Cannondale Ships 100th FX400 ATV

    CESSNA, Pa., March 14 Cannondale shipped
the 100th unit of its FX400 ATV earlier this week, and the Connecticut-based
company says it's continuing to ramp up production to satisfy strong retail
and consumer demand for the new quad.

    As the 100th FX400 rolled off the production line at the company's Cessna,
Pennsylvania motorsports factory, company Founder and President Joe Montgomery
was quick to express his gratitude to Cannondale's dealers. "The response of
the dealers has been incredibly gratifying," said Montgomery. "Their
excitement -- their eagerness to get their hands on this product -- has been
wonderful."

    Montgomery cited the reactions of area dealers as indicative of the level
of enthusiasm surrounding the FX400. "I received a phone call from one dealer
here in Pennsylvania that had received two of the quads and sold them to
customers within a couple of days," said Montgomery. "He was calling to tell
me he was driving over with a truck to pick up four more units, and he had
cash in his pocket to pay for them." Dealers from Ohio, New Jersey, Long
Island and Kentucky have also expressed their willingness to drive to the
factory to pick up FX400s, said Montgomery.

    The new Cannondale quad appears to have been equally well-received by the
ATV press. Editors from the top ATV magazines visited the Cannondale factory
several weeks ago to test-ride the FX400, and their reactions were unanimously
favorable.

    One of the editors, Glenn Hansen of ATV Sport, had several very positive
things to say about the FX400 on the ATV Sport web site. Even though he was
"skeptical right up until I was buckling my boots," Hansen eventually
concluded that, "this ATV is ergonomically perfect. The bars, footpegs, and
controls are all well-placed." Hansen added that "fuel injection, first of
all, feels a whole lot better than carburetion," and he concluded that "the
FX400 really rips. Our first test indicates that the FX400 is as good a first
effort as any manufacturer could offer." Montgomery said that reviews of the
FX400 should be appearing in ATV Sport and other magazines in the coming
weeks.

    The American-made FX400 features a host of innovations, including a
sophisticated, fuel-injected four-stroke engine, and the industry's first
twin-spar perimeter aluminum ATV frame. The FX400's electric-start, dual
overhead-cam engine also features a one-piece crankcase, cassette
transmission, reversed cylinder head, and separate engine and clutch oils.
The FX400's 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.

    Besides the FX400, Cannondale also produces the MX400 motocross
motorcycle. A second motorcycle model, the cross-country XC400, is slated to
go into production in April. Other motorcycle and ATV products are planned for
the future.