While any failed component in the drive system might lead to a locked rear wheel, those listed above appear to dominate.

Of the listed failures, the secondary is due to a simple lack of lubrication. Unless the rider is aware of the location of and the lubrication needs of the secondary drive unit, it's easily overlooked during normal maintenance. Even mechanics with years of experience can overlook it if they aren't familiar with the Cavalcade. Discussion within the e-mail group indicates that this is the case more often than not. Many bike shops are simply limiting their service to newer models. That's why Cavalcade owners need to become familiar with the bike to insure that items requiring regular maintenance receive it.

As for the driveshaft u-joint, it appears to fail due to excessive wear. Replacement driveshafts from Suzuki feature a larger u-joint. And, while the larger u-joint still cannot be lubricated, the additional bearing surface area seems to have solved the wear issue to a great degree. Driveshaft u-joint failure is commonly preceded by an audible "clank" as the drivetrain is loaded and unloaded.

What Causes a Rear wheel Lockup?

From what I have been able to gather from the 550+ members of the Cavalcade e-mail group, there are two primary causes that have led to a locked rear wheel:

1) Bearing failure in the secondary gearbox (due to lack of lubrication),
2) Failure of the driveshaft u-joint (due to excessive wear)

If the u-joint becomes audible, it is important that it be inspected and/or replaced as soon as possible to prevent a catastrophic failure that could lock the driveshaft and also the rear wheel. Since the u-joint is staked in, it is replaced only by installing an entire driveshaft assembly. Fortunately, the replacement driveshaft features a larger u-joint that may mitigate wear problems to a great degree.