldwing,older metric touring bikes with proper servicing will give trouble free miles and don't break the bank to purchase.
Gorgeous
Hi Nick; how tall are you if I could ask~?
6'2" or at least I was. May have shrunk a bit now. I can see that the weight could be an issue for the short-legged.
@@nick949eldo - I had that problem with my Goldwing. I'm 5'10 but have short legs. If I bought another big bike then I'd also buy a trike kit like from Voyager. Then, there would be no worries about balancing the bike or trying to back it up. There would also be no worries on bad roads, potholes or groove lines in the road.
Very nice,thanks so much!
That sure looked like my territory in Central New York. Looks like our countryside is the same over a large territory. I'm debating whether to check out a Blue 1986 Cavalcade in my city (Syracuse). I had a Goldwing a couple years ago and didn't like it. I'm 77 and trying to back that 800 lbs beast into the garage just about killed me. If I got the Cavalcade, I'd invest in one of those Voyager Trike kits. Then, I could just step off the bike and push it back into the garage without worrying about balancing it. A trike kit would also take a lot of the worry out of bad roads, potholes, groove lines etc. But the more I think about it the more I realize that the only thing to protect me from idiot drivers on their cellphones who cross over into oncoming traffic is a larger vehicle like a truck. Maybe I'll pass on the bike. I just don't heal and recover like I used to 50 years ago.
I just bought a 1986 LXE and being a Harley guy it's kind of an odd experience lol
Since I doubt there is any collector value I would look at stripping off all that radio gear save 20 pounds and maybe even free up some storage space If really thinks a radio is of value they make some really cheap tiny light handhelds these days But I recon if I was REALLY worried about it I would grab the chepest plan and a sat phone or sat emergency beacon which is much more likely to save the day in the middle of nowhere than an old CB rigg
the radio has been on the shelf almost as long as I've owned the bike.
Why does it look like your always going uphill?
Position of the camera on my chest. Better in more recent videos.
Looks like south carolina but he speaks english.