Suzuki Cavalcade Lxe

SUZUKI CAVALCADE LXE

RIDING IMPRESSION

Finding the missing links

WHEN YOU GOTTA GO. YOU gotta go. And for the Cycle World tour group to arrive at Daytona in time for Bike Week, Suzuki's newest top-of-the-line tourer, the Cavalcade LXE, would have to be left out. The new model simply wasn’t going to be ready prior to our departure, and we’d have to take the less-expensive LX model instead.

By the time the staff was safely back in Newport Beach, a shining new LXE was waiting, keys in the ignition and full of gas. And it didn’t take much time on the bike to learn that Suzuki has addressed some of the faults we found with the LX—such as the LX’s lack of fairing lowers. The LXE has lowers, and quite effective ones, at that. In cold weather, very little wind reaches the rider’s legs, which remain snug from the knees down. For hot-weather riding, there’s an easy-to-reach lever that opens vents in the lowers. And while there’s nothing unusual about a vented fairing, this system is very effective, for the small vents provide much additional air circulation when open.

The lowers offer another useful function: They curve down and connect to floorboards ahead of the footpegs, providing the rider with an alternative place to rest his feet. On long highway stints, it’s good to know your feet aren’t confined to the same quarters for hours on end.

Suzuki paid some additional attention to the passenger quarters on the LXE, as well. There now are two small speakers mounted atop the tour trunk, flanking an adjustable passenger headrest. We felt the headrest was kind of bothersome, though, for it never seemed to be in quite in the right position and it passed vibration on to the passenger's head.

Other new features on the LXE include two inflatable air cushions in the front seat, a set of turning lights, a strap for fastening items to the inside of the saddlebag lids, a map case and coin box, and a few more tidbits of chrome here and there. Then there’s the biggest difference of all: At $9299, the LXE retails for $1300 more than the LX. That’s a stiff premium, especially for some features that probably should have been on the bike to start with, and other features that are of minimal value.

So even if the LXE had been included in our cross-country tour-off, it still wouldn't have displaced the Aspencade as the overall favorite. But the LXE is proof that Suzuki is learning about touring.

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