I wouldn't have trouble handeling it, my friend has a shee n 250r I can handle them, even though im 15 I've rode quads for awhile and pretty sure I can handle it.

 

And does anyone have the new Artic Cat 400 sport? I saw them on their site and saw they have the same engine as the z and kfx, i guess its all in which color you want [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

i would say 400EX because just like 2Fast4U said you can find just about anykind of part you would ever want for a 400EX and i hear that their reliability is awesome.

 

Reliability- 400ex
Reverse- Z or clone
Performance- Cannondale
Handling- Cannondale
Quickest- Cannondale

If you don't mind wrenching and alot of maintenance get the dale like Thomez said, especially since you can get cannondale's lower model quad (cannibal) for a little more than a 400ex. Go to cannondaler.com and search the forums for updates and just research the Dales if you're really serious about getting into them.

 

I have a recommendation. Stay away from the Cannondale. I have had nothing but problems with my 2003 LE Cannibal. All engine transmission problems. I had a engine seize on me, the bolts inside the tranny came loose one time, the quad got stuck in gear and took off with the clutch pulled in, the thing was overcharging the battery and ruined a couple of batteries, they will nickel and dime you to death. Luckily the engine was under warranty. So now I have a like new quad with a brand new engine in it, but I'm afraid to ride the thing.

I have a buddy that bought the same thing as me, and cannondale replaced 4, yes 4 engines for him. They just kept blowing up.

Oh yea, he got the last engine, they went broke, then it blew up too.

The only thing that was good about Cannondale was their warranty

 

..I hate when ppl bash Cannons, Most ppl dont know anything about them..The Cannon is not for everyone. Do they have problems,yes some do?...But 95% of them are well know and can be prevented..Bolts comeing lose,"crank plate"trans plate"very common...but well know..easy fix..And the fix has been out for a long time,you almost never hear if it happening anymore,only to new ppl that dont know about it.
A motor blows up for a reason..not just cuzz its a pile...come on what went wrong?? Rod bearing?..somewhat of a common problem,right main bearing? only common in the first gen motors..dont ever hear about it anymore. There were some cracked sleeves,but not very common...Other then that you dont here many bad things about theses bikes,broken rods? no,Clutch Baskets?no,pulled studs? no, Head gaskets?no ,cracked frames no, Swingarms?no,
When you look at the hole pic there really not bad,like i said most problems are known..fix them and go ride...I'll get off my soap box now...

 

I'm not bashing just for the fun of it, everything I said is true. As for all the problems being known, give me a break! Who wants to buy a new quad then take it apart to fix all the problems? What a P O S! I bet if you had the problems we've had you would be a little bitter too.


TRUST ME PEOPLE, IF YOU BUY ONE YOU WILL BE SICK (UNLESS YOU LIKE YOUR QUAD IN THE SHOP MORE THAN YOU RIDE!)

 

I find it hard to believe people are still buying cannondales and not doing the basic reliabilty updates. Its not like this stuff is some secret info . Its common knowledge that the 2003 models have a crankshaft balance problem from one of the cranks suppliers and if you have one and get it balance chances are real good there will be a failure early on. All engines from every year should have the stage 8 done to the cartridge plates becasue of a lack of a few drops of locktight on one bolt could cause severe engine damage were it to come loose. As far as this stuff being done from the factory had they not closed thier doors all new quads would have this stuff taken care of for free.

I dont recomend anyone who doesnt know how to read a factory service manual or use of basic electrical tools like an ohmeter. If changing a spark plug is the limit of you mechanical abilty then these are not for you.

As far as the engine failure rate the last figures I heard were around 6 to 7 percent. It is more than any other quad but by no means the 100percent some people are touting . Although if I had one of those 6 percent quads I would not be happy. Ive got 2 engines with over 400hours between them and niether one has failed but one had the updates done right away and the other never had any but the one that didnt did have one cartridge plate bolt that turned out behind the clutch basket and was on the very edge of doing some major damage. Claas900 is right about the problems being known about and a fix for all of them.

And to the comment about buying a new quad and taking it apart as soon as you get it where the heck have you been for the last 20 years . Every atv I have ever owned never made it more than a few mojnths before I was ripping it apart to "hop it up" because of the dismall performance . This is the first quad I have ever had with such exceptional power that I am still running the stock pipe on it and i dont plan on changing it either.

 

I would be very cautious about buying a machine that now has zero factory support (since there is no longer a factory).

Warranty? Nope.
Parts? Soon to be hard to find.
Aftermarket? Nothing new.

The Cannondale is an exotic machine that requires higher than average maintainence because it was a thoroughbred of a quad. It is made for racing and therefore has higher demands than the Japanese machines.

Personally, I would take a hard look at a YFZ if you want the same caliber of machine as the Cannondale but don't want the hassle of no manufacturer support...

 

if you are not in to turning wrenches then stick around and wait for the honda.the yamaha is not much better than the cdale when it comes to reliability.there were several at the track this weekend and about 50% of them went home junk.one with a broken frame....lol gimme a break.didnt they learn from suzuki.