i see where the mags get the idea of putting equal value quads in a comparision...
if a person has $6-7K to spend, what would they be looking at getting? exactly what's in the articles.
but if you want to be equal in ammount spent, lets just see what $12K total receipts, including purchase price, can do on any of the current production quads... then i think we'd have a race, and a fair one. ironically that's the price of the moto... no mods for it. now lets put them all through a good endurance test.... and see what survives.
BTW i think we will see it, or at least read about it, at ft. dodge next month... or something very close to this scenario.
what i'd really like to see is those that DNF or do repairs: why? what broke on what machines?

 

haha, points go to quadzzuki, omg, i think if cannondale was soo great then they would finally come out with a new atv, not a modified of the old, ive said this in another forum, my opinion of why they have 5 of the same fourhweeler, just a "speed" version or a "trails" version is because they are too scared because there last one sucked, i mean, if someone wanted to modify a cannondale to drag or, then they would spend the money on a new cannible then the money to modify it them selves, but what i could do would be so much cheaper, personly, i htink if one were to bore out and soop up a 350 banshee for drag, or a trx250r (which just the price of one of these is far more less then the cannible) and soop it up then it would rule on mx or cross, but that is my opinion.

 

dual-sporter,

I know what you mean, but it would be like putting a TRX250EX, Blaster and LTZ 250 against a Cannible. Sure they are "bottom of the line" sport quads, but one is a lot bigger than the others and offers more performance. Don't worry, if they tested the TRX250EX against the Cannondale, I'm sure the Cannondale would lose because of some off the wall reason (lower center of gravity comes to mind). This is a compairison of STOCK quads, not modified ones.

TRX250ritswhatIwant,

By the time you get done modifying a 13-16 year old TRX250R to compete with the Cannondale Motos and Blazes you will have a LOT more money in the TRX. Don't kid yourself. Most of the pros start from scratch. They get a frame, a trashed motor (and completely redo it) add shocks (that aren't cheap), add a-arms, a swing arm, rear axle, beadlock wheels, chain and sprockets, tires, a gas tank, plastic, radiator, stering stem, tie rods, spindles and a seat. You are talking about $15,000 minimum here. I'm almost sure I did leave some things out, but you kind of get the picture here. The pros don't take some "ready for the scrap pile" TRX 250R and redo it, they start from scratch because it's actually cheaper than rebuilding an old quad after every race in the long run.

 

bartlettracing- unfortunately we won't see anything published about who broke what & why, on which machines... all we (those not there) will see is the finishers lists, and an OK description of the race, if that... i don't think the mags want to put the bad info out, it might hurt sales of a particular machine, and thus that company won't advertise with them.

 

mike chero:
i do understand what u mean, but there is also a connondale that goes for about 12-13 thousand im pretty sure. but i kno that they start form scratch.

 

TRX250rItsWhatIWant,

Back in "the day", motorcycle motocross use to be called the sport of kings. Basically because you had to be a king to afford it without sponsers. This is what quad racing is today. Basically you would darn near have to bankrupt yourself every year to compete on the pro level without sponsers.

Today motorcycle motocross racing is different. You can practically win right off the show room floor if you're good enough. The technology has changed so much in the past 20 years that the works bikes of yesterday couldn't hang with the stock bikes of today. Alas the same cannot be said of quads. Today (2002-3) we quad riders are still using hand me down 80's and 90' technology.

Cannondale changed all of this. No longer will we have to play second fiddle to the MX and XC bikes. Here are racers right off the show room floor. You can take them out and win (if you're good enough). I don't know if the $10,500-$12,500 price tag is worth it (not to me, but I don't race) or not, but at least they are trying. I don't know if all of the modifications are worth it. My friend, jcv400EX has modified his Cannibal to the point that it is even with the Blaze in terms of features and accessories. I'm almost sure he didn't spend the price of a new Blaze to get it there either.

Hopefully in the future, we will have machines that are as ready to race as the Cannondale is now. The Polaris Predator XC version is a fine example of this.

 

Why is that not fair? So you want to take a few quads that are around $6K and compare them to a $10K fourwheeler? How is that fair? Hell, if you took one of the $6K fourwheelers and put that extra $4K into them and compete them against the $10K Cannondale, they would be alot nicer!

They picked the lower priced Canni because it is in a similar price range and is considered stock. The other Canni's are venue specific quads. No wonder you think they would win. You're taking a bone stock built for everyone fourwheeler and putting up against something that is built for that specific type of racing! That is unfair!

And another thing, are you saying a bone stock Canni isn't good enough to comppete with stock 400's, they have to be modded to be able to compete with the others?

 

moddedx is right because if u take a 2,000$ 250R or lt250 and put 8 grand into it will DEFINETLY waste a cannandale!!,, or anything else at that

 

Lay off the crack pipe. Cannondale scared?!?!? LOL, if Cannondale is scared what does that make of the other companies. C-dale has the highest power to weight ratio (even compared to a 660 and 650!) so I guess that makes them scared. The reason they don't make more quads w/ different motors is because they are still getting started smart ***. They want to work on makin this motor the best that they can and make more money. Mass producing these things aren't cheap, so do you expect to see 4 different motors from a company that just started makin motorized machines in 2000? A little common sence people.

Uh... thats funny, I always thought the reason for racing was to have fun and prove what PERSON is the best, but what do I know... I'm just a motocrosser. I don't know how things work over where your from, but here you have to be able to ride good to win. I should move to where your from... then I would build a quad that was better than Tim Farr's and Jerimiah Jones' and then I could be the GNC Quad Champion!

 

not trying to burst into flames here, but i do feel that this needs to be said. the canondale, even though i havent ridden one, seems to be the best PRODUCTION quad as far as fun, mx capabilities, and speed and handling. that said, the cannondale is only the best, WHEN IT RUNS. judging from friends' experiences and the very topics posted in the cannondale forum, these things are more tempermental than 2 year old kids. you can knock all of the japanese brands you want to, but they are made quite tough and most are very reliable. they have done the same thing in the auto industry. we all know how many of those pocket rocket civics we see on the road with the coffe can exhaust pipes and wings that should be on airplanes. these cars last for 200,000 miles without blinking. while i am not a fan by any means of ditching products made in the good old us of a, there comes a point where one has to look at what the us is making compared to the competition. the hi po bikes out there besides the cannondale are almost as fast, almost as stable, and not quite as exspensive. they are slso more reliable. and when you are miles from camp you dont want your machine to decide not to start or run.

and yes i am aware that the bomb is not a japanese made bike. it falls in the category with all the other hi po bikes.

JMHO