Post Listing Update: This Cannondale did not get any action at the BIN of $4,800 on eBay.
The Cannondale X440 was the swansong of Cannondale motorcycles, a subsidiary of the well-known American bicycling company. In the late 90s, Cannondale tried to move into motorsports, with an off-road bike and an ATV. Long story short, it was a disaster. $80 million later, the company declared bankruptcy, having left behind an interesting story of what happens when you can’t live up to the hype. Here’s a NOS monument to those trouble times.
The X440 and X400 were spec’d with premium components, like Ohlins forks and rear shock, Magura controls, and fuel injection. The company said all the right things when developing the bike – Dirt Rider magazine even named it the bike of the year two years before it was released! Unfortunately, things did not work out as one might hoped. By the end of the run in 2003 with the 440, Cannondale had addressed most of the issues, but it was too little, too late. Want to learn more about why this bike flopped? PulpMX has an interesting read on the X400 as part of a “Worst Bikes Ever” article.
This example is a leftover model that was prepped for the showroom floor and still on the MSO. “After Cannondale went bankrupt, the fuel was drained at the fuel pump on this bike, and the bike went to the dealer’s attic, where it stayed for the next 15 years. I purchased it (along with a second one) as few years ago. I drained all remaining fluids, cleaned any residue in the fuel tank and inspected the magnesium valve cover and its bleeder.”
Find this X440 for sale in Port Orange, Florida with a BIN of $4,800 or best offer here on eBay.