I am purchasing a 02(?) Speed from an older guy that has ridden it on trails 4-5 times and on the track 2 times (so he claims). The tires still have the little string things on them....I actually believe him when he says the machine has no more than 15 hours on it. So, my questions to you guys are:

1. Is it worth $5300-5500?
2. What sort of service should it have had at this point? (He said valves, 2 oil changes, and filters)
3. Are there any problem areas I should look for on this particular model?
4. He says that I am crazy to buy this as a trail bike as it is not the most reliable bike and that is almost impossible to get it out of 2nd on most tight trails or tracks. Do you agree?

The problems he has had:
1. Oil line clogged.....The dealer rerouted it and got rid of the problem.
2. Battery died and the dealer didn't know why it happened.
3. Are the other problems this model is prone to having?

Basically my main concern is: WHAT ARE THE MAIN AREAS of the bike I should examine before I buy a 2nd year (very sophisticated) bike that is out of warranty. Thank you for all of the anticipated advice.

Regards,
Andrew

 

That's a good price for it. Make sure all the updates have been done.
I race mine in the woods and also trail ride. It's great machine to do both, you just have to get use to the power and speed.
Change the oils and fuel filter on a regular basics. (5-10 hours) They can go longer. I change mind after every race.
Check to make sure all nuts and bolts are tight. Blue lock-tite them.
I haven't had any major problems with mine.
The rims suck though. I've bent up both fronts. Now I have Carbon fibers.
Just do the maintance on it and you shouldn't have any problems. If you do cannondale have been excellent about fixing them.

 

The Cannondales are a blast on the trails. If he isn't getting out of second then he isn't having any fun. The problems that c-dale had have been corrected. The battery is a minor problem if you don't ride a lot. If it is going to sit for a month and not be rode just hook it up to a trickle charger. The c-dales are in my opinion a reliable machine if you do the proper maintenance. Any quad with the power of this machine is going to take more maintenance than a utility machine. Go on to cannondales web site and go and look at the bulletins. go into the service, tech and parts bulletins. They will tell you what updates should have been made and you will know what to look for. I have a friend that has had none of the updates done to his 02 speed and he has not had any problems to this point. This is not a machine for the timid! But if you like to go all out then this machine is all you would ever want. I think getting mine was the best decision I ever made about a quad.

 

Ditto what those guys said. You won't be dissapointed, it's a great quad and that is a good price. I'm very happy with mine in the woods and tight trails. The rims really do suck. I ended up switching the front rims to stock 400ex rims. They narrrowed the quad up about an inch and you can tell the difference in the woods. I'm able to "sneak" past the trees now in the tight spots and it's still stable.

 

Things to look out for:

Trees they come up alot faster now, and the ITP rims aren't that strong.
People who want to ride your Cannondale, Read the warning sticker on the tank.


Smitty

 

I agree with everything else posted here.

I normally stay in 3rd or 4th regardless of the trail type.

If this guy was riding in 2nd all the time, it's easy to see why he wasn't happy with it.
These quads excel when ridden hard. That was what they were built for.