Cannondaleriders

hey whats up everyone,i just drain the oil from my 2002 cannondale cannibal and was just wondering how much oil do you put in.what kind of oil is best and do you put some of the oil in the top and some in the bottom.just need the know the best way to do it..thanks..wipeout..

There are two oiling systems on the Cannondale. One is for the engine and one is for the transmission. On the right side of the motor down low towards the rear of the motor are two drain plugs. The bigger one is for the transmission and the little one is for the engine oil. Be careful when you put the trans drain plug back in because the filter is inside the motor and sits inside the drain plug when installed. On the engine oil side, you also need to drain the frame and oil filter area. There is a frame drain up high on the right frame spar underneath it looks like a big grease fitting or brake bleed bolt. You only need to crack it loose a few turns to allow it to drain the oil thru the middle of the fitting. There is another similar frame drain on the other side down near the foot peg. This one is the bottom of the oil system and may plug up with soot so be patient and if needed run a piece of wire up thru the middle on the lower one. Finally you will need to drain the filter area and replace the oil filter under the round cover with the single bolt in the middle just in front of the clutch cover with the big "C" on it. Use exactly 1 1/2 quarts of a good quality synthetic oil in the engine side, and 3/4 quarts of gear lube in the transmission side if you change that oil as well. These amounts are critical and you must drain all of the engine oil to use this amount.

Good Luck

ok thanks for the info.

the 3/4 gear oil goes in the bottom end? and the 1 1/2 motor oil goes in on the top of the frame?

Sorry to hijack this thread but this subject reminds me of something that happens every time I change my oil. No matter how I do it, I never get 1.5 quarts back out. I'll take the drain plugs completely out and tip the machine over and it does'nt matter. I end up just measuring what comes out and putting that amount back in. Any ideas would be appreciated as this has always bothered me.

I usually leave the drain spars cracked open when draining the main also....I usually let it drain for a solid hour or so...just don't forget to torque drain spars back down snug...

helpful info thanks

After you think the sump is drained,... lift the rear end and count to 20... then drop it back down and you will get the remaining oil that hides just under the crank in that dished area.

FYI, merely adding back the same volume as drained each time is a sure way to problems, since each time you will drain a bit less. All motors use Some oil, and some more than others.. Better to just add the 1.5 qt after a 3-point drain.

Also, excess oil will hide in the right rear frame section, since Cannondale arched that horizontal Crankcase Venthose section much too high, trapping several more ounces back there. Lifting the rear end also pours more of that trapped oil into the sump -- via the starter clutch.
And, by re-positioning the CCVent hose to more flat horizontal, (see pic of trimmed-shorter hose into the starter clutch and lowered... and it neatly tucks in recess behind the lower radhose clamp), it will certainly drain more on the same level ground.

Compared to stock, the tweaked setup is a big improvement.

Here is the worst possible setup that traps the most oil in the right rear frame-vent chamber. Imagine dirty oil just sitting in the right rear -- up to the peak of that hose just under the impeller cover....
Also, that was skimpy venthose of only 1/4" ID.