Cannondale Releases the FX400 to Dealers

This long awaited Super Quad is finally available at dealers near you. As of 2/17/01, Cannondale has unleashed the FX400 to its dealers. And from what Off-Road.com saw first hand at the Indy Show, it looks every bit of what it was expected to be.

A little reptilian looking from the front (more "Crocodile-ish" than Raptor), but this thing's beauty is much deeper than its wrapping. Intended to step out from traditional design, if anything can describe the FX400 it's that it's different. From a backwards facing engine, to an exotic twin spar perimeter aluminum frame, to fuel injection, the FX400 is a veritable masterpiece of design and engineering.

Besides electronic fuel-injection, the FX400's electric-start engine also features a one-piece crankcase, cassette transmission, reversed cylinder head with a dual overhead-cam design, and separate engine and clutch oils. The race-ready, TIG-welded 6061-T6 aluminum frame is every bit as radical, with a linkless rear suspension, in-frame oil reservoir, and replaceable engine rails, brush guard, grab rail, sub-frame and steering stop.

Along with its innovative frame and engine, the new ATV has high-quality Ohlins front and rear suspension, a nickel-plated FMF exhaust pipe and silencer, ITP aluminum wheels and Holeshot tires, and an oversized steering column from Arens Brothers. The FX400 also boasts forged, aerospace-quality aluminum front and rear hubs, sprocket, rotor carriers and knuckles, with other high-strength forgings used in critical stress areas.

The combined result is impressive. According to the company, the FX400 is not only the lightest production sport ATV available, but it also has the highest power-to-weight ratio of any quad on the market.

At only a few bucks shy of $8000, the FX400 is not exactly economical for the trail rider. But if your intention is racing, the cost can partially be justified by realizing that much of the money that would have gone into preparing a machine with a serious chassis, racing shocks, wheels, tires, etc has already been included in the price of the FX400.

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The ATV On-Line Staff