Just ordered new Elka Elites

[dhines]

Well, I just bit the bullet and ordered an entire set of the Elka Elites, front and rear, for my 400EX. They should be here by this weekend. I got the fully adjustable rears but got the fronts without the rebound adjuster. They say that not having it gives you an additional 2" of travel - plus I can honestly say that I have never really messed with the rebound on the shocks I have now so it sounds like a good trade-off.

Is anyone else out there running the elites yet? If so, let me know what you think of them. I'll be putting them to use in hare scrambles and GNCC's.

Dennis

[NJ300ex]

Are these the shocks with seperate high and low speed adjustable compression?

[dhines]

Yes, they have the dual compression adjustments and the titanium plated shafts.

[Dave400ex]

Wow you will have to Post a Picture of them. How much were they Front and Rear if you don`t mind me asking? Thanks

[Ex'r Marlin]

Wow.... Congradulations on "bitting the bullet"!!!! Please do not make the rest of us jealous:rolleyes: But do keep us posted on how you like them!!! I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy my aftermarket shocks!!!!:)

Good luck, and hopefully you receive them by this weekend!

Wow... Titanium plating.... What will they come up with next!!

[cdalejef]

Here is a picture of the ti plated shafts.

[dhines]

Those are the ones! Elka also has a picture of the fronts on their web site but I actually have not seen a picture of the elite rears. Yeah, I'm pretty excited about getting them - although God knows I'm probably not a good enough rider to justify them! As far as pricing is concerned, you'd probably be better off going with someone like the guys at the QuadShop. They can typically get you better pricing than going to Elka directly.

The only reason I got mine directly from Canada is that I have been riding on Elkas since they first introduced their ATV line and Marc and Martin have really taken care of me every step of the way. I have seen their company take a beating on this site on more than one occasion, and while they may have made a few mistakes over the last few months as their company has grown, I can honestly say that I have rarely done business with a company that is as dedicated to excellence both in their products and their customer service. I personally wouldn't even consider putting another brand of shocks on my ATV. In fact, I am currently selling my perfectly good Custom Axis rear to accommodate my new Elka.

I'm the type of guy who hates to have a company's name slapped across the products I buy. Unless they're sponsoring me I'll usually remove or cover up corporate logos, stickers, etc. I recently spent over two hours stripping the OMF logo off of the scoops I bought (what a pain in the butt!). I'm even going to be removing the Honda sticker from my 400EX - what the heck have they done for me or my sport in the last 15 years? When it is all said and done, the only stickers you'll see on my ride will be yellow Elka's (and an EXRiders.com!)- and NO they're not sponsoring me! They're simply providing me with a level of service I've never experienced in this industry.

Wow - that sounded like a complete advertisement - but I meant every word! Anyway, I'll be sure and post pics and a ride report when I get them installed.

Dennis

[airheadedduner]

Originally posted by Jeff@QuadShop
Here is a picture of the ti plated shafts.

Is that the CRF?? It looks sweet.
Its about time someone has added high and low speed compression adjustments to quads. Elka's are the only ones I have heard of. Dirt bikes have had them for years. Waiting on new performance bike parts is worse then christmas eve as a little kid. My ohlin's should be here by friday for my next ride, I can't wait. You got to let us know how well those compression adjustments help when you get them.

[cdalejef]

Yep, thats the CRF!

[Dave400ex]

Well hopefully you really like the Shocks. I would also like to know how the Low and High Speed Compression work out for you.

[Crypted1]

the new Elites are the *****. I can't wait to get my R chassis so I slap those bad boys on it.

Jeff@QuadShop Yep, thats the CRF!

That project is looking sweet there Jeff. What made you guys decide to go with the elite over the reg Elka?????

[cdalejef]

They aren't the elite shocks, they are the long travels with ti shafts. Marty and I have been running the ti shafts for about a year now and they show no signs of wear.

[dhines]

Yo, boys and girls! The Elites have arrived. Here's a few pics...

[dhines]

One of the fronts:

[dhines]

And the rear... I'll be posting a review after I get a chance to ride them this weekend.

[Dave400ex]

Wow they are Awesome. I really like the Rear. That line is long.

