Quick Ride
Quick Ride
CANNONDALE S440 An American motard in Wisconsin
CANNONDALE JUST DOES things differently. Not only was the innovative American bicycle-turned-dirt-bike manufacturer the first to build a fuel-injected four-stroke motocrosser with the intake in front and exhaust in back, it recently hosted a unique press introduction for its new S440 supermotard racebike. A half-dozen lucky moto-journalists were invited to race identically prepared machines in the inaugural Superbikers2/Moto-Master Brakes/U.S. Motard Challenge at the new Briggs & Stratton Motorplex on the grounds of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Cannondale has come a long way since CVTs Off-Road Editor Jimmy Lewis first rode the pride of the Stars & Stripes back in August, 2000. Not quite an overnight success story, the Connecticut-based company has been to the dentist and trudged through its fair share of failures, but came up swinging. First punch thrown was the new, fully programmable GP Controls engine-management system. Toolless seat removal means one click and behold, the S440’s vitals are exposed; the Cannondale crew could check the air cleaner, fuse box and sparkplug, then change the fuel and/or ignition mapping faster than I could take a drink of water and wipe my face!
The shiny, silver-and-red S440 not only looks sharp, it feels sharp. The chassis accurately telegraphs every ripple of the surface you’re traversing, whether it’s asphalt or dirt, back to the operator, letting you put the bike anywhere within inches. Predictable power allows unthinkably early throttle application; it was only when going up against built Open-class machines that the S440 lost ground, though I had some serious fun catching and passing some of those bigger bikes in places their riders didn’t even know the track went!
The latest-generation Cannondale aluminum-beam frame carries engine oil inside, and sports a sightglass on the left frame spar that lets you easily check the oil level while standing. The fuel tank resides where the airbox ordinarily goes to help centralize mass.
Top-quality Swedish Öhlins suspension is used on all Cannondales, even the quads. The S440’s fork is the same as that worn by its dirtier motocross sibling, but the travel has been shortened 26mm. The linkageless shock also has been shortened a scant 2mm, which translates to a bit more than that at the rear axle, maintaining chassis balance. Supermotardstandard 17-inch wheels are fitted, of course, and a Brembo four-piston front brake caliper grasping a larger-diameter rotor provides fade-free stopping power from the high speeds common in this form of racing.
I rode the $8250 S440 in seven races plus a superpole qualifier, and came away with wins in both legs of the Editors race and top10 finishes in the East vs. West Challenge. Not bad for a stock racebike in its first outing. Expect to hear more from Cannondale as supermotard racing becomes more popular in America.
-Mark Cernicky
