Pennsylvania's Cannondale corp. which recently introduced the first new motorcycle in the united states in 13 years, has been forced to suspend production of it MX400 dirt bike becasue of number of glitches.

However, the company said production could resume early next month. The $8000 motorcycle (costing about $2000 more than a Yamaha dirt bike) is made at cannondale's plant in Bedford, about 80 miles southeast of pittsburgh. The company built a new plant and put 600 people to work on the project.


I found this in the local Philadelphia Daily news today thought it would be of some intrest.

Cannondale is having problems building bikes and small glitches is why the 400 quad was not released in 2000

 

Full story


PITTSBURGH — The move from bicycles to motorcycles has hit a speed bump for one manufacturer. Cannondale Corp. suspended production of its MX400 dirt bike — the first new motorcycle in the United States in 13 years earlier this month. It said assembly lines could be working again in early January.
The $8,000 motorcycle —costing about $2,000 more than a Yamaha dirt bike is made at Cannondale’s plant in Bedford, about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The company built a new plant and put 600 people to work on the project.

The company cited a number of glitches including troublesome fuel injection that makes the motor stall at slow speed. Tom Armstrong, a company spokesman at Cannondale headquarters in Bethel, Conn., said Tuesday that no firm date was set for resuming production.
“We went out of our way to advertise it, put it on our Web site, build up the hype,” said
Mike Ward, the parts manager and Cannondale’s dealer at Sills Cycle in Paducah, Ky. “I am still pumped, but I need bikes. Let’s get this thing going.”
The dealership has received and sold one bike so far and has been getting dozens of questions about delivery of more MX400s, which were heavily promoted at trade shows and in the motorcycle press.
Ward said the cycle he sold and Sills Cycle’s demonstration model had engine problems. The engine has fuel injection, unlike the carburetor typical of
dirt bikes.

“As far as off-road bikes, nobody has put fuel injection into production,” Ward said, “They’re saying now they jumped the gun on this fuel injection thing. They will learn, and then everybody else will have to follow them.”
Parts from suppliers were “short on reliability,” and workers have been devoting extra lime to inspecting them when they arrive at the plant, the company said.
The 30-year-old company still makes mountain bikes and
other bicycles but has sought expand into motorcycles
capitalize on the popularity motocross sports like those
seen on ESPN’s “X-Games.”
The top researcher on the motorcycle project, Mario G lasso, left the company seven weeks ago. He described the parting as friendly. Tuesday and said he did not want to say more
Cannondale had said it hops to sell a few thousand MX4O( in its first year but shipped on~
200. None of those has been recalled, Armstrong said.

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Note- If they need any help, A good contact is Warren Smith of 309 Acura-Pa, He is a fuel injection "god" and I am lucky to have had him as a friend for many years.

 

Larger view

 

First new motorcycle in the US in 13 years?

Really?

Come on, Polaris partisans! What about the Victory!

Swarm on, in endless waves; overrun this position of apostasy in the press! Don't let 'em get away with it!

Yeah! They're just pickin' on Polaris!

Diogenes

 

I don't think we'll ever see a crack-n-bail in the X-games.