elka shocks problems

[2strokescreamer]

i have an 05 yamaha raptor 660 and i bought elka rec. shocks for my raptor and they are horrible. Im not sure if they are valved wrong or what, but my stock shocks were a lot better. I bought them as epic front end kit, and i rode with the stock shocks on there for a while because it took longer for me to get the shocks and they worked fine with the stockers. When i put the elkas on it handles horrible, they dont rebound..when u push down or up on the front end it stays in the position it doesnt compress back, they are stiff as boards, i mean it sends a very disconforting jolt to your wrists when coming down from a wheelie. Im not sure what the problem is whether my shocks are valved wrong or it is something with my a-arms? what should i do or what do u think the problem is? your help would be greatly appreciated.

[300exOH]

Sounds like you may need to send them back to elka. Something is def not right if they won't even rebound. I have read many posts complaining about elkas not being set up right from the factory although mine were near perfect when I got them. Just make sure you are 100% honest with them about your riding style or you will not be happy with them. Good luck

[bradley300]

did you adjust them at all? most people think they are ready out of the box, but they are not. the ride height and compression is at its softest (if you have the comp. adjust) and the rebound is slowest (if you have rebound) at the very least, you will need to set the ride height on every elka shock

[2strokescreamer]

ya i have adjusted them and tried them on all settings, they are only preload adjustable. Im going to call elka and see if they will revalve them.

[honda250xrider]

lol the case of the elka blues..... jump on the band wagon, elka should take them back no problem, they are great with customer service but chitty in the valving department IMO

[<DRS>GPF]

Originally posted by 2strokescreamer
When i put the elkas on it handles horrible, they dont rebound..when u push down or up on the front end it stays in the position it doesnt compress back, they are stiff as boards, i mean it sends a very disconforting jolt to your wrists when coming down from a wheelie. Im not sure what the problem is whether my shocks are valved wrong or it is something with my a-arms? what should i do or what do u think the problem is? your help would be greatly appreciated.

pretty much what i thought of the elka sets ive had the opportunity to try.. ordered at different times for different quads.., a set for a KFX others for EX's..

they all felt stiff.. bought for trail riding, 190lb rider and specified the quad..

[D-7#61-450r]

Call elka! They have great customer support. Yes the shocks need adjusting out of the box, but if you don't learn how to fine tune them early you never will. I had my rear shock that I bought used and was thrashed, they rebuilt it for free and set it up on my quad at last years budds nat. I was totally honest with them and they flat out hooked me up. Ask anyone with any other shock how much they paid to get their shocks serviced at a national. And after fine tuning my shocks are awsome.

[honda250xrider]

nationals is really a good time to have your shocks rebuilt most companies at least i have seen have been taking the shocks in and rebuilding them they tend to do it for little to nothing to get you back on the track and show off their shocks for them as they should fix them. Elka has one of the best support, i have heard good things about fox also. But it has always been my experience and alot of others that elka just isnt on par with valving it may have changed since the last i have bought there shocks about 1 1/2 year ago i quickly changed back to axis. the adj. can only do so much its the valving that is off quite a bit, or the springs. adj can help but if the valving is wack you will never have the best performance out of the shock that you could have.

[04TRX400EX]

Originally posted by bradley300
did you adjust them at all? most people think they are ready out of the box, but they are not. the ride height and compression is at its softest (if you have the comp. adjust) and the rebound is slowest (if you have rebound) at the very least, you will need to set the ride height on every elka shock

No, he said that he has the Rec series, meaning no adjustability.

The aftermarket Elka's should by no means feel worse than your stockers. You should notice a marked positive difference. As I am sure you have heard on here, some people have had problems with their shocks not coming valved or sprung properly. Definitely call Elka because they have excellent customer service and will take care of you.

[itismejoshy]

trust me and a few other here on the forums, call alka!! they will take care of you! they paid to ship mine both ways(express) and revalved them. just make sure you know how you are planing on riding makes a huge difference (trail, mx, dunes).

CALL THEM!:D

[400exrider707]

I felt the same way once I got my elka recs for my 400ex. After riding on them for a few hours they seem to loosen up a little and "break in". However I dont believe that they are set up wrong for you. What did you tell them you were going to be doing with these shocks. I know I had mine set up for MX. Obviously riding wheelies is going to feel stiff, because in MX you generally take bigger hits than coming down from a wheelie. Try them on a 50ft double and tell me they're too stiff.

What did you do about the rear shock? Im guessing nothing. This will contribute to horrible handling. Do you understand the concept of ZPS shocks? This is where I think you are mistaking the rebound for. They are supposed to sag down with the weight of the quad and you. That is how ZPS works, it will lower your quad for better handling.

It just sounds to me you got the shocks setup for something you dont do, and you dont really need an MX shock.:ermm: