forced to buy new shocks

[bigbad400]

i was at silver lake dunes and got a little to much air for the stock shock and blew out both front shocks, so i upgraded.

elka recreational series custom ordered to my weight and style, i sure hope their worth the 500 bucks. they have to be better than the pogo stick stockers, and thier fully adjustable so i can set em up for good air or rough trails, 2 weeks ill let you know how they are.

[richards]

Fully adjustable? I've been looking at buying some and my reservation with the recreational model is that they have _no_ damping adjustments. Looks to me like you have to step up to the next model to get compression and rebound adjustment, and then to the next model to get both high and low speed compression adjustment. Am I missing something?

The recreationals will let you adjust spring preload but that will not let you dial in the shocks for slow trails versus fast fire roads versus big air.

[matt14c]

Dropping the ex off the trailer is too much air for the stock shocks! You should be very happy with the Elka especially over stockers.

[bigbad400]

yes you are missing something, i had them custom ordered, they are rec series that were custom made for me. hence the 500 bucks as opposed to the standard recs that are like 390-400. they are not "fully" adjustable, but they have preload and compression/ rebound adjustments. they are kind of in between the models but i didnt want to pay 600 for the next model so i went in between. i had to be on the phone with someone for over an hour to get what i wanted, they just wanted me to buy the next model so i could have all the adjustments but i refused to pay 100 dollars more for hi low speed adjust, so they kinda made a deal for me but i still had to pay extra for the recs to have the comp rebound adjustment.

axis will do the same thing they cost way more, works has a decent cheap model that is what i got for a little more. and you can have fox make you some that are a half *** version of the float model, that are real expensive too. but they would be sweet.


i guess i should have bean more specific in what ways the shocks are"custom" and whatnot.

"Dropping the ex off the trailer is too much air for the stock shocks! You should be very happy with the Elka especially over stockers."

agreed, but i had it over 20 ft in the air and landed decent without crashing, and they did last like 8 years of rough abuse. its a 2000 and they were stock so not bad i guess. i jumped all day long and never had much problem but landing in blow sand makes it easy too.

[richards]

Thanks, I did not know they would do that... Maybe they are back in the running now, I had written them off because their catalog and their resellers make it look like you need the pricey models with reservoirs just to get rebound and compression adjustments.

All I really want is a basic shock with rebound and compression adjustments, sounds like that is what they are building for you.

they are def. better than stockers...you'll be happy...

[coryatver]

Elka shocks are not really "Custom" even if they have all the adjustments. They have them already made at there shop they have shock bodies that have valving for a weight range, and then they add springs. That is why you can get them in a couple weeks. Custom shocks take like a year to get becuase they build every part to your specification after you order it.

I had elka rec series on my 400 and they were the worst shock I have ever rode. I sold them and got 450r shocks with a gt thunder rebuild and they work awesome. Anything is better than stock though.

[bigbad400]

Originally posted by richards
Thanks, I did not know they would do that... Maybe they are back in the running now, I had written them off because their catalog and their resellers make it look like you need the pricey models with reservoirs just to get rebound and compression adjustments.

All I really want is a basic shock with rebound and compression adjustments, sounds like that is what they are building for you.


never order from a reseller, HMF pipe from atvgalaxy is 227+shipping for slip on in black chrome, from the hmf factory directly i paid 199.97 shipped to my door.

the resale people cant customize them for you, they cant choose colors, they only get what they have in stock.

i just told them i didnt want the fancy stuff i wanted a adjustable shock thats gonna handle a decent jump. im only 135lbs and im 22 so im not getting bigger, i ride dunes and rough woods trails, once in a while i go to a friends that has a small track (couple 25ft doubles, 35ft tabletop, long downhill jump into the woods, thats scary) so nothing crazy just way to much for the stockers. and i dont like the sounds of 450 shocks, i rode 450s and not just honda. kfx ltr and yfz i would never use, if i could i would use can ams ds450 shocks but way more money than the elkas even. them ds450s float like a cadillac, i love how they feel.

[coryatver]

its not the point of which ones feel the best on there 450 quad. the 450r ones are almost the correct shock length for the 400ex the other stock shocks on 450s are not. And you will need to get them resprung, revalved for the 400ex and your wieght and that is what makes the ride quality. I wouldn't recommend just putting 450r shocks on a 400ex without sending them to get set up for it.

There is an even better option now the HLS shocks so you don't have to buy some 450r shocks you can just get them already set up for you and they pretty much the same parts internally as the 450r rebuilds.

[bigbad400]

Originally posted by coryatver
Elka shocks are not really "Custom" even if they have all the adjustments. They have them already made at there shop they have shock bodies that have valving for a weight range, and then they add springs. That is why you can get them in a couple weeks. Custom shocks take like a year to get becuase they build every part to your specification after you order it.

I had elka rec series on my 400 and they were the worst shock I have ever rode. I sold them and got 450r shocks with a gt thunder rebuild and they work awesome. Anything is better than stock though.

like i said they are just the rec series body they have added adjusters on them, and they are what i wanted i dont like the 450 shocks. to buy 450 shocks and send them in and back to me i would have bean over my price range, plus i just cant see how an elka shock could be the wors thing you ever rode on if you ever felt stockers.

