Cannondaleriders

I am 14 and was wondering about buying a conondale. I own a blaster now but i am getting to big for it and I am planning on buying something else in the spring. I was wondering if a Cannondale would be a good choice. I am taking atuo mechanics and have worked on cars all my life so i can deal with the engine work. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Sounds like a good fit..... Only other requirement would be $$$. Are you going to have a decent flow of cash? They are more expensive than the jap bikes. No offense to the jap bikes. The dales just cost more in maintance. And fixes...

BUT **** THEY ARE WORTH IT!! I love my dale!! Too much maybe. :head:

Thanks for the info. In the winter i snow blow peoples driveways and in the summer I mow lawns or work with my father and maybe another job if i can find one. WHat are the main problems that people have had with them?

Honestly some are gems where you don't have a problem just general maintaining. Oil changes based on ammount of usage. I don't think that if you were just trail riding and play riding that it is any more expensive than any other quad. I have had 3 now. If there are problems they aren't the same as the other quads. They have their own quirks. If you get a Cannondale just look up the Updates thread. If you get an Atk enjoy it.

At this point you need to read. The big part of cannondales is dealing with stuff yourself. That includes finding many of the answers.

Here is a short list of items to look into:


-Crank bearings--including stator side bearing and rod/pin bearing
-stator wire update
-motor mount update
-oil line update
-shift spacer
-bolts backing out inside of motor--stage 8 kit
-going too fast so you hit a tree and bend frame--cdrookie
-not being able to hear anything people yell at you becuase the motor is so freaking loud
-02 motor is better than 03 motor. Cast case vs SSM and better cranks

Those are a few items to read up on. If you are serious about the dale then you are at the right place. you won't find a better 4 wheeler community. The people here really care about these machines and the improvements prove it. Oh, and off that list above. There is a fix for every single one of the problems.

These motors run at a very high rpm compared to some others and in turn can have more problems than those others.

Man Happy you might scare the guy away. Heck the 1st Dale I owned is now in the hands of Exodus with well more than 250hrs and no problems!!!! Oh and only the motor mount update too.

I would rather see people know what they are getting themselves into. I didn't say that these were all problems. Just things he needs to look into and decide whether to deal with them or not.

Thanks for all the info hopefully i will have one this spring.

Is it better to buy a 02 or 03 cannondale?

02 usually like said. Better case and crank. If it's got the 1000 ECU instead of the 500 and hydraulic clutch I believe you've found the one you want. Correct me if I'm wrong guys.