I currently ride a Honda 400EX and I think it's a great quad but I want more power. The Honda handles well, jumps well and is easy to work on. It’s also been reliable. My dilemma is, do I pay the big money to sent the motor off to a good motor builder to have it built properly or upgrade to a Cannondale quad? I have already decided against a Banshee or the other four strokes for various reasons; don’t handle well, to slow in the tight stuff or they don’t seem to have much more power than my 400. My decision is down to the Cannondale or an upgraded 400EX. I ride mountain trails, logging roads and sand dunes. Some of you must have once ridden a 400EX what are your thoughts. Thanks

 

Well, I own a 400ex and Suzuki Z400 and my brother owns a Cannondale. The 400ex is definitely down on power compared to these two. My Suzuki has a full Yoshimura exhaust system with a rejet and it out accelerates my 400ex quite easily which has a slip on and rejet as well. My brothers Cannondale will smoke the 400ex and beat my Suzuki by about four quad lengths in a drag race. The Suzuki handles just as well as the Honda but offers more motor. The Dale is not the best machine for trail or casual riding. The stock suspension is stiff and jars you if your pace is slow. However, it works the best out of the three if ridden aggresively. My opinion is if you want the fastest four stroke get a Dale, but for trails and logging roads riding get the Z. As good as my 400ex is it's outdated and yesterdays news and I wouldn't consider building the motor up.

By the way I'm selling my Z and 250r due to my losses in the stock market. I just put a full Yoshimura exhaust, Lonestar axle, and Renthal bars on my Z. I live in Utah so I'm not too far from you if you're interested.

 

reading your post i thought "this guy would love a 'dale". It has a phenomenal engine. Have to agree with buddah, my cannibal with ohlins is kinda harsh on rough terrain. When the ground is whippin by i don't seem to notice. I think the cannibals with the arvins are more plush. Probably still not as comfy as the Z though. But then, 4 quad lengths is worth some discomfort! I love my dale on the trails [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
If you want to push your limits, get the dale. Unless you are already heavily$$ into your ex, i'd get a new quad.

 

Got rid of my 400EX for a Speed, I don't notice the rougher ride. I do know when I jump the Cannondale sure lands softer. Handles as well or better, motor is super strong.

Smitty

 

I just asked myself the same thing, I just bought a speed and my wife now wants her ex faster. You can not put $2000 into an ex and get the bike the dale is. Get the dale, it is awesome. We are going to trade the ex in for a cannibal.

 

If you do choose the dale I would look at the classified section of atvconnection. I hear there is a really good deal there on a cannondale speed. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Seriously unless you are a real leisure rider and you are even considering the dale there is only one machine for you. Cannondale has stepped up to the plate and made a true high performance machine for people who demand performance and like to ride hard. All anyone else can do is play catch-up.

 

I had a 99 400ex with 5 hrs on a 425cc engine kit. I had the 88mm Wiseco piston, mild porting, WB e Series slip on, modded carb, and a Web Cam in it. Powerwise, it was comparable to a stock cannibal. It had gobs of low end power, but revved out real quick. And it did vibrate more than a Cannondale. I planned on buying new rims and tires and Elka shocks....I was on the phone with the dealer ordering up the parts....when i asked how the Dales where selling for him and how it compared to his built 400ex. In short, he told me that it handled just as good(which it does with some adjustments) and it ate up his built 440ex.

Well, for the money I was about to spend on my 400, I opted instead to put it towards my Cannondale. The money I was about to spend plus what I got out of my 400ex, gave me my current ride, with all the fixins. And I haven't looked back since. I made the right decision for me. The Dale is better in every aspect for me. I race Harescrambles and tear up the local trails. Not once has the Dale let me down in any race situation, that wasn't my fault. I'm able to ride at a faster pace with the same effort on the Dale, versus the 400ex. I did switch to stock Honda front rims to narrow the front end by about an inch. It made a big difference in the handling department. The only gripe I have, is the front shocks. They have too much rebound. I'm having Ohlins do the re-valving for $250 this winter. But it's still better than the stock 400ex shocks...

The 400ex is a great machine, but it costs gobs of money to bring it up the the Dales level. If I was to get into the same situation, I'd still buy the Cannondale, it's that much better for me.