cannondales and GAS GAS

[woodsracer144]

hey how are these quads.. i've rode on the honda 400ex 450r 250x 300ex 90 and a ton of 4x4's and the lot of yamaha's had a hybred with a 400F in it... rode a pro's Z450 and every set up of a 250r known on the face of the earth... i havnt heard much about these quads... how are they? what are some of the common things that go wrong with them? how well do they hold up....

thanks.

[zyoung04]

i think there were 3 different types of cannondales 1 for mx(moto) 1 for xc(blaze) and 1 for dunes(speed) a friend of mine had one i cant remember what one his was it was a 440 very quick but it sounded like it had a sack of bolts dumped inside the motor when it was running sounded horrible......if im not mistaken i think they were the 1st aluminum FI quad i may be wrong though

[woodsracer144]

well i know there was a blaze moto speed and glamis, for the c dale, i know there are parts that are very close to the 400ex 250r... i know the exhaust run out the rear where the intake normally was and the intakes in the front of the motor...

as far as gas gas i know they had a 300 2strk and a 450 4... and they were a ton of monet off the show floor...

i just want to know how they hold up... and how long they last... its not worth anything if you cant finish a race... and to me i think you should be able to run a season on a motor....

[atveric132]

my mechanic has one. it was the first FI quad with an aluminum frame. intake up front with the exhaust out the rear of the motor. motor is very noisey but reliable. ATK owns the company now and you can only buy parts now they no longer make the bikes.

[SRH]

i think the gas gas would be my pick over the cannondale, id go with the gas gas 2 stroke i think, just make sure you find a dealer for either you can rely on , parts arent as easy to come across, every quad has its quirks, its just putting the rider with the patience to work through them on it

[woodsracer144]

i know what you mean SRH, the only think is if i got one... im not planning on getting one right now... im going to build my 250r to a EDT quad and race it hopfully... but i liked the look on the dale... i just didnt want to spend my money on a POS and then have to keep droping money in to the dang thing... i know each quad has there flaws some just have more then they need to have... like polaris's early 2 stroke work... who ever did the wire diagram on those should get shot!

[Brad77]

Head over to www.cannondaleriders.com for all kind of info on the Cannondale quads.
I have two of them and I really enjoy them. With the proper updates and proper maintenance I think they are just as reliable as any other quad out there.

[yellowzo3]

Originally posted by Brad77
Head over to www.cannondaleriders.com for all kind of info on the Cannondale quads.
I have two of them and I really enjoy them. With the proper updates and proper maintenance I think they are just as reliable as any other quad out there.

That's what I heard from everyone as well when I was checking them out. But if you don't have all the updates then....... :ermm: ...Aren't these very touchy as well with the starting procedure and such? Heard that a BUNCH of times but can't confirm.

However, I couldn't justify getting one that might be riddled with problems when I could have bought one of the major companies 450's for the same price and worked on it whenever I'd like. You need a laptop and the program to change the mapping on Cannondales I believe. Wasn't the only difference motor wise between all of them the EFI maps each had? You can get a decent mx setup ltr for the same price as a moto and not have to worry. I understand they are reliable when updated, but still... parts break, and I'd rather be left fixing an ltr than a Cannondale.

Last time I checked parts weren't any cheaper than the other 450's. Not worth getting one in my opinion. Barely anyone has one at races, so if you break it your screwed and can't even buy any parts from other racers. I don't think they share parts with 250r's (maybe the front end though?). The rear swingarm and exhaust setup is the opposite of conventional 450's (except the DS)... Chain on right, brakes on left. So I don't think anything but the front end will work... and I doubt that does. There are 250r kits you can buy that change the Dale plastic to 250r style and they look GREAT with that kit installed.

With all the choices out today, there are better quads out there for the money and you won't be scratching your head when something goes wrong. Unless you want to have something original and don't plan on racing it then I wouldn't get one.

The only one I've ever seen at the track was a beast though. It shook the ground as it passed. I'll never forget that lol I just stared at it for a couple minutes. :cool:

[woodsracer144]

the front ends are the same, tires bolt up on them, the rear end is very close to the same as a 250r no link...

[One_Bad_400]

cannondales were FAR ahead of they're time. the technology they had in those bike are just now starting to apear into bikes. (aluminum frame, FI, backwards motor [yamaha 2010 yz450f]) if they would had apeared in todays time 450cc i think they would had succeded.

[gcart2]

why are you stuck on one of these brands? why not pick up one of the top three?

[Tico-Tampa]

Originally posted by One_Bad_400
cannondales were FAR ahead of they're time. the technology they had in those bike are just now starting to apear into bikes. (aluminum frame, FI, backwards motor [yamaha 2010 yz450f]) if they would had apeared in todays time 450cc i think they would had succeded.



It was just hard to keep them runing, but when those quads were runing they were really fast and a nice ride, they should of done a lot more testing before they put them out, I'm sure a lot of people would of got them

[2000ex]

The chassis on the Cannondales is the most durable frame every built, hands down. The only drawback to them is if you are buying a machine without the essential updates the motors are a ticking time bomb. If you follow the proper updates they are just as reliable as any other machine out there.

The HUGE upside to them is the $ per horsepower you can extract from them. You can pull an EASY 50hp dyno at the rear wheels with nothing more than a port job and a pipe. The power delivery is awesome.

Guys are pulling mid to upper 50's on them with a true 450 piston, pipe, porting, and proper cam timing. This is ALL done with stock cams and pump gas. You would need several thousand dollars into any other 450cc motor out there to come close to accomplish what you can get out of the cannondale for under $800.

[2000ex]

Duplicate post

[woodsracer144]

Originally posted by gcart2
why are you stuck on one of these brands? why not pick up one of the top three?

i dont like to follow the crowd... people say 4 stroke i say 2 stroke... people say the 250r sucks i say it kicks ***... i still run a 250r and im working on a project to race in the new EDT series...

i just like the look on the c dale moto's... i think im gonna have to try one out one of these days... what are the updates you have to do to them?

[gcart2]

Originally posted by woodsracer144
i dont like to follow the crowd... people say 4 stroke i say 2 stroke... people say the 250r sucks i say it kicks ***... i still run a 250r and im working on a project to race in the new EDT series...

i just like the look on the c dale moto's... i think im gonna have to try one out one of these days... what are the updates you have to do to them?

well then buy a honda, run a streetbike helmet, pink plastics, a business suit and tie, and flip flops. that way you wont be "following the crowd" and you will still have a bike that you can buy parts for if it happens to break down.

[woodsracer144]

who needs to by parts when you can make your! :devil: