If any factory
sport quad can satisfy your need for speed, the 2002 Cannondale SPEED must be
it. In 2001 Cannondale introduced their first ATV, the FX 400, and entered the
sport ATV market. As with many vehicles in their first year of production, a
number of flaws were discovered. Cannondale voluntarily recalled about 630 ATV
units for a ball joint problem. A number of riders complained about a twitchy
front-end.
Cannondale did their homework and addressed the issues with
the FX-400 and kept going. Cannondale is putting a full-on assault on the sport
ATV market, with four new models in 2002.
The 432cc Cannondale SPEED is the successor to the FX-400,
meant to be practically race-ready right out the door. One major addition is
Optimum's GP control fuel-injection system. This is a state-of-the-art fuel
injection system that can be tuned to maximize performance. In fact, with the
optional GP control unit, you can actually modify the MAP
while
riding! | |
Rebuildable Ohlin shocks right
from the factory |
| | |
Braided Stainless steel brake
lines |
|
While the SPEED may seem somewhat pricey with a
MSRP of $7,999, you need to consider what you are getting. There
are literally thousands of dollars of upgrades included, that would
generally be must-haves for a competition sport quad. Put away your
catalog and tech manual, it's all done for you. And under warranty!
This quad has already been through the "goody catalog" - from the
stainless steel braided hose to the Magura hydraulic clutch,
Cannondale thought of everything to get you on the track and
competitive immediately. There's more quad here than a beginner
needs, but easily enough for the serious rider.
We eagerly took a couple of the new SPEEDs right out to the
sand of Ocotillo Wells. They were purposely equipped right as the factory would
ship them to you. After a long day of dealer demos, they were ready to go again
with little effort.
Satisfied with the good looks of the SPEED, we gave our full
attention to making it prove it's worth. Two riders of different riding levels,
size and experience put the quads to the test, over whoops, loose sand, hill
climbs, open desert. Our riders come from a fairly stock Yamaha 660 Raptor and
a very modified Honda 400EX. The consensus was - What a great handling quad!
Well-balanced and powerful, the SPEED handles whoops and tight corners without
any rolling or bucking. At top speed, it still felt totally stable. That's a
must for open desert racing. | |
The power is smooth through the
complete powerband |
| | |
The SPEED would slide through
corners with ease |
|
The only thing that raised a concern was that the suspension
was somewhat stiff on the two units we rode. This was undoubtedly due to the
fact that they had been setup for a motocross track test the day before. Some
lighter springs and a little adjustment to the Ohlins would take care of this.
The suspension probably also contributed to the steering feeling a little hard
at slower speeds.
The seat felt wide at the area of the gas tank, but that's
just a matter of getting used to it. We did notice that the slope of the gas
tank made it difficult to tell how much gas you had in it, but again, once you
figure that out, it wouldn't be a problem again. (With no reserve tank, you'd
better make sure you DO know your range on fuel!)
Sitting side-by-side, the SPEED's motor is loud enough that
it's impossible to hear anything going on outside your helmet. But on long runs
in the desert, what's there to listen to anyway? | |
Hill climbing was a pleasure
with the low center of gravity... |
| | |
...and the decent was just as
much fun |
|
Conclusion
While several hours of riding gave us only a taste
of this new quad, we were thoroughly impressed with the performance
and handling characteristics. We think the SPEED is an easy choice
over the Yamaha Raptor (do you really need reverse on a
performance machine?), and while we want more time on it to
stand it beside the Raptor, initial impression was that it was
indeed quicker. The only thing better may be a Cannondale Blaze...
We'll have to let you know after we get our hands on a couple of
those later this spring!|
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