buddy of mine bought a demo cannibal. Hooked up. nerfs, mapping, skidplates. He got a chance to take it out for the first time on sunday. I took him up in the trails in back of my house for a 3 hour tour.

this is some of the harshest trails. lots of rocks. it does manage to open up now and then. there are 4 pits and an old ski hill to climb. I don't ride my raptor in these trails due to the +3 a-arms (for sale). This is Warrior country.

Anyway theres one area at the top of the ski hill with a fire road that makes a big "D" shaped track. perfect spot to see what the Cannondale had. he offered to let me ride it and i leaped of the warrior.

A Few steps...you have to start in neutral. you click the start button once. wait (until you hear the fuel pump). click start again and it fired right up. The HMF pipe sounded tough. un lock the parking brake (actually works...yamaha should take notes). and BooM! i was off, 3 laps and i hit 4th gear. Yeah baby! loved the power delivery. and man the thing is light. it power slides very easy.

Tie rods are a little funky. each end is open (no rubber boots) with a zerk fitting. they look very beefy...but allow a little play in the front. it seemed a little twitchy at high speed. a steering stabilizer could help calm things down.

i'll let them sell a few more...and then they just may get my business.

Biggest difference between the raptor (opinion): the raptor seems smoother in 3rd and 4th. i think the lighter cannondale seemed jumpy and the tie rods exagerate this feeling. I'm not saying this is a flaw...it's just the way it felt.(could be from riding my heavy raptor) i'm sure you could get used to it.

i loved all the quad changes...air box located up by the nose...fuel injection. long *** gas tank (great center balancing)...a paking brake small enough (and funtional)that i didn't even notice it. plastic swing arm skid. i could go on and on.

very exciting.

 

it only weighs 24lbs. less than the Raptor

you make it sound like it weighed 100lbs. less

so, did it FEEL better than the Raptor???

did it FEEL faster???

 

If it just weighs 24lbs less I still think this is alot for small machines like these. When every little bit adds up to alot you are freeing up that much more available horsepower with the power to weight ratio. When I rode the moto 440 I thought it felt like a 2 stroke with its very quick throttle response

 

The Raptor weighs 440 lbs ready to ride according to ATV Sport mag. The listed weight of 398 is without gas, oil, or anitfreeze. The Cannibal is listed at 375 with all fluids except gas, so with 3 gallons it actually weighs about 400 even. Also, it is 3 inches wider and has a lower center of gravity, all helping add to the lightness feeling.

 

24lbs? i lifted it several time and theres more weight savings than that.it felt 40-50 lbs lighter.

did it feel better than the raptor? thats a tough question to answer... the seat was very comfortable.(much better than the Raptor) The handle bars were up alittle high for my liking. shifting was cake (if you wear a size 11 riding boot and ride a Raptor you'll understand why i chose to mention shifting) The shocks were very stiff. he suffered through the trails for the day...but when we got back, we adjusted accordingly.

Faster? yes. i will say it felt very responsive. My friend look shocked when i came flying around the corner in a power slide on his new cannondale...but i knew you guys wanted to know. had to know. so i went for more juice and clicked for 4th. it's close...but the fuel injection is that much quicker in turning gas into ponies.

when i think about how he paid as much for his demo-cannibal as i did for my wifes warrior. it makes me ill.

the point i keep forgetting to make is how well it handled the trails. i thought it would be more suited for the track and truthfuly i expected him to be creeping over the rocks while i waited for him to catch up. Not the case...over the trees, rocks through the brooks mud holes with no problems. i got stuck once (23"holeshots) and he got stuck once (20"holeshots).

i'm impressed. it's more versatile than advertised. "Cannondale, not just for the track".

 

I'm interested in knowing how the injection & all those electronics hold up after a couple of years of being pounded in the sand, dirt mud & dust. That's what has kept me from getting one.

The 02 C'Dales mapping must add a lot of power I've heard their as fast as a Raptor. I've beaten a couple of 01's in sand drags with my Raptor & they said they were going to upgrade to the 02 electronics.

 

the 500 computer is not slower than the 1000, but the 1000 is more "mapable"

 

I agree Moose. i would like to see how they hold up...then again, that did'nt stop me from purchasing a Raptor.

This Quad has lots of potential. i was surprised to to see that the aluminum frame is actually bolted together. it will make a nice addition to my collection.

 

When you said the place where you ride is WARRIOR COUNTRY what did you mean by that? i guess what i am asking is the warrior a reliable machine and is it fun to ride? and does it have alot of power? how much more power does the 400ex feel it has than the warrior? or are they close.i rode the raptor and it was awsome i couldln't get over how much torque it had and how fast it went. the raptor had a few mods. i would love to buy one but my parents won't let me since i'm only 15.

 

Warrior Country: Tight trails littered with jagged rocks. These trails are not traveled often so fallen trees are often obstacles you need to jump over. exsposed roots from water erosion lurk near every stream. FYI New Hampshire is known as "The Granite State"... Stuff grows like potatoes in Idaho around here.

The warrior is bullet proof. Most of the people i run across are on 4X4's. if i run into anyone at all. Power isn't everything in the trails. i run 23" ITP XTC holeshots (slimed), a steering stabilizer, full skids, Raptor offset rims with 1.5" wheel spacers.

No engine mods. No pipe(yet).if you don't have clearance Clarence. those engine mods don't help at all. i'm able to go through all gears on the warrior and would be lucky to touch 3rd on my Raptor.

400ex? this machine is nice add yes there is a noticable power diffrence. But the warrior is used by my wife as well and reverse is worth the power diffrence. i can always mod up.