Yeah. I was at my Cdale dealer this morning checking out the exposed electrics. That's screwed up! so much work and innovation and they leave senstive components open to the elements. I wonder if Cdale has thought of a accessory to seal that area off somehow...

BTW, they have a refurbed FX w/ Cannibal plastics there. It's got a few hours test riding on it. They want 6 grand.

 

Why Cannondale doesn't make their quads more likable to water isn't the question here.

Why would you be interested in buying a performance quad that was intended for the performance enthusiast when you want to use the machine for purposes which only utility quads are designed for??

There are no two tales of the tape. If you like to do both buy two different quads that are both setup for the two riding habits.

BTW...It's not just Cannondale. I have seen Raptors, 400EXs and many other machines in the shop for problems due to water exposure. None of these are boats. Maybe you should look at a Wolverine.

 

hold on knowsalot. If you look at the 2 quads I have...utility will be the last thing that comes to mind. I'm considering the Cdale because it has the performance to be comparable to my 250's but in a more torquey, fuel efficient and friendly 4 stroke. I don't lug down streams or ride thru shallow ponds but at times there are very large puddles in the trails after it rains so I got a lot of mud and alot of zipping thru BIG puddles, crossing shallow streams etc. You know...trail blazing but very fast with lots of woods racing style riding, carving, jumping and we ride a lot on MX tracks too. And looking at how muddy and wet my quads can get on days like those, I'm nervous about that exposed area getting slapped with lots of mud and splashing muddy water. Believe me, if I wanted a utility quad, I'd get a Prairie or something.

 

2stroke4ever,

LOL..I see your point now....just misread it earlier.

I can't speak for everyone, but I run the Cannibal strictly in hare scrambles and have seen my share of mud and water, but have had no problems from running through it. On the courses we run, it doesn't usually get deeper than half a wheel.

BTW, I don't always look at members names or signatures when replying sometimes. Just a bad habit I guess. I know you from the Honda forum.... And no......you aren't a person who would need a utility machine...My bad.

 

It's OK knowsalot,LOL. Personally, I always read signatures...they're easier to remember than names sometimes. But yeah, my buddy at the Cdale dealer is trying to get me on a refurb cannibal that was an FX400 for $6000. Good price or too much? He admits it's got a few hours riding on it from test rides and they're some very small scratches on the black panels by the knees. It's got the all the goodies like ohlins but no hydralic clutch and he's not sure what kinda mapping it has but it sounds great...well, for a 4 stroke anyway. LOL.

 

While there are ones out there cheaper than that..$6000 still isn't a bad price with the Ohlins. However, since it was a demo unit, I would try and get a couple hundred more knocked off.

Don't be concerned with the scuffed side panels. You would have them looking the same way 30 minutes after you got home with it.

 

MeanGreenie - I've got a referb, I paid $5000 even. The quad had never been ridden. Brand new everything - came with Ohlins, MC1000, etc... No hydro clutch (although a buddy got one on his referb, which he also paid $5000 for).

Mine's got the older style plastic, but after seeing the new stuff, I like the color and rigidity of the older stuff better.

If considering getting one, I'd recommend getting one with the MC1000 - not because the MC500 causes inferior performance, but someday you'll be modding the quad and the MC1000 gives you *FAR* more tunability.

Very happy with mine - zero problems so far & the thing runs great.

While it's not a submarine, I wouldn't worry about taking it thru normal trail puddles, reasonable creek crossings, etc...

There is a pic here

 

well, now that I've heard all these $5000 price tags, I'll feel less cheap about going back and insisting on a lower price. Thanks for the advice on the computer. I did intend on getting moto mapping asap if I got one. The best thing about this one is he's got the fx400 plastics in the back he says...which I like better than the cannibal's. The thing that confuses me about this refurb is the fact that they have the fx400 plastics in the shop. If cannondale took it back for a refurb, wouldn't they have kept the plastics??? hhhmmm....

 

I'd be kinda leery about that "Referb"... As far as I know, all the FX400 referbs come straight out of the factory, meaning the dealer shouldn't have old plastic laying around, since the factory would have been the ones that removed it.

A buddy toured the factory, he mentioned that they were throwing away all the old FX400 plastic from the referbs. He was going to try to score a set.

BTW, mine was titled as a 2002 model - shows "REWORK CANNIBAL USED 02" on the MSO under the "Series or Model" field... I'd check the MSO for the one your dealer has and see if it says the same.

Also, the referbs I've seen have been in the 700-800 serial number range. Knowsalot may have more info on what he's seen. My engine is in the 1000 serial number range.

 

thanks for the tips again. I'll print the info and use it as a cheat sheet when I go in the dealership again. If he's lying about the refurb, that's a stupid thing to do with info available thru forums like this! thanks again, guys!