Cannondaleriders

hey im new to the forums. I am wanting to sell my 300ex and get a used cannondale. are the engines reliable? im not much of a mechanic and am wanting to know if i would spend more time working on the quad then riding it. thanks

i think you better stick with your 300ex. maintenance is the key to keeping these machines running. and when something goes wrong...it could be awhile before you figure it out.

Hmmm, well performance wise the Cannondale is much better. Maintainence isn't much more than any other quad. Look in the for sale section and try to find one with a balance crank and updates. That takes care of 95% of the problems right there. Besides that the only other problems you might run into are dumb little problems just like anything else. The reason I like the Cannondale is because its a badazz racer handmade in the USA. Fuel injection, aluminum frame. and your not riding the same quad as everyone else. :usa

thanks sillyspeed. the c-dale sounds awesome. would you go with a cannibal or the moto. is there that big of a difference?

If you can afford a moto then get that. It has +3 a-arms, wider & stronger rear axle, better shocks, nerf bars, better mufler and different mapping that adds ~10hp. It has pretty much everything you'd ever want to bolt onto a cannibal all ready on it.

where are u located guthrie? before u spend some hard earned cash, you need to take a good long look at these machines. being "not much of a mechanic" and a dale owner is like drinking and driving, they don't mix...i'm a decent mechanic and wouldn't let too many people do any work on my machine, and without the owners manual, i never would've figured out how to change the oil! i spend more time wrenching than riding and i usually ride for only 1.5 hours at a time. mostly it's preventative maint, but anything besides putting air in the tires is a pain in the azz on these machines.

READ THE ALL THE THREADS IN THE FORUMS!
AND COME TO CHAT TONIGHT TO GET MORE ADVICE.

thanks for the replies. i live in apollo PA cdrookie. even with all the upgrades and the balanced crank these machines still require alot of maintenace?

Don't let rookie scare you. This is not a honda so yes you will learn how to use a wrench. It also depends on the type of riding you do. Trails and casual riding will require less maintenance than racing will. If the motor has all the upgrades than you should be in decent shape. One thing is to read these forums and not to be afraid of asking questions. that is why we all come here. I like my Dale, but out of the 3 new machines (YZF450, 450R, and Dale) They all have maintenance issues. Performance comes at a cost!

thanks derno. how hard do you think it will be for me to find a used cannondale with all the upgrades.

guthrie, you are right down the road(almost) from where i'm from! but i live on the other side of the state now:mad:

finding a dale with all the upgrades is like finding hay in a haystack. prices are cheap also. in fact... someone on chat the other night was suppose to send their speed to haydug for consignment sale... suppose to be nice with hardly any hours on it. the dude was from jersey or deleware i think. check the for sale section, and come to chat tonight after 9 pm.