IF and I repeat IF the motors actually are produced in Sweden or anywhere but China, Awesome! If done right I may buy one for my Dale. Problem I have is this is the same group of guys who actually was bragging about how light the motor was. Passing it around and showing everyone. The motor was empty. Nothing or very little in it! You don't do that at a trade show where most of the people there are very informed and knew better. Guy was either not knowledgable himself or a outright liar. Look at this article. It is the same thing. What do they think DirtWheel readers are complete idiots! It is shameful and just another company leaching off of Cannondale. It embarrasses me.
I won't speak for him and don't know for sure but I also remember how Frank White looked sitting there. A lot like Eric Buell looked when Harley pulled the plug. Very dejected and not involved whatsoever all the while these O.K. guys were acting like the Salesmen they are. Then knowing a little bit of the history behind the O.K. guys and thier efforts to have a competitive race bike using a Cannondale. They never joined OUR team here, I know they had the parts to make a very competitive motor but they never gave any feedback even on the parts. I don't even want to talk about $. I believe there must be a genuine racing enthusiast or two among the OK group but the enthusiast is not in control a accountant or a scrooge is. So based on that I don't trust them.
Dirt wheels
QUOTE (cannondale27 @ Dec 24 2009, 07:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
IF and I repeat IF the motors actually are produced in Sweden or anywhere but China, Awesome! If done right I may buy one for my Dale. Problem I have is this is the same group of guys who actually was bragging about how light the motor was. Passing it around and showing everyone. The motor was empty. Nothing or very little in it! You don't do that at a trade show where most of the people there are very informed and knew better. Guy was either not knowledgable himself or a outright liar. Look at this article. It is the same thing. What do they think DirtWheel readers are complete idiots! It is shameful and just another company leaching off of Cannondale. It embarrasses me.
I won't speak for him and don't know for sure but I also remember how Frank White looked sitting there. A lot like Eric Buell looked when Harley pulled the plug. Very dejected and not involved whatsoever all the while these O.K. guys were acting like the Salesmen they are. Then knowing a little bit of the history behind the O.K. guys and thier efforts to have a competitive race bike using a Cannondale. They never joined OUR team here, I know they had the parts to make a very competitive motor but they never gave any feedback even on the parts. I don't even want to talk about $. I believe there must be a genuine racing enthusiast or two among the OK group but the enthusiast is not in control a accountant or a scrooge is. So based on that I don't trust them.
I won't speak for him and don't know for sure but I also remember how Frank White looked sitting there. A lot like Eric Buell looked when Harley pulled the plug. Very dejected and not involved whatsoever all the while these O.K. guys were acting like the Salesmen they are. Then knowing a little bit of the history behind the O.K. guys and thier efforts to have a competitive race bike using a Cannondale. They never joined OUR team here, I know they had the parts to make a very competitive motor but they never gave any feedback even on the parts. I don't even want to talk about $. I believe there must be a genuine racing enthusiast or two among the OK group but the enthusiast is not in control a accountant or a scrooge is. So based on that I don't trust them.
Wow Steve, you are always so bitter! I didn't mention anything about buying one or even anything about their practices. I was just commenting on the bike. As for the comments about Frank, I believe it was very awkward for him to see other people touting the ATK name and it not be him! Frank loves the center stage and he was regulated to just being one of the guys, even though he was still the owner of ATK!
This group of people (good or bad) have bought up several companies, brands, intellectual rights and even a casting facility! They appear on the surface to be very eager to produce something (again good or bad) to sell in the motorsports industry. There was some sort of deal pending to buy or merge with ATK and that's why they were at the Dealer Show a couple years ago. The Highland motors were on display in several variations. I saw the one guy touting the weight of the one motor (that was empty) and believe or not I didn't pay much attention to him. Scooter was there along with his old boss from Optimum, Frank White and several of the guys from the Group mentioned in the article.
I don't know about you but I am for anything that will continue producing parts for the bikes I love and own. And I don't mean I would be buying it from them either. Aftermarket companies could come to the table with remanufacturing of products they have discontinued or even new products. I don't see this as a losing situation.
Like you, they would have to do a lot to get me to buy anything from them at this point in time.
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cannondale27
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- Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2021 10:41 pm
Here is a Web site that I used to have for them:
http://www.highland.se/
It looks like it has been redirected from overseas to here now. THey also deleted a lot of the stuff that was on the old site.
http://www.highland.se/
It looks like it has been redirected from overseas to here now. THey also deleted a lot of the stuff that was on the old site.
I think it is a cool build and if for some reason it spurs any aftermarket involvement that is great. I am not holding my breath as the aftermarket surely did not embrace ATK.
Perhaps my distain is for Dirtwheels and their wording of this article and not Highland. However, for anyone to pass it off as a new made in the USA ATV is atrocious and intentionally misleading.
Our frames are in my opinion are the best factory ATV frames ever built, however most of them now are nearing 10 years old. They still hold up very well but they are clearly not new. Same with almost every single item on that quad pictured. Not new technology at all. Far from it.
Would you build a bike in your garage from some new and used parts you have, clean them up, powder coat them and install a new motor from some manufacturer and attempt to call it a new bike and sell it like that?
There are full blown done up Dales here I have seen go for under $3K that are much better than what they have shown in those pictures. Give me one reason why I would go buy an inferior setup that is called "NEW" just because it has a new different motor stuffed into it. Come on.
Look, I love my 250r kitted Cannondales but people are like you are STILL racing that thing. LOL That my friends is the general racing publics opinion. Those are the people I would imagine who will be their target market.
