not happy with my elkas

[ESR250R]

well i recieved my elkas about 4 months ago and havent had much seat time on them. after i recieved them i went riding and found out the front were WAY too harsh and WAY to stiff. i called elka and told them about it. i also told them that i wanted to send them in to be revalved and he told me not to bother, he would just send me some new springs in the mail. well i received my new springs in the mail put them on and last weekend i went to a mx race and these things just plain suck. every time the front shocks start to compress it will hit the last (stiffest) spring and it will bounce me back up. it doesnt compress the last spring at all. even the 2 springs before the main spring seem way to harsh. i love the rear shock and i could ask for anything better than the rear they sent me, but i get disgusted when i ride my R and the front shocks beat me up like they do. i have the compression set all the way to soft, when i talked to them i told them stock a arms, 165 pound B rider(actually 160). i dont wanna call them up because i recieved them 4 months ago and i dont know if they will revalve them for me now. i was so pi$$ed off after the race i was gonna just come home, put them on ebay and just order some tcs or pep shocks.

[honda400exrider]

DAMNIT, KNOW U GOT ME CONFUSED!! I WAS GONNA GET PEPS, THEN I LEARNED ABOUT THE WAIT, SO I WAS GONNA GET ELKAS, THEN I HEAR THEY SUCK!THINGS JUST AINT WHAT THEY USED TO B THESE DAYS! LOL sry about the caps

[ESR250R]

the stupid canadians probably valved then for +2. who knows

[MEL]

just callem, they'll take care of you. i guy i ride with bought pep zps for a ex when they first came out. he had such a hard time dailing them in he had to drive the quad to the companys shop so he could test each change, so its not just elka with these type of spring/valving problems. like i said, call them up and i'm sure they'll take care of it.

[ChadEXer]

Thats a decent amount of cash to spend to not be happy!!!

[honda400exrider]

yeah, and chad lets get this straight, when the **** is yer GD MOTOR COMING IN!! ive seen that in yer profile since like ive been here (1 3/4 years.) im not saying that i dont believe u but did it get like lost in the mail? lol

[Crypted1]

give them a call and talk to Martin or Yen. tell them everything you just told us and they will be happy to fix the problem. Elka really does have great service.

[ChadEXer]

Originally posted by honda400exrider
yeah, and chad lets get this straight, when the **** is yer GD MOTOR COMING IN!! ive seen that in yer profile since like ive been here (1 3/4 years.) im not saying that i dont believe u but did it get like lost in the mail? lol
Tom has had my motor for going on almost 7 months now...he said I will have it for sure by next Fri,,he said to call and get the tracking number Wed and he would send it 2nd day!!! So i will have it the 11th and finish putting it together over the weekend!!!

[ESR250R]

ok i will give em a call. i will keep u guys posted on weather or not they help me with my shocks.

[racerx573]

Ive had mine a while, and theyve fixed them free when I blew them, and sent me new springs when I needed them. Mine are valved for 185# rider, I weigh 160, I turned up my compression, and put softer springs on, theyre perfect for me now.

[ESR250R]

well a friend of mine that weights like 230 rode on my shocks that are valved for 165 and he thought they were way too stiff.

[Dave400ex]

Elka should fix them. I must be lucky because I don`t have a single complaint about mine.

Dont worry about how long ago you got them just call up Elka and get it straightened out.

Seems odd that they could get the rear dialed in so well and not the fronts, maybe they sent you the wrong fronts, and if they sent the other ones to me there working fine.:D

Fromn what i have heard of the older Elka's there were just the opposite .. tooo soft.

[ESR250R]

i got these right after everyone was complaining about them being too soft...they told me they were strightning that out at that time.

[cdalejef]

Hey ESR, how much adjusting have you done with them? I sold a set to a pro XC racer and he said he couldn't get them adjusted at all. I had him come out to my practice track, I rode his bike for one lap, after that lap I stoped and made an adjustment to the compression and rebound. I told him to try it, he came back and said he couldn't believe it, they were perfect. It does take some prictice to learn how to properly adjust suspension.

[Pappy]

dude....elkas blow chunks...:eek:

haha...hey jeff...did my elkas arrive?:confused::D :D :p

[cdalejef]

They were supposed to ship today, looks like I may have to send them to you. Get some sleep you have a long drive tomorrow. You'll be driving into hurricane Lili!

[Pappy]

ok....i aint scared of lil:macho

[ESR250R]

i have the compression set all the way on soft(actually one click from soft) and i dont have a rebound adjustment.

[cdalejef]

Give Elka one more try (they will help you) and if that doesn't solve it, send em to me and I'll fix them up.

[ESR250R]

ok thanks jeff

[two_baaalls]

U DA MAN Jeff!

[YZROOSTINYA]

my bud has elka triple rates with piggy backs up front and a resovoir in the rear. i thought they were a little harsh but much better than my stock 400ex ones. he is also 30lbs heavier than me and they are set up for him

[forum]

Don't talk beaf just cause their Canadian. I just love how people diss Elka.
the truth is.

Elka has grown so fast in so little time. They sell more atv suspension then pep, axis, or even works. per month.. So you can say they suck all you want but the facts are they sell!!!

The diference is. the raw materials go into Elka's factory and come out as shocks. Everything is done right in the place.

But sadly yes. sometimes they screw up because of how busy they are. Which sucks. I race with a guy that had his bushings put in upside down. (or something) But Elka's costumer service makes up for it. COnsidering you can get them figure out their setup wrong, call them, send them back, get them back and still have them a month or more before the pep's would have come in. Every company makes a few mistakes once in awhile. factroy defects. Thats just life.

I so wish I could have a set of TCs, Elka, Axis, and pep so i could put and end to this what is the best crap. I have noe idea whats better. but im still getting elka elite's

O thats another thing, ELka is the first company to produce high and low speed compression adjustments. It's been around for year's in trophy trucks, Where has axis, or pep been??? elka just comes out and produces stuff that took the other guys years. and then takes it a step further.

[Extremeracer167]

I think what elka should do is instead of trying to get them out so quick, like ppl are saying its around a week for a set......i know its nice to get shocks quick, but even if they bumped the wait up to 2 weeks, that would give them time to make sure everything is right.
I currently encountered my first problem with Axis shocks. I just got my long travel back shock a few days ago, did the mount mod, new swingarm...all that stuff. once i got the shock on, i was quick to sit on it, and the thing didnt sag at all!! Well i called Rick at Axis and he looked up the papers and saw that they accidentally put a main spring on for a 275 lb rider. Well needless to say, im only 150lbs. so it was way too stiff. But he overnighted me one, and i should be getting it today. Then FEDEX calls and tells me that i have to have a check ready, and i beter not have to pay this shipping for this spring, or old Axis is geting a call!!!!

I guess we will find out. ALl u guys going to St. Clairsville??

[cdalejef]

We won't be making it, we are going to the first round of the MidSouth Winter series. I think Popo, 400ex127, GNCCer, indygncc and a few others will be there.

[Extremeracer167]

Jeff,
Arent u in the points chase at all?? I figured u would be there, it isnt that far from u is it??

[cdalejef]

I was but I am more concearned about getting my #1 plate back in the MidSouth series. St Clairsville is about 4 hours from me. But I would have to drive 7 hours that night to race on sunday. After Ironman I'll have to drive to New Hope AL to race the next day.

[Extremeracer167]

man that sucks. We arent going to Ironman this year. My dad just got a 400EX ran it stock at HP and got 6th in the Sr Class. And it was only the 2nd time he ever rode the quad. He raced bikes b4. But neither one of us are in the points chase, so we arent driving all the way out to Indiana. What place are u in your class?

[cdalejef]

Before Penton counting throw outs I was in second. I missed the first 4 races so I didn't have any throw outs at all. Ironman is a great track nice and technical!

[Extremeracer167]

Yeah, it gets DESTROYED. Last year when i was in the FYR class, i wanted off that track by the end of our race, then i felt bad for u guys that had to go out after us. But i think they fixed alot of stuff for the afternoon race. But i still like it, shooting up those hills was fun!!

[cdalejef]

Yep, I like um muddy!

[Extremeracer167]

NOT ME!!!! im too scrawny. I dont weigh enough to get any traction. But when its nice out, my skinny rear, will just skim over everything.