[coryatver]

Originally posted by bigbad400
like i said they are just the rec series body they have added adjusters on them, and they are what i wanted i dont like the 450 shocks. to buy 450 shocks and send them in and back to me i would have bean over my price range, plus i just cant see how an elka shock could be the wors thing you ever rode on if you ever felt stockers.

sorry i ment other than stockers. The elka recs i had did not have any adjustment or maybe i could have adjusted them to work better. All I know is the 450r rebuilds are so much better than the elka's. I hope they work good for you and you probley won't be dissapointed coming from stock shocks. But if you ever get a chance try 450r rebuilds or hls shocks and you will know what I am saying. Most people will agree with me when I say Elka shocks are setup horribly. To get them to work good you need to send them somewhere to get valved correctly.

Originally posted by coryatver
sorry i ment other than stockers. The elka recs i had did not have any adjustment or maybe i could have adjusted them to work better. All I know is the 450r rebuilds are so much better than the elka's. I hope they work good for you and you probley won't be dissapointed coming from stock shocks. But if you ever get a chance try 450r rebuilds or hls shocks and you will know what I am saying. Most people will agree with me when I say Elka shocks are setup horribly. To get them to work good you need to send them somewhere to get valved correctly.


i'll agree with him...i'll never run the elkas again...even though they are better than stock, they are not as good as the specific setup as a shocg guru like gtt...like i said earlier, you'll be pleased until you ride on a better set up...

i even had my 450r stockers redone asap after i bought it...

[bigbad400]

cool i suppose ill be saving up some more money to send them to gtt soon. i never rode anything with aftermarket shocks sept a couple 250r's (honda of course) and they both have works tripple rates on them. im sure they will do the trick for now. the works shocks on the 250r's kinda felt sloppy to me but htey are 20+ year old quads it was prolly the bushings or something, youd think with a stabilizer laeger a arms and works shocks that it would ride nice and smooth, neither of them felt as good as my 400 with stockers. but i imagine the shocks were setup for the guy who baught them, not the 220 lb guy who rides it now day in and day out. the other one the guy who set it up was 220+ and the guy who rides it now is my size(135lbs)

i have ridden a few quads with works shocks and from that i can say that i will never own any of them. the elka rec series that i had were night and day better than the works i have ridden on. i was totally happy with my elka recs until i had the shocks on my 450r revalved. then i realized how much better it was to have all the adjustments so i could dial them in even more and how much better they worked. the fronts are now on my 400ex as i no longer have the 450r and even with them set up for my 450r instead of the 400ex, they are much better than the recs. they got even better on the ex when i went to the houser plus one a-arms...which i think are going to be for sale soon as i am not racing, no do i plan to, and i don't need all of these expensive parts on the ex...

[bigbad400]

you may not need those expencive parts but why get rid of them if they are already on the quad, im wishing i could take mine out onother inch or two but its already 6 inches over stock in the front and 4 inches over in the rear. i wish i could lower it without loosing ground clearance too. i like long windy roads like drift track racing, but i love hard windy rough trails too. i havent rode any quad with the shocks set up for me and my wheeler besides the stockers, im so excited about hauling *** through the woods and woops and landing good jumps and such without worrying about my shocks blowing out. im gonna love the elkas!!!!

because the wife said i need to get rid of some things to "finance" a guitar...i want to start playing...something i have wanted to do since i was a kid...at age 35, it is time to find a new hobby that won't be as hard on me when i am older...quads will still be number one, but the guitar will fill in fro when the quad can't be ridden

here are a few pic of my 450r before the wife let me have the checkbook for all three shocks to be revalved, and lonestar_r's 450r after he had his revalved. no ground clearance was lost, but you can see what a difference the shocks make with the ride height. this make it handle soooooooo much better, plus since the shocks are set up for your weight, the soak up everything a lot better...

from the front...revalved on the left, stock on the right...
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-12/921056/WXKRP-derisifront2.JPG

from the rear: revalved on the right, stock on the left...
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-12/921056/PBJCP-derisirear.JPG

[coryatver]

Work shocks are pretty much stock replacements. They do make some higher priced models now though. Back in 250r days i think there were only works and ohlins shocks as options. There really is no need for triple rate shocks. Dual rate work better and have less parts like the crossovers. If you get the elka's redone some day they will probley make them dual rates.

[07black400ex]

Are those stock swingarms or extended?

the are stock...

[brian76708]

Originally posted by speedyquad
i have ridden a few quads with works shocks and from that i can say that i will never own any of them. the elka rec series that i had were night and day better than the works i have ridden on. i was totally happy with my elka recs until i had the shocks on my 450r revalved. then i realized how much better it was to have all the adjustments so i could dial them in even more and how much better they worked. the fronts are now on my 400ex as i no longer have the 450r and even with them set up for my 450r instead of the 400ex, they are much better than the recs. they got even better on the ex when i went to the houser plus one a-arms...which i think are going to be for sale soon as i am not racing, no do i plan to, and i don't need all of these expensive parts on the ex...

sent u a pm about the houser +1s

[dobber21]

hey bigbad400 how often do u ride silver lake

[bigbad400]

just as often as i can... thats prolly like 6-7 times a year, if i have the money. i love the lake! i have some friends with me when i go, ltz-400, ds650 baja, ds650, a 250r and a 310r(fast) my 400ex and another ex that the girl rides(stock everything but aarms(roll design) and shocks(Axis) but i never rode it.

[dobber21]

ah ic this last year was my 5th year going, wish i could go this year but i graduate from school and i wont have the vacation which sux but next year for sure ill be bringing the trip bak to life