Racers (if they are old enough) remember Cannondales at the track back in 2002 and 2003 for their cutting edge technology and them being the only company building a race ATV. What is BURNED into their brains is they bought this great bike for 7-10K and had the motors grenade, bolts back out, electrical gremlins, etc. They have a very poor stigma attached to them unfortunately. Everyone I talk to says the same thing. My cannondale ripped and was awesome....when it was running.
We here are a very tiny minority who has great love and passion for these machines. We know that with the proper updating and modifications they can be made to be very reliable and potent performers. The problem is most everyone else has a much different opinion than that. That is going to be the problem for Highland if that is the bike they are planning on selling.
If they were smart they would just sell a kit of the motor, ecu, exhaust and modified cradle. That would be the smart way to go if they are dead set on doing this. There are hundreds if not thousands of parted out Dales out there with blown motors and or all the chassis parts to build them.
Do that, but dont insult my intelligence or the publics intelligence and call it a new bike.
Perhaps my distain is for Dirtwheels and their wording of this article and not Highland. However, for anyone to pass it off as a new made in the USA ATV is atrocious and intentionally misleading.
Our frames are in my opinion are the best factory ATV frames ever built, however most of them now are nearing 10 years old. They still hold up very well but they are clearly not new. Same with almost every single item on that quad pictured. Not new technology at all. Far from it.
Would you build a bike in your garage from some new and used parts you have, clean them up, powder coat them and install a new motor from some manufacturer and attempt to call it a new bike and sell it like that?
There are full blown done up Dales here I have seen go for under $3K that are much better than what they have shown in those pictures. Give me one reason why I would go buy an inferior setup that is called "NEW" just because it has a new different motor stuffed into it. Come on.
Look, I love my 250r kitted Cannondales but people are like you are STILL racing that thing. LOL That my friends is the general racing publics opinion. Those are the people I would imagine who will be their target market.
Racers (if they are old enough) remember Cannondales at the track back in 2002 and 2003 for their cutting edge technology and them being the only company building a race ATV. What is BURNED into their brains is they bought this great bike for 7-10K and had the motors grenade, bolts back out, electrical gremlins, etc. They have a very poor stigma attached to them unfortunately. Everyone I talk to says the same thing. My cannondale ripped and was awesome....when it was running.
We here are a very tiny minority who has great love and passion for these machines. We know that with the proper updating and modifications they can be made to be very reliable and potent performers. The problem is most everyone else has a much different opinion than that. That is going to be the problem for Highland if that is the bike they are planning on selling.
If they were smart they would just sell a kit of the motor, ecu, exhaust and modified cradle. That would be the smart way to go if they are dead set on doing this. There are hundreds if not thousands of parted out Dales out there with blown motors and or all the chassis parts to build them.
Do that, but dont insult my intelligence or the publics intelligence and call it a new bike.
Maybe look at it this way. The bike pictured isn't new obviously. However, maybe that is their test bed and what they "plan" to make. Why completely make everything from scratch when you have components sitting there to put a demo or test model together. I'll have to give the OK guys a call after the holidays to see what is up and how they plan to approach this actually.
Test model...sure that would make sense. Just like Cannondale brought in every ATV under the sun at the time for testing.
Putting an article with pics like this out in Dirtwheels is a bit premature dont you think? People will see all these 7-8year old components on it and do one of these
It may do them more harm than good.
Personally I would have waited until I had the whole thing complete and finalized before posting pics like that.
Putting an article with pics like this out in Dirtwheels is a bit premature dont you think? People will see all these 7-8year old components on it and do one of these
It may do them more harm than good.
Personally I would have waited until I had the whole thing complete and finalized before posting pics like that.
Heres a little bit of info. A little bit off topic. http://www.flattrack.com/index.php?option=...Itemid=46#53706 Also Dirtwheels doing this plz it will go something like this, this bike hauls, it out ran every other 450 we ran against with ease also it stops on a dime and jumps like it has wings, the fit and finish its 2nd to none. But the Yamaha yfz450 is $200.00 cheaper and with that $200.00 saved you could put a pipe and full suspension on it and have a bike perfect for your style.
Claas900, I love the post! 
Dvrack: Your banned!
Pete: Let us know what you find out!
Guys,
I honestly believe DirtWheels is way off base. They have been notorious of supposed new models. I also do not believe they will ever duplicate the Cannondale frame (except in China) and mass produce it. If it's made in China like C27 says, I know I will never buy one. I do know these guys are looking for a way in without completely redesigning the wheel the way Cannondale did. They made several attempts to make the Cannondale motor work in several projects and when the found the Highland motor they went that way. Fortunately for them they still have a lot of Cannnondale parts left over and have came up with this variant. Face it, Cannondale welders are some of the best in the business.
You know whats so funny? This same type of discussion went on for years while nobody built anything competitive to the Honda 250R quad. It took a few pioneers like Cannondale to get the industry off of their high horse and give us the hi-bred 4 stroke powered machines we have now.
Dvrack: Your banned!
Pete: Let us know what you find out!
Guys,
I honestly believe DirtWheels is way off base. They have been notorious of supposed new models. I also do not believe they will ever duplicate the Cannondale frame (except in China) and mass produce it. If it's made in China like C27 says, I know I will never buy one. I do know these guys are looking for a way in without completely redesigning the wheel the way Cannondale did. They made several attempts to make the Cannondale motor work in several projects and when the found the Highland motor they went that way. Fortunately for them they still have a lot of Cannnondale parts left over and have came up with this variant. Face it, Cannondale welders are some of the best in the business.
You know whats so funny? This same type of discussion went on for years while nobody built anything competitive to the Honda 250R quad. It took a few pioneers like Cannondale to get the industry off of their high horse and give us the hi-bred 4 stroke powered machines we have now.