After reading 2 magazine ride reviews concerning the FX, I see some question areas...

1-tippy in corners...thats what the 4-wheel atv action says...even though it's 46" wide.
2-high speed twitchy handling
3-cheesy "POLARIS LIKE" plastic..yep, thats the reading
4-"FEELS" heavy
5-you Check the oil level at the top of the frame (under the seat).
6-each quad frame is welded together by a person...initially, this sounded good, but is every component in it's "exact" position when welded? It 2 FX's are compared, will they handle the same?
7-no mention of the chain adjustment procedure
8-$7,900+ price tag...probably worth it though.
9-what happened to the FMF exhaust?

Some good things that were mentioned
1-fuel injection!!!!
2-rpm ceiling = 10,000+
3-transmission oil and engine oil are separate.
4-higher quality shocks than other production atv's
5-12.5/1 compression stock! On pump gas!!!!
6-holeshots..front and rear.
7-plenty of room for larger riders

 

By the way, I am in no way slamming the FX. I don't put much stock into mag articles....just informing the uninformed.

 

ATV sport was optimistic about the quad. They made it seem very desireable. "Woods riders will love it" I think was a quote.

I am skeptical. There were lots of good things to say about all the new quads before they were out in the market for a few months. After that, we found all the bugs.

I can't blame the mags for being positive. They wouldn't get test vehicles if they ragged on them all the time.

 

The way I took it that Dirt Wheel was not as impressed with it as they have been withe the Raptor, DS, or the 400EX. They downed it in several differant things. Usually they only prase a machine when it comes out.

It is funny that Dirtwheels says that they tested the DS and Raptor at only 71mph but 4wheelATV says both will go 74.9.

I dont see the cannondale goin over 70mph but o well.

 

I'm not really into bashing other quads, but this Cannondale quad does raise some questions with me too. I've been reading posts here in the Cannondale forum just to get a feel of how actual owners like them and how they might be able to compare the FX to other hi perf 4 strokes mainly the Raptor and DS. I'm still skeptical on the DYNO results of the FX that was done by Cannondale considering that the DYNO results were inaccurate for the DS,Raptor and 400EX. Another thing that has me bugged is the frame being used to hold the oil. In the real world of racing quads, everyone has experienced a crack in the frame somewhere. How good is that? Guess this quad is not MX ready uless you plan on running one year on the circuit then it's back to rec riding. I don't think it would be a good thing to land a big triple jump kind of rough and get an oil bath because you cracked the frame. Ofcourse this is all my 2 cents worth but I really want to see one in action and see just how much that EFI helps the engine.

 

We'll a side benefit of running the oil through the frame is that the frame acts like one big aluminum oil cooler. When air blows over the large surface area it will help to further cool the oil, how much so, who knows but I know it will help, maybe a nice innovation for desert racing. I don't know why there is so much bashing of this quad. I really hasn't even come out yet, (I haven't seen one yet where I ride) and who expects it to compete with a $20,000 custom MX only Laeger custom quad that Nobody can afford anyway. Like the Raptor, 400EX, DS650, or Scrambler can win a 250 Pro MX race stock.....Yeah RIGHT! The Cannondale has some nice new features as well as great shocks STOCK that F.I. and the first aluminum frame ever in a quad stock(The CR250R has been aluminum for years and Honda CARES about their MX Bikes, unlike their quads). Overall an excellent package and alot for only $700 more than a 2001 DS650. If this bike will hold up, I wouldn't be surprised if it won the Baja this year due to the fuel injections great gas mileage.

 

newdsowner,
about the dyno thing, I do believe them. The Cannondale engine is slighty less powerful than the Yam 426YZF (around 55 crank hp...don't bash me about that, that's what yamaha says...and I don't want to argue about the yzf power), compared to Raptor (or DS) engines, which both come from mild dual sport bikes. I believe it is more powerful than the big bores (not to mention the now famous dog, the 400EX )
For the oil in the frame, there should be no worry at all. most dirtbikes already use their frame as oil reservoir, and on the Paris Dakar Raid, the front engine protection (an aluminium part right in front of the engine case...so it's low and seems vulnerable to rocks and jumps) is usd as water reservoir (just to imagine how much they trust it, since water is really important).
You're worried about cracks....there shouldn't be any cracks, or at least, not in the reservoir part, and not before a long time (remember that Cannondale has been building top aluminium frmaed mountainbikes for a long time).

Back to the original post...I don't believe the mags anymore. They're just crapping about stuff that they don't even seem to understand...."there's a lot to be done for clarity..."

 

I have ridden the FX400 and am very impressed. I currently own a DS650 with a Ron Wood pipe and CDI box and have worked at a Yamaha, Polaris, Suzuki, Bombardier, Cannondale, Sea Doo dealership for 4 years so I have ridden and owned pretty much one of everything. Even though I have ridden for years I consider myself to be a beginner when it comes to motocross or hare scramble racing so consider my skill level when you read my evaluation.

The FX is fast, very fast. Throttle response and low end are impressive, kind of reminds me of a 400EX on steriods but unlike the 400EX which is very short winded this thing continues to pull throughout the rpm range. It has a much more stable feel than the Raptor and I'm quite sure it will out accelerate it from 0 to its top speed. It was easily as fast as my DS however it was very hard to get a good start on it so I usually won the drag races on my DS (100 yard slight incline). I will mention though that if I rode the cannondale the end of the race was much closer. Remember I ride a DS so I instantly noticed the weight (supposedly 352 pounds dry). This thing is so light. The suspension was very stiff from the factory for most peoples taste but I'm 6'2" and 260LBS so it felt pretty good to me. I only got to ride on a motocross track but I think this thing will be even better in the woods. It has a very tight turning radius and takes very little effort to turn. The steering felt a little twithchy at higher speeds (the one we have has quite a bit of toe-in) but is managable. There were only two things I can complain about on our initial outing. This FX didn't like to have the throttle blipped quickly open and would sometimes cough. Most of this was due to my riding style and not being adjusted well to the bike and the track. The other thing is don't foul the spark plug (1 hour to replace it). We fouled a plug as soon as we got the FX out of the crate due to a misadjustment. After readjusting it started flawlessly all day long.

I will finish this off by saying I definitely want one. $8,000 is not cheap but you'll only feel it when you're signing the papers to buy it. Most people will never think twice about buying a $5899 400EX and then spending $3500 on it and then its still not as trick as this thing. I love my DS because of my size but if I was 220LBS or less I would have bought the FX the day we got it.

I can't wait to read a comparison in the magazines to get an experts point of view.

 

about the magazines.
if you pay them enough money for a good review you will get it