HONESTLY, Do I Need To Sell My ELKA'S??

[416exmx]

Like i said i am a new member and have just been reading some threads about the Elka shocks. It sounds like everyone is unhappy with their Elka shocks? I just purchased long travel front and rear Elkas and have not even rode on them yet? I had TCS and Works in the past and had no problems with them. I guess my question is do i need to sell this $1900 set of shocks before i ride on them and loose my ***** on them, or try to run them this season? I am not starting this thread to make a big brawl again but would like some honest opinions both good and bad on these shocks.



Ride for 2003-
02 400ex, wiseco 425 kit 11:1, ported polished, hot cam, timming advance, white bros rev box, FTZ alcohol carb, lrd complete exhaust, k&n, houser long-travel +3 a-arms, elka quad rate dual adjust zps front shocks, elka dual rate/dual adjust zps rear shock, durablue +4 axle and hubs, grooved tammers on 8" doulgas race rims, holeshot mx front on itp, one industries duncan racing graphics and seat cover, dg nerfs, ac bumper, renthal bars, pro-design kill, stainless bolt kit, headlight covers, dark red powdercoated frame w/ neon orange swingarm, steering stem & motor mounts, black powdercoated hubs and pegs, cut fenders, gwc number plates, i'm sure i missed some stuff.

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[Dave400ex]

I have had my Elka's for over 6 months and I have not had a single problem. I think you will be fine. Some guys have had problems, but Elka would be more then willing to help you out and if not Jeff could at the Quadshop. I think the Elka's will be fine...

[Sparks425Ex]

Dude. Don't sell them. I see that Quadshop Sponsors you. Then you should know that Jeff and Marty are both firm believers in Elka. That was all I needed to convince me that theya re good enough. I mean they can run anything they want and look what they are running... Watch the pros this year you will see alot more guys running Elka than last year. They need time to build up. They are semi new...

[cdalejef]

Originally posted by 416exmx
Like i said i am a new member and have just been reading some threads about the Elka shocks. It sounds like everyone is unhappy with their Elka shocks? Who exactly is everyone?

[416exmx]

I just saw quite a few posts about angry elka owners. Like i said i havent even rode on mine yet. I think they are sweet shocks and hope they perfom as good as they look.

[Dave400ex]

You need to ride on them before you do anything. I think they will be fine.

:rolleyes2

[QuadTrix6]

keep them. and if u dont like them which i doubt will happen u can always send them out to get revalved. ull love them trust me

[Mxbubs]

Originally posted by Jeff@QuadShop
Who exactly is everyone?

Not me. I am keeping mine.:D

[DirtDiggler]

I started freaking out when I read those posts too but now I'm not worried. When they get here I'm going to put them on and try to dial them in as best I can if they aren't right I'll get a hold of the Quadshop and get some advice but I know they will end up awesome when all is said and done. When you get right down to it each negative comment throws up a red flag and blocks out about 5 positive comments in your mind. Not to mention the people with no problems post less than the people with problems.

Diggler

[Pappy]

i watched a pro racer rebuild his axis shocks after every heat saturday night....AND I MEAN REBUILD COMPLETELY!!!! not that they are junk mind you.....but they couldnt get them set correctly to suit the rider. they finally did and he was a happy camper.:) no shocks are perfect out of the box....


also....i watched intently the B and C class heats. my conclusion is this.....if you arent nailing the downsides of jumps but landing inbetween them(flat landing) you are gonna be b!tching at the shocks...and other suspension components that fail. i watched rider after rider get pounded....and you know damn well that sooner or later something is gonna break if that type of abuse is constantly placed on the quad.

so if you are one of the guys b!tching about a arms...swing arms...frames...and shock failures.....lets see the downside more often and i almost garuntee 99% of the failures stop:macho

ofcourse over jumping the landing will get you the same results:rolleyes: so screw it...im gonna say it right here....LEARN TO RIDE:blah

disclaimer: this wasnt to anyone in particuliar....just sayin what needs to be said:D

[YLW400]

are you saying I am going to have nothing but problems with any shock I buy?...lol

[muff]

I've seen less than a handfull of people on here who werent happy with them, and there are a ton of people on here who have them

like pappy said, everythings not perfect out of the box, and yes you need to know how to ride to use your quad to its peak performance

[Pappy]

Originally posted by YLW400
are you saying I am going to have nothing but problems with any shock I buy?...lol
lol....YOU just might:eek: :blah

[DirtDiggler]

Hey Pappy do you only do powder coating or can you get stuff chromed as well?