[cdalejef]

I only weight 170, its all about quad prep! Ask Jonny G about the race back in 94 were we raced in 24" of snow!:huh I followed Penland to 5th overall! He was my personal snow plow.:D

[Extremeracer167]

I guess thats my problem, being young in age, i dont really do alot of setup from race to race. I wouldnt even know how to set up for a mud race. besides the bigger handguards and tape of the boots, lol.

[cdalejef]

Lots of dielectric grease and some nice big 22" mud tires!!!:cool: Oh ya...put the airbox lid on.

[BadA$$440]

Hey Jeff, if turn my preload nut all the way up will it make it softer? I got the nut turned down 3/4 of an inch i believe on both sides with the comp on full soft an it feels rough still, should i move the nut all the way up?

P.S I rode my friends 400 with stock susspension and i didnt feel a huge difference between his and mine. Is it possible i got the wrong shocks?

[cdalejef]

Ya, it will make it softer. Try it and see.

[Tommy 17]

my elkas were really stiff when i 1st got them... i noticed over 2 weeks or so i went from 0 compression clicks with gear to 2 compression clicks with gear... now they are perfect and i have no complaints...

[DMC mx400ex]

i order a shock and a-arm package i received them today...ordered wensday:D from jdperformace(great service) and they said elka will ship my shocks directly to me in 2 weeks(maybe they increased the time) anyway i weigh like under 120(dont laugh) im like 5'6 and have a shoe size 12 my brother is like 6.4" so i had them build my shocks for 160 pounds(with gear) since im growing rapidly. so im scared they will be to stiff? if i dont like them and they are too harsh will they fix the problem for free or extra charge:confused: :confused:

i will update u guys soon to let u knwo how it turns out.

[Dave400ex]

If your growing Fast they should be ok. If not then grow into them. 120 pounds is very little. How old are you?

[DMC mx400ex]

14, i know im young but i dont ride like im 120...

Well you need to get on the steak and potato diet..lightwieght.

[YLW400]

lots of peanut butter sandwiches...lol

[ChadEXer]

Do like me and put 12 scoops of sugar in your cereal every morning:D Youll be hittin 200 before you know it!!!!;)

A whopper a day from burger king for 3 weeks will throw on the pounds,,them sucka's got like 375 fat grams or something..:eek: A 6 pack of heavy beer a day won't hurt either..:D

[YLW400]

ChadEXer Do like me and put 12 scoops of sugar in your cereal every morning Youll be hittin 200 before you know it!!!! :huh :huh :huh

[YLW400]

A six pack??? What the **** is he going to do with that???:eek:

A six pack??? What the **** is he going to do with that??? Legally the beer method may not be the right thing for a 14 yr old but in Ricoville he should be a pro by now. :D :rolleyes: ;) :eek: :blah

And c'mon you gotta love Rico's answer to most problems..... having a bad day= have a beer
having a good day= have a beer
girl friend left you= have a beer
quad wont start= have a beer
crashed at the races= have a beer
just had lunch= have a beer
found the fridge= have a beer
woke up hungover= have a beer
just had a beer= have a beer
and the newest ..... suspension too stiff= have a beer


So just forgedaboudit and HAVE A BEER...:D

[YLW400]

oops, forgot about the age thing...I will just have a beer for em'! Rico has a good outlook on things...beer is good

[Redwing]

A friend of mine put a set of Elkas on his raptor and after about 8 jumps they were done. He called the owner back and had them sent in to get rebuilt. He got them back and popped them again. The place charged him a restocking fee. He said he was pretty bent over the service. He has Ohlins (sp) now.

[DMC mx400ex]

The sad thing is i work at Burger king!!! for 4 months and have not gained much weight!!

btw i like chicken club sandwiches more..

anyway now my problem is removing the damn spindle, im ready to break things, oops i already did!!1:mad:

[Quad18star]

LMAO , ESR I like how you are quick to blame us Canadians because your one set of shocks had a defect in them . Maybe us Canadians should start blamming you Americans for all the defective stuff that we've recieved . Let me start the list : LSR frame 2500$ american and when it cracked after one ride I couldnt get any money back or a repair, Durablue X-33 axle lifetime warrantee my ***. Defective coil , incomplete parts , etc etc. So yeah , instead of putting down a company , or a country , how about you just sit back and take a look at the facts . Wait 6 months before you recieve your PEP or Custom Axis shocks , or you get a set of Elkas in a matter of a few weeks and if soemthing breaks on them you send it back and get them repaired FREE of charge . Hmmm think about it , ride now or wait 6 months ??? Easy choice , unless you're a stupid american like ESR !!!!