[Foxrage]

Those are sweet!!! How much did all that cost? Thanks

[dhines]

Well, I finally got a chance to install and ride the Elites yesterday. I ended up having to work all weekend so they gave me yesterday off.

Installation - The fronts went on without a hitch. The piggybacks are so much easier than the remotes. I simply HATE dealing with those stupid rubber mounts and clamps --- which brings us to the rear shock installation... I managed to get the shock body installed relatively quickly although I did mount it backwards at first (make sure the rebound screw is facing out toward the back of the machine). The reservoir was a bit more difficult. As you can see from the pictures, the line is quite long and I assumed that it should mount up front somewhere. After fiddling with it for minutes though, I just couldn't find a good place to put it. I eventually put in a call to Elka and they said that the reservoir should go on the vertical rail just above where the black metal mount for the front plastic attaches. After a few minutes of positioning and some heaving cussing, I managed to get it mounted. The biggest problem I had was getting around my air scoops. I really should have taken them off, but I was in a hurry. I'll probably be tearing it all apart tonight and trying for a better fit.

The Ride - After getting everything installed, I packed up and headed for my dad's place. He has about a 5 or 6 mile practice woods track that has plenty of good terrain for breaking the Elites in. After unloading and warming the ride up, I took her out for the first run. Things felt a little strange on the first go. The front felt like it was pushing too hard into the corners, especially when I got on the gas, so I stopped and adjusted both the low and high speed compression up a bit. This helped a lot, but something still wasn't quite right. I decided to go ahead and run a complete lap to see if I was just uncomfortable because they were new to me.

About half way through the lap I stopped and upped the compression on the front's again because I was having a hard time controlling the font end. When I would come out of corners the front would lose a lot of traction and I would veer off-course. I kept riding for a while longer before it hit me. About a mile from the finish I figured that it was actually the rear that was messing things up. It felt like it had way too much compression and/or rebound back there and that was making me lose traction up front. When I got back, I got out the flat head screwdriver and started turning the compression down, down, down... Yeah, that had to be the problem! I also adjusted the back compression to just a couple turns off bottom.

Lap 2 - CADILLAC BABY!!! Smooth as glass! Cranking down the rear changed the whole story. Not only did the rear end smooth out (I couldn't even feel the bumps!) but the front also stopped pushing. With the back shock set softer the bike was able to sit down in the back when I got on the gas, rather than lifting the front end up. The end result was a much faster lap with less fatigue.

Conclusions - I only had an hour to ride so I didn't get to fine tune things the way I wanted to. While there are definitely some adjustments to be made, I can already tell that these babies are going to rock. I need to figure out exactly how the high and low speed adjustments will translate to performance on the track. With a few more hours of experimentation, I hope to get things dialed in. I'll keep you guys advised.

Dennis

[cdalejef]

Hey Dennis, you will most likley need to readjust after about 4 hours of riding to give them time to seat in properly.

[dhines]

Jeff,

Thanks for the tip. I'll make sure to re-check things after a few good rides.

It was really good to meet you at the banquet this weekend. Thanks for the help on the shocks. Just give me a shout when my old Elkas are done.

Best,

Dennis

[cdalejef]

Ya that was alot of fun! I may post a couple pics later. Your shock will be done this week.

[Dave400ex]

They sound Awesome. I can`t wait to get mine. Even though they aren`t Elites I hope I only have some small adjustments to make like you did.

[honda 400ex 69]

how much for all 3 shocks and do u really need the back one? or would the front 2 be good?

i was looking to get some

[eldoexrider01]

ok 2 questions

1). do the elites have ssd?????


2). are the high and low speed adjustments separate?????

[cdalejef]

1. The Elites do have SSD.
2. High and low speed is seperate.

Here is a pic of the adjusters

[cdalejef]

Here is the whole shock

[eldoexrider01]

can i get my stock 400ex shock rebuilt to be an Elite???? or do i have to buy a new elite shock?????

[cdalejef]

You probally could but it would be real expensive. You'd be better off selling yours and buying new Elites.

[racer_ex55]

I have high/low adjustment on my rear elka and I have to say that it's about time someone stepped up and offered it. Dirtbikes have had them for years and if anything quads should have been the first ones. good job elka!!