[Pappy]

i dont do chroming myself. i have a place that does it....but i dont know what they charge. i will try to get the info for you.

maybe pm popo....his wife invested in a plating shop and they do chroming. and from the looks of his quad...they do some nice work:D

[DirtDiggler]

Thanx Pappy

[Tommy 17]

everything i've thrown at my elkas they are perfectly fine!!! i've landed really hard a few times now and they soaked it up.. the handlin is awesome that u gain from them...

its actually so bad with my stk rear that i'll hit bumps and the front will soak it up but the back will kick up and try sending me over the bars... i really need to get the rebuild!!!

[ajr400ex]

That is the same problem I have - getting the rear rebuilt won't cut it. I have the rebuild now and it is not up to the capability of the front Elka shocks.

[Dave400ex]

I agree with Pappy. Depending on how you ride some guys will have problems. But as soon as it's an Elka everybody knows. If somebody had a problem with Axis it wouldn't be a big deal. These threads are getting old and out of hand...

Oh man do I love this subject :D :rolleyes:


I guess my question is do i need to sell this $1900 set of shocks before i ride on them and loose my ***** on them, or try to run them this season? I am not starting this thread to make a big brawl again but would like some honest opinions both good and bad on these shocks.
First off I am assumeing you have the elka rear with the stk shock mount. This is the same set up I have but with the +1 fronts and its a good set up except that the rear is a little "out done" by the fronts. What I mean by that is the fronts are so good (mine are set up for XC) and plush that the rear seems harsh in comparison.

Its prob like the way the guys with the 16" fronts compare them to the stk rebuild to ssd. You do gain travel and plushness from the elka rear over the stocker but just not as much of a difference as the LT quad rate front is over the stk honda stuff.

Now if you have the rear top mount moved back and the longer rear shock I hear thats the trick and you will deff love it. This is what I am looking into now to even things out.

To answer your queston I think you will like these shocks and like them more and more as you get everything dialed in. I may complain a lot about getting the set up 100% correct but dont be scared by that as everyone who had taken a ride on it says its way better than what ever mfg std travel they have.


i watched a pro racer rebuild his axis shocks after every heat saturday night....AND I MEAN REBUILD COMPLETELY!!!! not that they are junk mind you.....but they couldnt get them set correctly to suit the rider. they finally did and he was a happy camper. no shocks are perfect out of the box.... I heard a rumor that you were there but never saw ya. Wish I could have watched them tearing down those axis as I had my camera :)


also....i watched intently the B and C class heats. my conclusion is this.....if you arent nailing the downsides of jumps but landing inbetween them(flat landing) you are gonna be b!tching at the shocks...and other suspension components that fail. i watched rider after rider get pounded....and you know damn well that sooner or later something is gonna break if that type of abuse is constantly placed on the quad. you mean that I cant have the shocks set up for casing triples and over jumping everything else? :confused: :rolleyes: :eek2:

I have to agree that your onto something but remember we are expecting our expensive aftermarket shocks to soak up almost everything. Got to admit that would be nice but all I think most riders are looking for is a plush ride that will soak up most of their mistakes, is that asking too much?

[Pappy]

yeah i was there, i was in the pits 99% of the time and only caught 4 or 5 heats....i couldnt sit down...my back is being stupid again:(


i was actually being a smart arse about the "mistakes"...lmao

i just felt the need to say what i said....i could here the complaining start the second the quads came off the track....my shocks are too soft( dont case a 30 footer and land front wheels first)

i think i cracked a swing arm( was that you who flipped 20 times end over end)


lol....i could hear the complaining phone calls and the "cha-ching" the second i walked thru the pits...
;)

not complaining or getting on the high step mind you...just watching it from a different perspective reaffirmed my thinking on a lot of things:p

Then I am really suprised I didnt see you. I was walking with Dave (2r's) and even spent some time at the ECATV pits checking out all the set ups (had a lot of siialiar chassis with diff motors all decked out in allmost the same colors etc) and asking funny questions like "hey that looks like a pretty heavy duty frame, nothing like that bs gibson stuff or is it junk too" and nobody seemed to care LOL.

Back to shocks sorry :)

I had seen just about every brand avail bottoming out on the missed jumps also so maybe your right and there all junk:D :eek: :blah


i was actually being a smart arse about the "mistakes"...lmao Nah not you :) :rolleyes:

Last time I seen someware here called that (a smarty) they said something about nicking my luts and then they were gone. Maybe thats another kind of SHOCK.

But I still think you were serious cause it kinda fits.

Oh and BTW if any you guys got the $1900.00 posted earlier I got some Elka's for ya.

[Pappy]

iyou old guys were already sitting on yer can eatin popcorn by the time i got there:p we were behind ecatv for a good bit of time. i saw dave...if i wanted to scare him i think i could have:p seems like no matter where we go we end up runnin into each other:)

440 im surprised you didnt buy the pimped out cr80 mini quad :D

oh i was way serious about the non rider thing....i just figured i better post it with some humor or i might get accused of being brand bias:blah

Popcorn what popcorn :confused:

Too bad you were scared away, could have joined the possey :) :macho

There were some trick smaller machines all over that place, ecpecially liked checking out some of trials bikes, even saw a bulltaco but that was outside in the parking lot.

Originally posted by ajr400ex
That is the same problem I have - getting the rear rebuilt won't cut it. I have the rebuild now and it is not up to the capability of the front Elka shocks.

Have you guys spent the 2 or 3 hours of small increment turns on all adjustments to make sure it's dialed in perfectly..???

Rico,

I cant speak for anyone but myself but I got way more time than that into dialing it in.

I dont blame elka any more than Honda cause I think the rear swingarm design itself is most of the problem. Remember that I have the LT front which will make it more obvious but I have riddin one 400 with the rebuild and its not even close to the elka rear. Seems that there just isnt enough room to use a long enough shock and then when you add the ssd it limits the down travel even more.

The elka rear is worth the extra couple hundred over the rebuild, but if your going with the lt front you should look into the lt rear mod as well.

[Pappy]

Originally posted by 440EX4me
even saw a bulltaco but that was outside in the parking lot.

interesting.....i saw a bulldyke in the parking lot:eek:

ooops forgot the ride height or preload adjustemnts.

The pre load adj will make as much a change as any comp or rebound adj. I had tried to lower the rear to match the front and found out real fast that the rear didnt want any more sag and am currently trying to find where it all works best by trial and error.

Its actually a lot of fun cause you get to see how little adjustments in preload and ride height etc can completely change the ride and handling etc.

I"ve got a rebuilt stocker that's setup for MX..no SSD just a single eibach spring....and it works awesome..little harsh on the small bumps but it's setup to soak up landings...

Now the full Elka I have out back now for XC is pretty sweet. I had to adjust the rebound and compression just a little and it's working pretty good..I think I could actually back off the preload a little too....:D

[Nausty]

I hated my rear rebuilt shock by elka. It just wasn't good enough. It was to stiff on the small stuff and to soft on the big jumps. I blew the seal 2 or 3 times. Whatever you guys do don't get the rear rebuilt.

[forum]

i just got off the phone with elka. about my elites. They have fabolous customer service quick, easy!. he told me the elites are in testing down in florida. Doug gust, brad paige, doug eichner, willium yokley,chad duval are all going to be testing them out. and they all will be running them next year. anyway i just wanted to say how great there customer service is!. and I've never been put on hold or anything. Yahn is awsome!

