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has been producing bicycles for no less than 30 years. Along the way, it has experienced several healthy doses of adversity, but it has always persevered and is currently what Montgomery (quite accurately) calls - you guessed it - "the Porsche of bicycles.• To monitor Cannondale's progress, we recently traveled to its Bedford, Pennsylvania, motorcycle factory, which we toured before spending the afternoon riding a (somewhat hammered) late pre-production XC400 on Cannondale's practice hare scrambles course. The pre-production status of our test unit was an early sign that Porsche-ism has not yet been attained, as our evaluation was originally supposed to have taken place on the first production XC off of the assembly line. The focus required to ramp up production of Cannondale's all-new quadcycle, the FX400 (thus far a great success) had forced a slight delay with the XC, though Cannondale says it will be ready by midApril. increasing oil flow to the crank bearings, relocating the fuel outlet, strengthening the throttle shaft and idle stop, and utilizing a new waterpump seal, fuel/ignition map, and higher-rate valve and clutch springs. Cannondale also updated the chassis, revising the valving on the inverted Ohlins fork, lightening the spring rate on the Ohlins shock, raising the footpeg mounts, slimming down and restyling the radiator shrouds and rear number plates, and lightening the front number plate. With those changes in place, Cannondale resumed shipping of the MX400 in mid-December, and it has had much better success in terms of reliability and customer satisfaction. (Cannondale is inviting owners of older bikes to return them and have the updates performed.) ~ in the slower going of Pennsylvania. ~ ~ Part of the 'Dale's tall feeling comes from the fact that it is tall, and ~ this is something that taller riders (like < us) will appreciate. It will be hard to :; ~ find a rider who feels cramped on the ~ XC, as its roomy seat-to-peg relationG ship and spacious cockpit give the Z FAMILY TREE To get an idea of what kind of bike the XC400 is, it helps to take a look at Cannondale's other motorcycle the MX400 - since the two are so closely related. That bike includes a host of innovative, high-technology features, including fuel injection (a first for dirt bikes, and something that should theoretically be ideal for the varying elevations of off-road); a onepiece crankcase (to simplify maintenance); a removable cassette transmission; a reversed cylinder head (with intake on the front and outlet in the back, claimed by Cannondale to provide centralized engine mass); separate oils (so the clutch won't contaminate the engine lubrication); electric start with automatic decompression; a Iinkless rear-suspension system; and an aluminum perimeter frame with removable rails (to ease engine removal). We rode the MX shortly after its May 31, 2000, release date and generally liked it, although our limited access to the machine meant that we were not exposed to some of the reliability problems that cropped up over time. Those problems compounded until what Cannondale views as its low point - the U.S. Open last fall, when the company showed up with high expectations and bikes sporting American-flag color schemes, but left with low morale and a handful of DNFs. Shortly thereafter, the decision was made to temporarily halt production and bring testing and engine production in-house, so that Cannondale could gain more control over the project and implement several improvements. Several of those improvements were aimed at the motor, including reinforcement of the crankcase, Again, different conditions demand different setups, and the diversity of the off-road world means that a manufacturer must choose its priority when setting up a bike. A few weeks after our Pennsylvania test, we spent another day on a (new) XC400 near Gorman, California, where we found its suspension to be perfectly suited. The area is well-used and includes several stretches of deep whoops, through which (thanks to the stiff suspension and its ultra-rigid aluminum frame) the Cannondale blasted with confidence-inspiring aplomb. In fact, it's among the best bikes we have ever tried in the whoops. The other four-strokes we had along on that ride (a KTM 400 EXC and a Yamaha WR426F) were set up with softer suspension, and were thus not as comfortable pounding through the moguls. Both would have been more at home BEDFORD BOMBING Most of our test ride took place in late winter, and although the weather was surprisingly cooperative, the Pennsylvania ground was frozen solid a few inches below the surface, necessitating the use of spiked tires to prevent undue slipping and sliding. Still, the slimy conditions were representative of what one finds in the lowglamor, ungroomed world of off-road riding, especially since Cannondale's test course includes real-world features like ascents and descents, dense woods, fallen trees, off-camber turns, creek crossings and rocks. We have found Cannondales to come set up a bit rear-high, so one of the first things we did was dial out the shock preload in order to lower the back end. The bike still feels tall on the trail, and it doesn't settle into cor- to g The broad power spread of the Cannondale's motor Is Ideally suited to off-road, though Its suspension Is a bit on the stiff side for tight going. The XC400 comes with all the aforementioned technological features and updates, and several others intended to make it more suitable for off-road use. An aluminum, removeable sidestand is installed, as is an aluminum skidplate with drainage and drain-plug-access slots. The muffler gets a spark arrestor, the handlebar gets a set of plastic Acerbis handguards, and the sprockets get an a-ring chain. Also, the 19-inch rear wheel is swapped for an l8-incher and, although our bike used a 2.3gallon MX tank, Cannondale is working on a 3.0-gallon unit. In addition, the voltage regulator is of a higher capacity, and there's a l70-watt stator with a lighting connector. ners as much as most other bikes, which makes it less eager to flick from side to side through the woods than most off-road bikes. This, however, is due not so much to the bike's being a Cannondale, but primarily to the fact that it has motocross suspension, as the XC has the same spring rates and valving as the MX. This is fine for the faster conditions you're likely to find in the western desert, but riders who spend their time in technical conditions will want to go with lighter springs and/or valving. Doing so should not only allow the bike to lower slightly in turns, but let it absorb obstacles like rocks and roots instead of ricocheting off of them. lCycl. rider plenty of room in which to move o around. And the rider is best off doing :I: Q. just that, as distinct shifts in. body position result in distinct changes in handling. Because the bike is rather large, one finds him- or herself more consciously feeding rider input to the bike in order to illicit II response, a sensation that - while initially unfamiliar - is not unpleasant after a bit of time on the bike. And although still large, the Cannondale is noticeably more narrow in the midsection than its earlier rendition, thanks to the modifications to the bodywork. It's not as thin as a KTM in this area, but the seat is more comfortable and the wide sensation between the pegs is actually kind of nice. One of the complaints we had with the original MX400 ~ad to do with the fuel injection, and its inability to make the bike respond well right off of idle. We consistently noticed the problem in two situations: when engaging the clutch while getting on the gas out of slow corners, and when putting around the pits. During our Pennsylvania ride, we were disappointed to note that the problem remained, and that it was in fact more noticeable in the off-the-gas/on-thegas realm of off-road. Thankfully, the newer bike we tried out in California a few weeks later proved to be a nightand-day improvement in this regard, to the point that we had to concentrate even to notice the problem (see sidebar). As for the power, the Cannondale is perhaps better suited to off-road use than it is to motocross. The MX drew criticism from some for not hitn • _ "" • APRIL 11, 2001 21