long or regular travel

[Lightning]

I would like to know if I should get Regular travel + 2 A-arms or Long tavel +2 a-arms for MX Racing Looking @ getting Housers
Shocks I am Looking at Elkas but the a-arms is first priority.

if you have the money then long travel

[MAD450r]

What I mean is you wont be able to ride with your standard shocks on long travel arms. If you go standard travel your stockers will work ok for a while on +2 standard arms. Hope that helps. I rode mine for about 4 months before I sent my shocks off to be redoen by derisi.

[pudamac12]

long travel.

[2MuchChi450R]

Long travel definitely! Save up and do the shocks and arms at the same time so you're not discouraged and can't ride.

if i was doing mx i would save the money to do an LT setup

[Moto92]

i run standard travel and a shock revalve.
you dont need to spend five grand to have an excellent front suspension.

[MAD450r]

My standard travel a-arms were 390$ to my door, derisi mx rebuilds with rear link was 825 about shipped. my geforce axle was 200$. that was alot cheaper to me. It handles awesome to me. I am very happy with for standard travel its setup perfect for my riding style.

On my 416ex I did elka and lonestar, it handles awesome but cost me alot more.

[Moto92]

well i was just exaggerating on the 5K, but my point is I think LT front ends are way overated.
I got houser arms, derisi shocks, and a g force axle all for under $1500. Its handles like a dream now. Im far from being a pro rider so that all works perfect for a budget racer like myself.

[Lightning]

okay so most off you say L/T but no reason please give a reason better handling better jumping what I need too justify the extra cost. L/t must not just be 10 % better it must be 50 % or more. You guys/Gals Know what I mean.

if ur gonna spend the money just go all out and do it right the first time

[KEVIN]

the stock shock is like 17" a lt is 20" . the more your arm and shock move the better it will be transfered to your body. hitting whoops and dbls will be soaked up better w/lt because of the travel. your shock has more to work with wich will give a smoother ride!

[MAD450r]

Both will work just as well if setup properly. The thing with long travel is its easier for the shock builder to hit your setup deadon. With standard travel you have to be more dead on with your answer's when they ask weight, riding style and stuff like that.

From what I have learned riding friends atv's with long travel. My handles 10x better with me on it. Cause its setup for my weight. Im 130-135 lb's in full gear.

I ride my friends cannondale with long travel, dont get me wrong it still handles ok, but it beats me up more since he weighs about 180-190.

Now for my frenids predator with long travel. he weighs 150-160 its better than the dale's setup but still is a bit stiff for me.

Both my atv's have standard travel and they both handle great for me and most that ride it.

Originally posted by MAD450r
Both will work just as well if setup properly. The thing with long travel is its easier for the shock builder to hit your setup deadon. With standard travel you have to be more dead on with your answer's when they ask weight, riding style and stuff like that.

ya thats far from true, when using LT you really dont gain but around 1/2'' to 1'' shock travel being that your bike can only go so low until it hits the frame on the ground, with LT most of the gain is in the up travel of the shock (the no preload spring) where you will have a lot more drop then a normal shock making your bike be able to get better traction in the front end and come onto landing ramps and over jumps much easier

how much better is LT then std? I would say 10-20% better, no where near 50%, my std travel G T Thunder built elkas have rode better then a lot of peoples LT setups, if you can find a good deal on some std travel shocks and get them perfectly set up for you, then do it, with LT you are most likely not to notice too much of a difference

Now when going to LT in the rear, such as the LSR swingarm/link or the elka pro link etc, you will notice a HUGE difference, that is just based on the fact that it will allow you to obtain a much better shock angle and progression rate to work with the valving, there is no substitute for having a nice LT rear end, even if all you use is a normal elka link and not the pro link, it is still much better

now on to the subject of which is best for you...how long do you plan on keeping the bike? if its a long time and you plan on racing it for a long time then I would say get the LT setup and spend the extra $500 or whatever to get the better setup, now if you plan to have the bike for maybe a year more then sell it and get something else, i would just go with the std travel

in the same note if you are in B class or higher and believe you will be able to take it to the next level this year, you may want to go ahead and get the LT setup, if it was me and i HAD to buy a-arms like you mx guys do, i would buy the LT setup Elka/Houser or Elka/Roll, if you are spending money on good stuff you might as well spend the extra $200 some for the better stuff, thats my opinion, hope that helps :macho

[86atc250r]

There are a lot of assumptions being made here...

Many of them are correct if LT shocks ACTUALLY provided more travel and "standard" shocks. The truth be told - LT shocks are indeed longer than standard shocks, but unfortunately all that extra length comes in the form of shock body, not shock travel.

I've actually measured several sets of "LT" shocks and found that to be the case --- in fact, I have a set of "standard" shocks worked over by Laz at GTT that have 1/2" more shaft travel than my LT PEP ZPS shocks have.

That being the case, the only advantages to the LT setup are more room for springs, and more oil in the body.

In the case of some LT setups, they don't even utilize the more room for springs advantage.

So -- think seriously about what advantages "LT" shocks and arms are REALLY going to provide you before purchasing. Personally, I'd ask a lot of VERY detailed questions to whoever you plan on buying them from and don't accept a sales pitch -- ask how much actual shaft travel they provide, ask what the shaft travel of their standard setups is. Make sure they are configured properly to offer the correct extended and compressed heights for your configuration, etc.

My suggest is to not fall into the hype - don't assume that just because the shock is longer, it's better, or that it offers more travel. Even a 16" long shock can easily provide 5.5" shaft travel, which is what many 19~20" "LT" shocks provide.

[Lightning]

Thanks for the input seems I will go with the standard travel with Elkas Up Front and spend the extra money I save on a rear link with a l/t Elka at the back. :rolleyes:

[86atc250r]

There ya go --- good plan. The rear is what is in need of some help on the 450R and there are longer travel options that do make a difference back there.

Check out all available options before deciding which suits your needs best. Houser, GT Thunder, Elka, LSR, Walsh, ARS/FX - all have different setups available.

yah i went with the GT Thunder setup all around. I hope I did good. Ive never ridden on a set of revalved shocks so im exited to see if Laz is all the hype that everyone brings him up to be.