Help on which Elka shocks to get for my riding style?

[rinaldi]

I originally planned on the Fox Floats, but the dealer I was going thru said he like the Fox better but felt the Elka was a better shock. Local quad dealer said he had the Floats on his 400 and liked the Elka much better. Said the Floats were great on his 450r, but not a good feel on the 400. I know that is just a couple opinions, but enough to make me think maybe the safer bet is the Elka's.

I have been looking at the choices for Elkas and got two entirely different recommendations from Elka direct. One tech said just get the rec series base shock at $485. The other advised to get the $1150 piggyback compression/rebound shock.

I have stock A Arms and ride just at a local DNR park with trails and jumps. I enjoy the jumps more than anything and would want a shock that will work well for that application as well as basic riding. Any direction is appreciated. I can currently get the $1150 Elka w/piggyback, compression and rebound for $950 and the base recreation shock for $412. There are models in between as well.

[hondaking52]

i would just get a piggy back shock, so go with the $1150 shock tripple rate with comp, rebound and preload. the 950 ones only have comp and preload, which is still pretty good. but i would think the floats evols would be wayy!!! nicer...

[Ntensweapon]

Do you plan on upgrading your arms anytime soon? Thats something I would consider before put money into shocks. You basically get what you pay for. You may be happy on the recs with stock arms..but if you upgrade your arms it would be a nice setup with the elites. If you plan on upgrading, I personally would get the elites. I went long travel and couldn't be happier.

Where do you ride? I live about 5 miles from Lakeview. I usually ride at Riverview though. The trails and moto-x track is much better.

[matt14c]

I somewhat agree with Ntensweapon. For the riding you do I myself couldnt justify paying double for shocks just for adjustments. Most people who buy the more complex shocks dont even know how to adjust them properly anyways! Are you set on Elka or Fox? Rezzies are nice for they keep the shocks cooler because they hold more oil. That is one thing I dont like about the rec series shocks. I just looked at all types of shocks for weeks for my 250r and went through alot what your are. I ended up getting some fully adjustable Custom Axis shocks with remote rezzies on ebay for $180 and then sent them out for complete rebuild for $400. So for less than 600 I have about $1200 shocks! I looked at the rec series, hls, 450r conversion, pep and used. Used was definitly best bang for buck in my opinion. You could even maybe get lucky and find some already setup for you. I would definitly think about what your future plans are before purchase.

[rinaldi]

Well I am not sure what advantage I would have by going long travel. The cost is about $600 for the Housers and not sure if that would be wise for the trail riding that I do. I am concerned about width of the trails being a factor. Anything else to consider with going long travel?

I am also a bit concerned buying a shock and not taking advantage of what it has to offer in terms of adjustability, but the Elkas claim to come with a full set of directions for all the adjustments.

The Fox Float does not offer an Evo model for the 400, only the 450r so I kind of ruled out that shock based on that and the negative comments I received.

I have looked at used, but have not found anything yet. There is a set of Ohlins on Ebay for $499 that look great, but it seems like they are only about $600 new so that is not a good deal in my opinion. The Elkas with rebound, height adjustment and compression that list for $1150 I can get for under $900 which seems to be the best deal so far. It may be more than I need, but not much more cost than mid cost shock.

[Ntensweapon]

I probably ride at the same parks you do. I am just under 50inches and don't have a problem. I wasn't saying you need to go long travel. It was more of a question if you planned on upgrading....I wouldn't spend a ton on shocks right now. You would be very happy with standard travel and little more width.

[rinaldi]

You said you ride at Lakeview and Riverview. Where in IA are they located? I have lived here only 2 years and currently only ride at the DNR park in Ely. It is about 250 acres and they have a group there that grooms the park a bit and makes some nice MX tracks with great jumps.

Back to the a arm question. If I swapped out a arms I would go with long travel. Is install of a arms difficult or a "do it yourself" mod?

[Ntensweapon]

Lakeview is ELY. Riverview is in Waterloo. River is a much better park and worth the drive. It doesn't stay as muddy either. Ely has just been run down too much. They just recently started to maintain it. I like that it is close for me and good to blow off steam but.. I saw the A track after they built it. Seemed a little scetchy to me.
What are you hauling with? Might have seen you out there. I drive a white honda ridgeline.

If you go long travel of course you will need long travel shocks. Thats kinda why you want to consider the shock purchase at the moment. If your gonna change arms in a year or two i would maybe look for some 450r or some good used aftermarkets.. Then spend the money on good shocks for the new arms.

[rinaldi]

I haul my toys with my wifes Mazda CX9. I have not been to Riverside yet, but will have to make the drive. I usually try to get my kids to go with me, but they don't last too long at the park.