[ESR250R]

:p

and buying that durablue axle was so smart of ya.

[Sparks425Ex]

I figured i would give ya a free bump cause this is a great thread. Alot of Info.

[PhilMoore]

I have bought Works front triple rate shocks from Magic Racing.
I have bought Works front dual rate shocks Direct from Works.
I have bought a complete set of ELKA dual rate shocks from Marty @ the Quadshop.

Both sets of Works shocks were "good enough" the first time, and I was satisfied. Obviously, the lower quality/price of the Works shocks is a factor, so that is why I say it was "good enough" I didn't expect a miracle, and they were WAY better than stock shocks.

The Elka's bottomed out on me and were really spongey when I got them. Low speed riding was excellent, but jumps or whoops were brutal. I bought the shocks in October, I talked to Marty about the problem SIX MONTHS after I bought them. It was winter here so I didn't get a chance to really ride them and learn the problem I had. He offered to take them back, and fix them for me, he even offered to pay shipping! This is SIX MONTHS after I bought them! I sent them down, and had them back in one week (plenty of time before leaving on a duning trip to Utah)

When I let my friends ride the 'Shee, they just go on and on about how awesome the suspension is. I once gave broke down biker a ride back to his truck and he couldn't believe how plush the Banshee was! (you know how bikers think so lowly of quads:) )

I will ONLY buy my suspension from the Quadshop from now on... If you are like me, and cannot stand to be without your gear for long, think about my story before checking into somebody else. It sounds to me like some of the other places have an uncaring attitude, or think they are too good for average Joe's. That is fine, as long as they make a living at it and are happy. I NEED my stuff soon, and The Quadshop seems to cater to us impulsive types. If, for some reason, it is not exactly what you expected, they are going to help you out in a timely manner. That is most important to me.

BTW, Marty or Jeff,
The shocks are still working awesome. On the Utah trip I spoke of earlier, I launched off a razorback dune, and slammed really hard. I injured my wrist(It ballooned up like a softball), and BENT my footpeg down a couple degrees from the sheer force of the landing. I had to replace the footpeg. I didn't crash, and the shocks did not blow, nor did I bend anything in the suspension department. If I hadn't had the shocks, I would probably be in wheelchair or worse. Of course if I had stock shocks, I probably would not have been trying to show off!!! :)


Thanks a lot you guys!
Keep up the great work.

[toby400ex]

i guess we are all just lucky we havent been in a war with canada, man that would be ugly. America would go up there and canada would be like , whats this al aboooot. ehhh.....no flame, but tom green came from canada, why didnt he go back. I dont need him.:devil

but tom green came from canada, why didnt he go back. I dont need him. I heard he sent his "spare sac" back home :)

But seriously your acting like that place is another country or something ;) and I just cant relate to all this US envy, but maybe they will be trying to speak "English" in montreal soon. Cant be any worse than all those thinking they are a better version of the parisienne's (SP?)

Originally posted by 440EX4me
Legally the beer method may not be the right thing for a 14 yr old but in Ricoville he should be a pro by now. :D :rolleyes: ;) :eek: :blah

And c'mon you gotta love Rico's answer to most problems..... having a bad day= have a beer
having a good day= have a beer
girl friend left you= have a beer
quad wont start= have a beer
crashed at the races= have a beer
just had lunch= have a beer
found the fridge= have a beer
woke up hungover= have a beer
just had a beer= have a beer
and the newest ..... suspension too stiff= have a beer


So just forgedaboudit and HAVE A BEER...:D

I just seen this for the first time...ROFLMAO.. Hey it works for me..:D

[Pappy]

Originally posted by 440EX4me
I heard he sent his "spare sac" back home :)

I just cant relate to all this US envy

average menial income in the USA $34,000 per person

average menial income in canada $23,000 per person


sorry, i just read that in the newspaper....:huh

[Dave400ex]

PhilMoore that was a great post. Good to hear you got your Shocks fixed. I got my Shocks from a different place, but they came setup great and I have no complaints about them. Really I would need somebody else to ride them that knows a lot about Shocks to see if they were setup right. I need those Boys from Kentucky (Jeff, Rico) to go to the Badlands one weekend when we are there.