[Dave400ex]

I have the Rebuild and haven't had any problems yet, but unless your all out racing I don't know if you need the full new Elka rear. I would like to ride a 400 that had the same fronts as mine with the rear to see how much I notice...

Also that is good to hear so many Pro's will be running them next Season...

[DirtDiggler]

Roll Design front and rear end kits will be coming with Elka instead of Axis from now on and John Arens is designing his a-arms around Elka shocks as well. I'm dying to get mine I'm practically freakin' drooling over here trying to be patient:D

Diggler

[trx400ex]

Originally posted by DirtDiggler
Roll Design front and rear end kits will be coming with Elka instead of Axis from now on and John Arens is designing his a-arms around Elka shocks as well. I'm dying to get mine I'm practically freakin' drooling over here trying to be patient:D

Diggler

when you buy the roll stuff it is just the aarms for 1400 PCed and the swinger for like 1k

also i dont see how you can design something around a shock with the same dimensions as any other shock, unless hes using a custom length

[forum]

well roll used to sell there front ends with axis shocks only . only recently could you get just the arms. therefore Roll witch is one of the best builders seems to think elka is the best for his needs. hmmm. maybe thats why axis had houser's instead of rolls at the atv show. They got a little mad at mr roll

[DirtDiggler]

I meant Roll's complete front end kits that come with shocks.

I don't know exactly how you would design a-arms around a shock either but John Arens said he's using Elka for all his designs/testing in the future might mean nothing I know I'm know expert I'm just being a parrot about what I read in one of the threads on here.

[trx400ex]

Originally posted by forum
well roll used to sell there front ends with axis shocks only . only recently could you get just the arms. therefore Roll witch is one of the best builders seems to think elka is the best for his needs. hmmm. maybe thats why axis had houser's instead of rolls at the atv show. They got a little mad at mr roll
if you think doug cares about anything besides money then your wrong... he would sell kits with works shocks if he pocketed more $$ from it.... i would discourage buying roll stuff because its so expensive, but i have some stuff and i love it, i especially like the aarms, the way they look is so cool

[Dave400ex]

Good god he wants $1,400 for his A-Arms? Are they any different then the Herrmann's, Houser's, etc?

[DirtDiggler]

I think roll stuff looks incredibly cool but there is no way I'm paying that much. If I hit the lotto or get some insane job then I'll build a roll based quad but otherwise there is no way.

[Dave400ex]

Heck even if I won the lottery I still wouldn't have Roll. All of mine would be Walsh...

[DirtDiggler]

I would be happy with both if money didn't matter but to each his own. Win the lottery and get your walsh my friend.

If I hit the lotto or get some insane job then I'll build a roll based quad but otherwise there is no way.

Hmmmm is why most people who hit the lottery end up more broke than when they didnt have money? :rolleyes: :blah

Guys Roll makes some sweet stuff and all that I have seen looks to be a quality product but I couldnt bring myself to spending the 50-100% more for his products. Just couldnt find where the performance or longevity advatages could be anyware near the price premiums.

So if you got the green and want to show Roll on your quad then have a blast I doubt you will be dissapointed.


I"ve got a rebuilt stocker that's setup for MX..no SSD just a single eibach spring....and it works awesome..little harsh on the small bumps but it's setup to soak up landings... I am almost willing to bet that if the single spring was set up right with std travel fronts it would be more balanced.

Have to say that my rear Elka is seeming like it wants to run MX cause it handles the bigger landings too well and about twice as good as the front but for XC its all reversed and the rear beats you up.


Now the full Elka I have out back now for XC is pretty sweet. I had to adjust the rebound and compression just a little and it's working pretty good..I think I could actually back off the preload a little too.... Tharts where I started getting confused with the rear. It almost seems if you reduce preload too much it just doesnt have enough down travel and gets a little harsh over the little stuff.

I just feel that for the extra $300.00 its well worth it if you can afford it.

[NTPRacing#19]

i will defitnetly buy Walsh over anything else if i had the loot