rear shock

[ryan 83]

My question is on our 2005 kasea we have elka shocks with resi. The rear shock seems somewhat soft but rebounds good. The bike sits really low in the back and we want it to sit higher. If I could get the rear up about 2-3 inches it would help tremendously ,first so it wont bottom out coming off BIG JUMPS and second so my sons legs are not so cramped. Is there anything I can do with the elka shock to sit it higher? Thanks

[fish-d-fish]

how much does your son weigh and what is the shock length? other than changing the length of the shock shaft to gain the 2-3 " which is a lot, when is the last time you had them serviced to see what the nitrogen charge in them is? I have stiffer springs which will hold it up but unless valved for it will effect performance.

[ryan 83]

My son weighs 82 lbs. as for the length I am not sure I can check tomorrow. I am not sure when they were serviced last we bought the bike last fall. How much and were would I get that done? Thanks again

[eah]

Ryan 83 - you need to look at a few things when setting up a shock. You are looking to change the ride height. This can be done as fish-d-fish says by changing the primary spring rate to a heavier spring. You can also change tender springs (if dual rate). With your son sitting on the quad how much of the shock shaft is visible? Have you turned down the preload (compressed the spring?). I never suggest cranking down on preload. That causes a shock to store energy and negatively impacts rebound (hurts compression too). Measure the shock to determine you have the right length shock for the bike. If you do, take the shock off and send it to a reputable shock guy. They can put it on a shock Dyno to determine how it is valved. They will want your bike info, rider weight, riding style and level, swing arm length (factory or plus), and your desired ride height. With all of this information they will revalve and respring your shock. Depending on who you select prices will be between $125 and $200 generally.