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1986 Suzuki Cavalcade 1400 trike conversion, hard to steer
I bought a 1986 Suzuki Cavalcade 1400 that had been converted to a trike. When I made the purchase, I was not familiar with trikes. I did not have my license at that time, and only rode as passenger around the seller's block. I did not know at the time that the rear axle and suspension was made by cutting the frame and removing the rear wheel, etc. . A car or truck axle had been welded in and the drive shaft from the engine was welded into the the "U" joint at the axle.
This arrangement made it necessary for the builder to "slightly" shift the rear axle to one side to line up the drive shaft from the engine, as the drive shaft is on the left side of the engine. Viewing the trike from the back, you can see a slight off set of the rear axle. There was solid hub caps on the rear wheels, so I could not see that one wheel was like a "spare tire " wheel, and the other one was like a deep dish type. I assume this was to keep one tire from sticking out further than the other one under the rear fenders because of the offset. There is no suspension between the rear axle and the frame, so hitting bumps in the road will jar your back bone. There is very little clearance between the top of the axle and the rear bike frame, so since the axle is welded to the swing arm, The axle will come straight up when you hit a bump and hit the frame; something I didn't know at the time. I put rubber blocks between the axle and the frame, and welded a couple of small springs on each side at a certain point convenient, and that helped some. I have ridden the trike a good bit since I bought it. Just watch for holes in the road, etc. Rough roads are not pleasant to ride on. Problem number one is: The axle gearing is too low . I am pushing 5,000 rpm at 50 mph, and abouth 5,500 rpm at 55-60 mph in 5th gear. Red line is 7,000 rpm. Problem number two is: this trike is very hard to steer in sharp turns. I almost lost it in a sharp turn when my left had pulled off of the handlebar and caused me to swerve. Thankfully, I was going slow down a small mountain road and I was able to re-gain control. I have a friend to is going to see if he can put different gears in the axle. Since the axle is welded solid to the swing arm and I dont have independent suspension on the rear, I am afraid of putting the welds on the swing arm into too much stress on uneven roads, etc. I dont know if there is much that can be done, especially on the hard steering. I just wanted to share this little story if anyone has any suggestions that would help correct my bad decision when I bought it. I cant afford a new one, (or even a used one at the prices trikes bring). I let the price of this one lure me in and did not know what I was buying, since I was new.
Originally Posted by Gorilla
