I am looking at getting a Cannondale Cannibal. My dealer which sells cannondales, honda, yamaha and suzuki is pretty much saying they are nothing but problems. He is a cannondale dealer and he basically is telling me not to buy one. I am a weekend trail rider who has a 400ex and wants to get a quicker bike. Is the Cannondale high maintenance? He just keeps telling me to get a Suzuki Z400. Would somebody with a Cannondale tell me what kind of problems they have had if any. I really like the bike but I dont want to be taking the thing to the shop all the time to get fixed. Let alone it gets expensive once the warranty runs out. Thanks

 

I did lose my cluch plates on my first big trip and that was it. Change the oil alot and check all the bolts all the time. On our lil family rides I bet myself to death becuse the bike loves to be ridden hard. When I am not with my family I am on the gas all the time and the bike fits me well. rev the bike high like two stroke and then feel the power of a four stroke! Its a great bike out of the box but this is not a honda that will run forever and you never have to change the oil. This is a race bike so treat it like one.

 

I had the same trouble with my local dealerships.....don't let them steer you away from a Cannondale. I've had a few small problems with my Dale, and Cannondale covered my problem. I would NOT purchase a quad from any of those dealers. More than likely, the quads are not updated and setup right. Find a dealership that is in your area that supports Cannondale and purchase from them. A good dealership is the key to owning a Cannondale. They need to have all the updates done to the quad, and take care of you incase you do have a problem. The 03's are some of the finest machines out there. Beside the Shock Recall, (which was not Cannondale's fault), the machines are pretty flawless.

PM me if you want names of good dealerships that are close to you.

 

Sounds like your dealer is lazy to me! The 'dales are the next generation of performance 4 wheeler and have a sharp learning curve that he would rather not deal with. Loser.
honestly, Cannondale has had numerous bugs at different times that owners, dealers, and the factory have stepped up to figure out and fix. The current production seems to be trouble free, and most of the bugs are known and fixable. This forum group can help with whatever problems an older production'dale might have.
My quad is a year old this weekend and has always started and never left me stranded. I haven't raced (yet) but do love to ride hard and the Cannon gives a rush like no other and is way cool to boot! Find a bettter dealer or make a 'at cost' offer from the 'loser. The quad isn't for everyone but if it's for you you'll know it [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] Welcome and Good luck!