2002 Cannondale Glamis 440 Series

Cannondale Glamis 440

    Cannondale has been an industry leader since 1971. They started in a loft above a pickle factory with it’s first product being a bicycle trailer. They grew quickly adding cycle apparel and accessories and earned a well known reputation for innovative high quality products. In 1983 Cannondale unveiled it’s industry first aluminum framed bicycle. Cannondale did not stop their innovative ideas with bicycles. In February of 1998 they announced their plans for off-road motorcycles and a year later unveiled it’s aluminum framed, fuel injected motocross MX400. The MX400’s started shipping in May of 2000 and a year later introduced it’s high tech aluminum framed, fuel injected ATV. Another Industry first!

    ATV Connection had the opportunity to ride Cannondale’s newest version in their ATV product line, the “high-performance dune-devouring demon” Glamis 440. Overall the Glamis 440 is a great duning machine; plenty of power to ‘Haul the Mail’ and great suspension to soak up anything the dunes can dish out. However we did notice a few things that needed improvement to make the Glamis 440 the perfect dune demon.

    The Glamis 440 is based off of Cannondales Speed model. Minor changes were made such as softer suspension settings, different fuel injection mapping, orange graphics and light encasements with silver plastic, front and rear dune tires, and a flag. Cannondale is big on safety; we were impressed to see the machine come with the standard owners manual and safety check sheets, along with a safety video and a safety CD-ROM game. The game takes you through all the safety checks such as checking nuts and bolts, fluid levels as well as having the proper riding gear then the user can choose a terrain type and drive through the course while getting safety tips throughout the game.

Arriving at the Glamis sand dunes we were eager to try the Glamis 440. After unloading it was given the standard inspection to make sure it was ready to ride. The first thing you notice is the placement of the headlights and the shape of the front plastic. Cannondales have a unique almost frog like look. After our first ride it was discovered that the Glamis 440 is no toad! We also noticed the topside of the plastic seemed to be pitted like it was in a very bad sandstorm but on the bottom side it was smooth as if it was new. It turns out that this particular machine was not brand new and had a few dune trips on it already. It’s still a mystery as to what happened to the plastic. It seemed to be pitted in area’s where a sandstorm would not affect it like directly behind the seat. With further inspection we noticed a rattle in the silencer. It sounded like the center tube was loose but it gave us zero problems all week. With is breadbox like shape it is a rather large silencer. It has a highly polished look, almost chrome which fits into the duning community perfect. Most duners really like the polished aluminum goodies available for their machines but we are unsure why it is so large. One of our test riders suggested for the Glamis edition only, the all aluminum frame would look very trick if it were fully polished. This would be very easy to do at the factory and the duners would eat it up!

It comes stock with GBC paddle tires. The rear tires are the molded type, which are generally heavier than the non-molded type of tire. The GBC’s seemed to work good but a non-molded tire would be a lot lighter thus giving the machine less un-sprung weight and more power! The front ‘razorback’ types of tires are great in the dunes. The ridge in the middle of the tire provides great turning ability! On the underside of the quad is a plastic rear skid plate. It is not really needed in the dunes but does provide some protection if you happen to find a rock and allows the quad to glide over the sand if you high center it on a dune razorback. There is no engine/full body skid plate. A full body skid plate would make the quad glide over dune razorbacks rather than digging in and slowing you down.

Starting the Cannondale is a bit  different than other ATV’s due to its unique fuel injection. With the key in the ON position the easy pulling hydraulic clutch needs to be pulled in then the electric starter button is pressed. The main difference is NOT giving it any gas while pressing the starter button. If the gas is pressed the machine will not start very easy and the motor will most likely flood. All of our test riders are so used to applying gas to an ATV that they had to put their right hand on their leg while starting it to remind themselves about the unique starting procedure. Once started the motor sounds like it’s going to fly apart! The added noise is due to the straight cut gears in the transmission. Straight cut gears give much better performance than bevel cut gears. Once you’re on the gas the motor is very quiet!

Sitting on the ATV we found the seat to be very soft and the controls relatively well placed on the TAG handlebars. The clutch lever seemed to be to far in from the end of the bars, with it pulled in there was an inch gap between the end of the lever and the end of the bars. The throttle also needed to be rotated slightly upward so our wrists were in a more straight position. The shift lever was perfectly placed and allowed your boot to make easy effortless shifts After some seat time some of our test riders noticed that the TAG handlebars seemed too straight and a little low. We felt they would be more comfortable if the grips were swept back more than they were along with a longer steering stem with anti-vibe mounts to help reduce vibration. Most of these are minor problems and easily fixed with simple adjustments.