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Posted by: Ryanstones
I've about used up my first one at 60-70 hours.
Posted by: Ryanstones
Well Gar, i guess you aren't the only one. Changed my slide today and looks like it should have been done 25 hours ago. I've worn 1.5 mm grooves into my swingarm. OUCH. I wonder about putting a piece of stainless steel sheet under the slide to prevent more damage. I think my chain has been too tight.
At least its easy to replace.
Did you smell ammonia really strong the first time you removed one of the slide bolts? Mine gave a little pop and about choked me with the smell.
Watch your chain slide fellas!
Posted by: Ryanstones
Haven't done it yet. My dealer has even discouraged it. Says it is unnecessary with the shim/bucket valve design.(doesn't wan't the job) With the amount of effort required to check clearances, i'm holding off til i see some evidence of necessity or til I can drop by R/S performance in the spring.
I'm Curious. For those who have checked their valves, Did they require adjustment?
Posted by: Ryanstones
Yea, my 'dale is still getting better. Awesome.
I think you met my dealer at a track somewhere. James, Smith racing, Mobile. he was asking how your FX deal was going.
Posted by: Ryanstones
I don't know about tricks, but I popped the chain, put it in neutral and was able to pull the slide right out. Make sure you have it pulled all the way toward you, and should come out. No need to remove the sprocket. Gettin the new one in is a little harder. Just work it in while rotating the sprocket. I'm no mechanic and took about 15 minutes. Maintenance on most quads is a pain. The dale is just a little worse. Somethin else to get used to.
Posted by: GAR
I'm using up a chain buffer every other ride. Anyone else going through them this fast. I have tried adjusting the chain loose, tight
and everywhere inbetween. Doesn't seem to matter.
Posted by: GAR
Yes, Mine had pressure also. I have tried setting the adjustment loose, tight and inbetween but does not seem to help. I e-mailed Cdale for the fifth time and finally got an answer that said they will have a harder plastic buffer available in several weeks. It will help but I believe there is a design flaw in the swing arm pivot location. The pivot is located slightly up and back from the chain pivot point which would be the center of the countershaft sprocket. Look at any of the new bike's like a KTM, Honda CR or Yamaha YZ and you will see that the front sprocket has virtually no space between it and the swing arm and the swing arm pivot is level with the countershaft. On the Cdale, the pivot point of the swing arm is located to high and back from the center of the
front sprocket. Look closely, it is not off much but enough to cause this problem. So keep a spare buffer on hand.
Posted by: GAR
The price was $14.00. I had to pay for one because they did'nt have a quad buffer in stock. I used one off the motorcycle as they are virtually the same. You just have to shorten it a little otherwise identical. Also my clutch cover is leaking. The dealer has worked on it three times. Starts leaking again as soon as you ride once. All the problems are getting to be a pain. The dealer never has any parts. I could go on & on.
Posted by: WiredCinqmars
hey i have a tip for you guys if you want to use them. john deere makes a hard plastic for the bottom of their bean heads for their harvest equipment and if you heat it up real good its bendable and let me tell you it takes awhile for something to ware through it and its even good for your chain. just drill some holes in a peice and custom fit it where its suppose to go and your set. just an old tip from my dad, he used it on his old race sleds and motorcycles.
Posted by: special
Hey guys,I had to change mine every other ride on my fx400.The first
time it hapened it grinded into my swing arm.Well at least my dealer
has been giving me the replacement free every time.I even had them
set the chain slack, so they know it's not me.I to think it's a flaw
in design.I don't know of any simple fix.I was wondering if a
diferent swing arm could fix the problem?
Posted by: special
Ryanstone,you say you have 60-70hrs on the dale.Did you adjust the
valves yet?
Posted by: special
I have been riding my dealers demo fx400,and it has about 40hrs
on it.They also said they are not going to adjust them.They said
they will tear it down in a year and rework the whole top end.
I want to be there when they do.
Also I think it was you that said your dale ran better every time
you rode it,I would defantly have to agree.The first few rides
the bike was not as clean running as it is now.
Posted by: special
I may have met him.I was at a race in Pervis MS. and there was a
dealer with a cannable anda Cannondale dirtbike there.He is the one
that told me about Cannondale beeing in Macon,Ga.If thats him tell
him I went there and test rode the Blaze.They would not let me ride
the moto.I gave them his busness card like he asked me to.
My dealer has taken my fx back as a demo,and they let me race it on
weekends.The clutch problem was solved,but still having chain slider
problems.
They worked a sweet deal with me on getting the moto.I am enjoying
doing busness with them.They are doing there best to promote
Cannondale.
I have got every hole shot and won every race I entered on the fx400.
The day I was in pervise I raced a bone stock 400ex aganst some prety
high dollar quads and got a VERY close to winning second place.
Posted by: YoDaddy
Is there some special trick to takin the chain slide off? Do I have to take the sprocket off too? The slide keeps getting wedged on the front sprocket and I'm havin trouble takin the sprocket off too! There are a few little places where the chain has worn all the way through the slide but since I haven't gotten the slide off yet I can't tell if there is any damage on the swingarm. Everything seems complicated on the Dale. Just one more thing to make me HATE the c-dale maintenance.
Posted by: briansgi
How much are these buffer strips anyway?
Posted by: briansgi
That's nice to know, but what exactly do we need to ask for when we walk into our local John Deere store? Do you have a part number for us? We also need to complain to our dealer and C'dale about this, that is the only way they will come out with a better design and retrofit all of our quads. We should not have to replace these wear strips after 10-20 hours of riding or for some, even shorter periods.
