2003 cannondale cannibal

[otis]

Hello, This is the first time I have wrote on the cannondale forum and I am hoping for some advice. I have a 13 year old boy that only talks about cannondales. He has been on quads forever. He has a blaster right now and I have a kfx400 which he races locally. I have found an 03 cannibal for $2000. The fella tells me it has been sent to ATK for some upgrades, didn't specify much except that the crank was the main thing replaced. I read that the c'dales are more mx ready, aggresive maybe is the word. I am assuming it will be something like the kfx400. Will it be??? And I read that there is a limitation of parts. I want to buy it for him, but now I am having 2nd thoghts,I just need to here ( yeah, that's a good buy and it is a good machine, parts are available, bla, bla, bla,) easing my concious I guess.
THANKS

[chigger81]

Parts are available! If they arent, the cannondale community steps up to make them. It will be different than your kfx, but you can easily adjust it to your riding style. They have alot more power than your kfx. The computer system can be changed to make the motor put out different kinds of power. (Example - a moto map will give you more power in the top rpm range, more like a two stroke while a blaze map will give you much more torque to lug it around the trails.) I dont know what map (setting) he has in there, so I cant really tell ya what it will be like. I would ask some more questions about the upgrades he has done. Also, check out www.cannondaleriders.com if you havent already been there. The can be very sucessful in racing on about any surface.

[cdrookie]

take the bike for a good long trail ride 2-3-4 hrs. don't try to purposely blow it up but don't baby it either. when you get back drain the engine and tranny oil and look for excessive debris in the filters, water in the oil(possible corroded valve cover), or gas in the oil(worn top end). if the guy balks at the request- walk away. does he have proof of any work done by ATK?

some dales run for years some only run a few hours... owning one is like getting married, there's a commitment that must be made.

[otis]

First off, Thank You. I haven't talked to this fella much. All I have seen so far is pictures of it. Haven't seen it up hand. Have seen no reciepts on anything done to it. All he has told me of the engine is that ATK had an upgrade kit, That is what was installed and done to it. He is the original owner. Quad will come with a certificate of origin. It has fox front shocks on it, Is this normal. I was under the assumption that they came with Ohlins. Getting divorce so I don't know if that has anything to do with the sale of the quad. Wants to sell it as soon as possible. On this map setting, How do you do this? I assume some sort of computer is involved? The problem with riding and looking it over is it is 400 miles from me. A person hates to drive that far and turn around empty handed.

[cdrookie]

ya 400 miles is a drive...:( i'm sure you know that some people will say anything to get rid of something and with no proof of any work done all you have is his word. fox front shocks???? i bet it has arvins, maybe a fox rear. the speed and glamis had ohlins without ressies, the blaze has standard travel with ressies, the moto is long travel with ressies. the cannibals had either fox or ohlins rears all the rest had ohlins. you need a D&M(diagnostic and maintenance)kit to change mapping and do throttle recals, make changes to the flowrate, etc. and it's best to have a laptop to hook the D&M up to. a cheap old laptop will work fine.

like chigger said, go to www.cannondaleriders.com and read. there's also info at www.cannondaler.com but thats mostly the "bike" site. then decide if you want to make the trip.

[chigger]

If everything is in good shape, 2 grand is not bad at all. The crank could have been balanced by atk, rebuilt by atk, or maybe hes not tellin ya the truth. Just know that if the crank does have a problem, its going to cost you some money. Usually 1000 + once its already failed, and about 500 if it hasn't, and all the other parts are in good shape. Buying and upgradeing seems to be pretty popular. You can find all the info and help you need over at the sites if you choose to do so.

[tat]

This would be a lot of quad for a 13 year old. Im NOT saying dont buy it. This would be a big change from a 400cc quad. The cannondales/atk are great quads. That is a very good deal.

[otis]

Thanks fellas for all the insight. It is a balanced ATK crank that was installed. I think I am going to take a chance and buy it. Heck, anything used has some sort of risk to it. Hopefully if I need help with it I can call on you all again. Once again THANKS.