Elka's do make a difference

[riding4fun]

Well we had a great time at the race this Sunday. We had clutch difficulties that would hinder him getting out of the gates (last every moto). But after he got going he had fun jumping. There were several jumps that included 3 stepdowns, 1 double and a couple table tops. Zachary cleared each stepdown, double and tabletop with the exception of 1(couldnt get up enough speed coming out of a turn, still clutch problems.) The wife did get some good pictures so I will attach one. It's kinda from a distance but he got up in the air and cleared the stepdown that was at least 20 feet. Zachary said the landings were soft.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/sdflenner/IMG_3727.jpg

Thanks Heath, Zachary loves it.

[bulldogfallon]

Awesome pic!!! That is some serious air

We just ordered a set of Elkas for Dillan's 50....

Have you seen the graphics kits for the Rockgardn body armor?

It really dressed them up....They can put a logo, name, number etc on it..

[Andyman17dad]

looks like he is just about to put those Elka's to the test in that picture!

[riding4fun]

Originally posted by bulldogfallon
Awesome pic!!! That is some serious air

We just ordered a set of Elkas for Dillan's 50....

Have you seen the graphics kits for the Rockgardn body armor?

It really dressed them up....They can put a logo, name, number etc on it..

Dillan will love the shocks.

I have seen the graphic kits, just need to sit with the kids and decide which one they want. ( Santa is coming soon).

Reference the picture, Zachary said "I could have done a NO-Hander on that jump" My reply "I'm glad you didn't"

[Nichols Atvs]

Nice job i quess well have the set up comeing this winter. Landon said your Looking good that high Z-Man.

[backinsaddle]

That is some serious air...how old is he?

I just ordered some of the rockgardn graphics for the kids...they picked the flames...can I show a sample here or does that violate tos?

I'm thinking about the elkas for the kids from santa...i can't afford to change out any suspension, so it would be using the stock suspension. is there different shocks for the 41" wide 50 and the wider 90" or do they use the same shock?

Gary, can you email me a price on the resi and non-resi versions for the kids bikes.

[bulldogfallon]

Same shock....I am hoping to have them in time for the race this weekend then you will be able to see if they are an improvement over stock.

We got rezzies on both...std travel and Compression on the front and comp and rebound on the rear


I am tired of Dillan getting beat up during all of the 2nd motos after all the big bikes tear the track up

[riding4fun]

Originally posted by backinsaddle
That is some serious air...how old is he?

I just ordered some of the rockgardn graphics for the kids...they picked the flames...can I show a sample here or does that violate tos?

I'm thinking about the elkas for the kids from santa...i can't afford to change out any suspension, so it would be using the stock suspension. is there different shocks for the 41" wide 50 and the wider 90" or do they use the same shock?

Gary, can you email me a price on the resi and non-resi versions for the kids bikes.

backinsaddle,

He is 7 and likes to jump. My daughter rides a 90 and I will be getting standard travel Elkas for her soon.

I am pretty sure you can post a picture of your rockgardn graphics, I would like to see the flames, since that is what my kids have on their quads.

[Steven623]

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k139/623me/DSC00045-1.jpg
My son liked the shocks too!

[Glenn Keaton]

we have raced only once with the new elkas, and i cant see why anyone would need to spend all that money for the long travel elkas, these shocks are the best investment thus far since we started racing, if 7.5 inches of travel is not enough with the standard travel shocks, maybe some one can explain why the other 1.5 to 2 inches of travel with the long travel elkas is such a big deal, i realize you have to change the standard a arms and the swinger, i really would like to hear the answer to this question, the shocks are all made to the riders weight , so i will wait and see what you all have to say , thanks

[riding4fun]

Originally posted by Glenn Keaton
we have raced only once with the new elkas, and i cant see why anyone would need to spend all that money for the long travel elkas, these shocks are the best investment thus far since we started racing, if 7.5 inches of travel is not enough with the standard travel shocks, maybe some one can explain why the other 1.5 to 2 inches of travel with the long travel elkas is such a big deal, i realize you have to change the standard a arms and the swinger, i really would like to hear the answer to this question, the shocks are all made to the riders weight , so i will wait and see what you all have to say , thanks

Glen,

I really don't have an answer for you yes. But I can tell you this. If the speed limit on the freeway is 65 why do they make the cars to go 100 mph. All I can say is the extra speed the car has is just like the long travel suspension, it's there if you need it. At least that's my rational.:D.

[Steven623]

My son's quad above does have the long travel shocks front and rear, I was going to get the smaller ones, but I figured every little bit for more suspension helps.

[bulldogfallon]

I think what Glenn is saying is that just replacing the shocks and keeping the std travel should be more than adequate for most riders....

Not everyone can afford the extra LT a-arm and swingarm cost(me included) :)


I went with the std travel Elkas....I'll let you know how they work out....I will compare them with Ken Jolly's Black Widow set up and report back.

Bang for the buck the std length replacements will probably work for most riders

[wvspeedfreak]

Originally posted by Glenn Keaton
we have raced only once with the new elkas, and i cant see why anyone would need to spend all that money for the long travel elkas, these shocks are the best investment thus far since we started racing, if 7.5 inches of travel is not enough with the standard travel shocks, maybe some one can explain why the other 1.5 to 2 inches of travel with the long travel elkas is such a big deal, i realize you have to change the standard a arms and the swinger, i really would like to hear the answer to this question, the shocks are all made to the riders weight , so i will wait and see what you all have to say , thanks

You are not getting 7.5" of travel out of the stock a arms,more like 4.5-5.5".It isn't all about shock length.The travel difference comes from the a arm design.The DC set up will net you around 8.5" of travel.