[cdalejef]

We were there this summer but we couldn't catch you!:p I may go tomorrow.

[airheadedduner]

Originally posted by forum
O thats another thing, ELka is the first company to produce high and low speed compression adjustments. It's been around for year's in trophy trucks, Where has axis, or pep been??? elka just comes out and produces stuff that took the other guys years. and then takes it a step further.

Ohlin's where actully the first with high and low speed compression adjustments.

[Predator36]

Originally posted by forum
Don't talk beaf just cause their Canadian. I just love how people diss Elka.
the truth is.

Elka has grown so fast in so little time. They sell more atv suspension then pep, axis, or even works. per month.. So you can say they suck all you want but the facts are they sell!!!

The diference is. the raw materials go into Elka's factory and come out as shocks. Everything is done right in the place.

But sadly yes. sometimes they screw up because of how busy they are. Which sucks. I race with a guy that had his bushings put in upside down. (or something) But Elka's costumer service makes up for it. COnsidering you can get them figure out their setup wrong, call them, send them back, get them back and still have them a month or more before the pep's would have come in. Every company makes a few mistakes once in awhile. factroy defects. Thats just life.

I so wish I could have a set of TCs, Elka, Axis, and pep so i could put and end to this what is the best crap. I have noe idea whats better. but im still getting elka elite's

O thats another thing, ELka is the first company to produce high and low speed compression adjustments. It's been around for year's in trophy trucks, Where has axis, or pep been??? elka just comes out and produces stuff that took the other guys years. and then takes it a step further.

Elka is an up and coming company - As I setup their shocks - they listen to the changes and make inprovements. On the other hand Axis buys all their parst from a shop next door (Penske) and PEP uses a works copy with their own setup on the front and Fox shocks with their own setup on the rear. Good thing about PEP is that they are at the MX races and will help you get everything set. Axis on the other hand will throw parts at you and hope you can set them up yourself unless you are a pro rider. Even the best Pro XC rider in the Nation does not like their setup and and changes them to his liking after he gets them. If I was a pro and got my shocks for free I would use and endorse what was given to me just like the pro riders now do. If I was an amature or fun rider I would buy (with my hard earned money) What I can get the best support for from a local Suspension shop and from a guy that rides quads. The brand does not matter nearly as much as the local support.

[Dave400ex]

Jeff I'm sure you could easily catch me. I think we should make an EXriders ride at the Badlands some time in the Spring maybe when it's not so cold.
Also Predator has some great info. I have always thought it was the person who sets the shocks up, and not the brand of shocks they were. I wish somebody local knew something about shocks, but not many people will pay the price for them around here.

[bongwater200]

Hey guys, don't be flaming the Canadians! There are many things that I admire about them!


1. They love beer.

2. They love racing.

3. They get a lot of snow.

4. Can't swing a dead cat around there without hitting some kind of nudie bar!

5. They still PUNISH THEIR CRIMINALS!


If they'd support armed citizens and get rid of those stupid-assed gun laws, I'd move there tomorrow!

Hey guys, don't be flaming the Canadians! There are many things that I admire about them!

Last time I was in Canada was about 2 or 3 years ago and I was in Toronto (very nice city BTW) and kept thinking something wasnt right (no it wasnt the $$ exchange or the much better beer or all the garbage not being spewed about the street like NY :) ) and I didnt figure it out till the day I was leaving.

Canada has some very polite bums and homeless peeps. Like you never get this in NY "sir would you be kind enough to spare" and the after cutting them short "thank you and have a nice day" and it didnt matter if you dropped them one cent or not.

This was the topic of discussion on the ride to the airport with the India native born Apoo (yes his name) who had come to live there cause he didnt like the cold weather in Detriot. He seemd to think they had a code of ethics for panhandling :D you could not imagine what a trip this was.

So number 6. Very polite and well versed homeless LMFAO