okay im 14 and my parents decided to buy me a quad. at first, i was looking at yamahas. but then i thought to myself, im not going to want to keep it stock. so i took a look at connondales and fell in love. im looking for a great trail bike to ride places around ny, nj, pa, etc. now i am thinking about the cannibal. besides initial cost, will it clean me out during routine maintenance. what type of maintenence must be performed? how are they on trails? thanks.

 

Honestly if this is your first quad then don't buy a Cannondale. Buy either a 400ex or the LTZ.

 

I'd have to agree with Wyndzer. My son is 13 and has been riding for 3 years and I still won't cut him loose on the Dale. The Dales have alot of power and will get away from you if your not carefull, I wouldn't reccomend one to anybody as their first quad, regardless of age. There is also a little more maintenance with the C-dale, not a big deal but it will cost a little more to maintain.

 

I have to agree with Jamie and Jay, the Cannondales are not the machine to be "learning" on. At 14, your signature about sex makes me believe that you have a lot of growing up to do before you are ready for a race quad...........JIM

 

I love my c-dale. But for a first quad, no way! Buy a 400ex, they are a good quad for somebody new to riding and will still deliver reasonable performance. You should also be able to get a good deal on one right now because of all the competition. Then once you master your 400ex you can step up to the cannondale.

 

Hey guys - interesting advise. I am also having a difficult time deciding on my first quad, and I am also in love with the Cannibal (USA-edition). My parents, however, are not buying it for me. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Would you make the same recommendation for a 26 year old 240 pounder (dang it, I'm big boned!) with 10+ years of experience on dirt and street bikes, but NO quads other than the occasional ride on friends'? Or do you suppose that my prodigious posterior would somewhat tame the power of the Cannondale?

I ride on dunes, if that makes a difference.

Thanks!
Marc

 

<< Would you make the same recommendation for a 26 year old 240 pounder (dang it, I'm big boned!) with 10+ years of experience on dirt and street bikes, but NO quads other than the occasional ride on friends'? Or do you suppose that my prodigious posterior would somewhat tame the power of the Cannondale? >>



In your case I'd say get the Cannondale and go easy until your used to it. With 10 years experience on bikes it's a whole different situation. I would assume with that much experience you know your limits, respect the power of the bike, know how to judge the terrain your on, Understand maintenance, have better judgement at 26 than you did at 14. etc,etc.

not trying to knock the 14 year old, but having kids of my own I would hate to see him get hurt because he took on more than he could handle.

 

I'm about 6' and 230lbs and it doesn't tame my built for comfort not for speed body.

For a first quad for a younger person, no way. Someone who has some expeiance with high performance machine, yes but take it slow. I had years of riding and when I got the 'Dale it surprised me.

Smitty

 

I hope the two guys that wanted honest answers reads these posts !! They are the BEST answers that could have been given. Tainted Glory, hope you show these posts to your parents. If they have any questions, let them ask away.

 

Dawzie, you are absolutely correct - JayBR and smitty's answers were exactly what I was looking for, though having been 14 myself once, their answers to Tainted Glory may not have been exactly what he was hoping for. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Thanks a lot, guys - I really appreciate your input.

Thanks,
Marc