[Glenn Keaton]

and do you feel that you need that much travel when most riders weigh less than 2 big bags of dog food?LOL

[wvspeedfreak]

Glenn,I think it really depends on how hard the kid rides.I would say in most cases they dont need that much travel,especially if they are just starting or aren't big jumpers.Some kids really air these mini's out and I believe in those cases the extra travel is important,especially if they come up a little short.

Also just because they only weigh 60 pounds doesn't mean they can't use the full travel of their suspension.If the suspension isn't traveling much and you feel it is because they only weigh X number of pounds,it is sprung too stiff.

All in all,I would say just the upgrade to better shocks on the stock a arms is a huge improvement that is well worth it.

[riding4fun]

Originally posted by Glenn Keaton
and do you feel that you need that much travel when most riders weigh less than 2 big bags of dog food?LOL

Glen,
I was also thinking of the future. There is a good chance Zachary will be on this quad for possibly 4 or 5 years. In the 50 class now 70 class next and then the 90 class. He will weigh considerably more and jump higher and further.

[mxdad423]

Jason you hit the nail on the head, it all depends on how agressive of a rider your kid is, if he/she is a really agressive rider and likes to jump, you will never have enough. We have a double at one of our tracks (High Point) that is probably 35' Jason you know witch one I'm talking about right behind the starting gates and almost everyone of our 90 riders do it, places like that are where the long travel comes into play. Now if your kid isn't that agressive and doesn't like to do alot of jumping then sure you can probably get away without the long travel. Here's words I live by, you can have all the engine you want but if you don't have the suspension the engine is worthless............

[dirttrack86]

Buying long travel shocks has very little to do with the weight of the rider. Springs are the factor for rider weight. Shock travel determines the time of absorbtion. For example, if your quad is in the air and falling down at 50 mph and when it first touches the ground, it takes .2 seconds to hit 0 mph vertical at 4 inches of shock travel. If you had 8 inches of travel and the exact same valving, then it would take .4 seconds to 0 mph vertical. Now , that may not seem like much, but when your knee caps are in the bottom of your boots and theres blood all over the crossbar pad you'll be wishing you had that .4 instead of .2 LOL. So if the rider doesn't ride fast enough to need the travel, be thankful for now, because rest assured if they keep riding, sooner or later they will need it. Just remember, weight determines springs. Speed, air time, and track conditions dertermine travel and valving. :)

[Glenn Keaton]

my son is very aggresive ,BUT we do not have the jumps like you guys do, if we see a double it is about as wild as it gets, i got the shocks more for the handeling and rider comfort and confidence, and the safety they have, my son will probablly only be on the 90 1 more year, so all that extra expense was not in our budget, considereing the kind of racing that we do, but after only one race he was fast and happy, thanks to the elkas

[dirttrack86]

Sounds like you made the right choice Glenn, You would only need the long travels if you start hearing alot of those "Ca-thunks"(word of the day,Ca-thunk) LOL.:)

[Glenn Keaton]

Ca-thunk, hey that is what my wallet sounded like when i got the bill for the elkas, not really, it was a well thought out investment, and speed does cost money!

[tom450r]

Originally posted by dirttrack86
Buying long travel shocks has very little to do with the weight of the rider. Springs are the factor for rider weight. Shock travel determines the time of absorbtion. For example, if your quad is in the air and falling down at 50 mph and when it first touches the ground, it takes .2 seconds to hit 0 mph vertical at 4 inches of shock travel. If you had 8 inches of travel and the exact same valving, then it would take .4 seconds to 0 mph vertical. Now , that may not seem like much, but when your knee caps are in the bottom of your boots and theres blood all over the crossbar pad you'll be wishing you had that .4 instead of .2 LOL. So if the rider doesn't ride fast enough to need the travel, be thankful for now, because rest assured if they keep riding, sooner or later they will need it. Just remember, weight determines springs. Speed, air time, and track conditions dertermine travel and valving. :)

WINNER: long travel is not really a longer shaft that makes the diff. its the oil volume, travel of the spindle end, & cooling with the longer shock body, the same reason the have rezz's. but all those small reasons add up to one answer, THAT BAD LANDING (ALWAYS) COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE. buy shocks if there is a need, your kids will thank you with no trips to the hospital.

[brainwashed]

Gary,

Be sure to report back when you compare your std travel Elka's to the long travel version. I'd love to hear opinions.

I have Elka's on my YFZ 450. Long travel in the front and std travel in the back and the bike does not feel 'mis-matched' at all. To be honest, I don't notice the shorter travel that I have in the rear. The most that I jump is the occasional double - so keep that mind. The only times I've wondered if I should have gotten LT in the back is when I come up short or jump past a landing. I feel the rear go through it's full travel but the Elka's bottom smoothly. It's just not a warm and fuzzy moment. :)

What I'm thinking is that a long travel may not be critical in the rear of the bike. I'm considering going with new LT A-arms in the front and a STD travel on the back of my sons new DRR. I want to see how the stock shocks do first and see how he rides the quad versus how he rides his KTM... if he's jumping like he jumped his dirt bike I fear I'm going to need to go long travel all around for those pucker moments of a bad landing or blowing past the backside of the jump and landing on the flats.