Cannondaleriders

I'm looking at a 02 cannibal in good condition for under 2 grand. You think it's a reasonable price? Supposedly it was used heavily for about 6 months then garage kept. Do you think this is enough runtime to cause any engine problems? If I get it I will have about $1000 to spend on updates/upgrades. What are the main updates/upgrades I should look into? I ride all trails. I like wrenching, but have little to no internal engine work experience. but like riding just as much. I am going on a long ride and cannot be stranded out in the woods. I hear many horror stories of c-dale engine problems, but others say they are insanely fast and handle well. Anything I should know about c-dales? Is a nice, reliable cannibal possible for my budget?

Thanks

That is a perfect budget amount. It is typically ~$800 to get the engine reliable. There are many reliability updates, but once they are done you will not usually have internal problems. There are always a few external issues like everything else. Little silly things like electrical plugs coming loose or other random oddities. Here is a short list of things to fix:

Update crankshaft big end rod bearing with a Suzuki Z400 bearing. Original bearing WILL fail, and cease the engine, leaving metal shavings in the frame (the oil reservoir) and causing a mess. (Oil filter can be pulled while quad is tilted on its side, and checked for shavings, verifying bearing is going bad if shavings are found).

Loctitie crankshaft/tranny cartridge plate bolts or switch to Cannondale stud update kit or Canniboomer's blue bolts with nordlock washers. This is one of the biggest failures, loose bolts falling out of the crank or tranny plate, then stripping the oil scavenge pump gears, causing the engine to overpressurize, and oil to blow out of the crankcase breather tube.

Check camshafts for hard edges on the lobes, meaning they are soft and not hardened correctly. Cannondale's biggest problem was its vendors, they got screwed on cranks, cams, and other things.

There are some more issues, but I am running out of laptop battery... Basically that is a good deal for a fast quad. Throw a canister on the stock stainless header and yank the airbox in favor of a pod filter. Then map the computer with a Moto map and get an instant 45hp at the rear wheels.... Dyno proven, for less than $300. The quads are maintenance intensive, like a race car, but they also perform like a race car.

This was the first engine I ever rebuilt myself, ever, and I have not looked back. They are amazing, and fairly simple once you get to know them. Enjoy!

Check for metal in the filter.Have the guy run it then just remove the filter.It takes 2 minutes.If metal is in filter crank is gone and you will be approaching $1500-$2000 by the time you are done fixing everything right.Around $1200min. if you do it yourself.If no metal(crank destruction dust hasnt wreaked everything) then yes $800 should do it IF you do it yourself.Or just ride it till something goes.Could easily get another 6months depending on how hard you ride.

Where are you located?

I'm in Connecticut. Thanks for the replies guys. Is the oil filter a screw on type or inside the engine? Not sure how somone I dont know would react to me wanting to tip it over and take it apart before its even mine. How do you do the mapping? If the crank is still good I only need to replace one bearing right? Which side is it on? Will I need a new gasket and can it be done with the engine still in the quad? Do I need to remove the engine to do all of the updates? Is it fairly simple to remove?

The engine is under a dull gray circular cover on the left side of the engine. It is a slip in style, no threads. You remove the small cover (about the diameter of a small pineapple juice can), then pull the filter out. As long as the quad is tipped up then no oil will come out. You will need a 4mm Hex Wrench (Hex key, Allen wrench, one of those) to remove the cover screw. Once you remove the filter you can somewhat look in the pleats, but the telltale sign is to run your finger in the bottom of the filter cavity near the back (it's very shallow) and see if you pick up any metal shavings in the cavity. This will give you a very good idea of what shape the crank is in, but regardless the bearing will have to be replaced, don't chance it!

If the guy doesn't let you do that I would be a bit leary. It's not a big deal, he should know what you are talking about if he has ever changed the oil, which will also be a good sign to you! If the crank is throwing shavings, then it will cease soon, and you will have to flush out the frame, which is a BIG selling point. At that point price goes down A LOT. I would say $1500 MAX for a Cannibal with a known bad crank.

Do you know if it has Ohlins front shocks? Ohlins rear or Fox with a remote reservoir? VIN number?

Mapping requires a Diagnostic & Maintenance Kit (D&M Kit). It consists of a cable, and software that you load onto a laptop with a serial port. Any old laptop will work, or a newer Dell Latitude with a serial port. Canniboomer should be able to supply you with a setup like, even a laptop with it already loaded. The cable and software are typically ~$350, but allow full tuneability of the fueling and timing, plus lots of other things like throttle calibration and computer error codes.

The crank requires that the main rod bearing, the big end rod bearing that rides on the crank journal, is replaced. There is no small end rod bearing. The main bearings that reside in the case on the left and right side of the case (right side=case/left side=crankshaft cartridge plate) should als be replaced at that time, because bearings are cheap and should be replaced form time to time.

You may need a new side cover gasket depending on what kind you have in there now. Many of Cannondale's "gaskets" are actually o-rings, and rarely need replacing.

The engine MUST be removed to to pretty much anything. Don't worry, you get very quick with that operation when you own a Dale. My friend cdsracer did it in 47 minutes one time.

There are a few external updates. The important ones are internal.

Yes.. Simple to remove!

It has the non-reservoir shocks with yellow springs. I don't see where the thousand dollars in repairs is coming from. The updated crank and bearing is around 400, so what is a list of exactly what parts I need? Sorry for all the questions, but this is a big decision, probably the last quad I will buy for years.

Okay....

Here is a spreadsheet I created last year, before cdsracer and I built a few engines for some fellas. This is pretty accurate for pricing, the only prices we ever charged were exactly what Black Widow or Canniboomer or Timbo charged....

I couldn't upload an excel file, but I can send it to you if you want. The excel version autocalculates the totals. With this paint version you will have to do the math by hand.

Hope this helps. Don't let this scare you away. I was a little taken aback when I dropped my first Dale engine, but it is pretty darn easy. If you can't make it through the rebuild, stick the parts in a Rubbermaid tub or Igloo "The Cube" and send it out. One of us can finish it for you. The great thing about these is that after you do a few of them you will only need the manual for torque values. The parts generally only go in one specific place, which is pretty obvious when you have it apart.

By the way, that is good that it has the Ohlins front shocks....

You can call Timbo for that...