Elka TCS PEP websites

[OCCRA288]

do they even have websites? I want to compare the shocks for myself but i can't find any info on them.

[OCCRA288]

i really want info on these manufacturers

[Dave400ex]

For Elka you can go to KandKatv.com. They also have TCS. Go to Quadshop.com too. He has Elka`s. For PEP go to Baldwinmotorsports.com. That`s all I know. Just call Places and compare them.

[kabd69667]

www.elkasuspension.com

[Nausty]

how much would it cost elka to have a rear shock rebuild or whatever it is.

[NVR2L8]

Marty at the Quadshop will do the Elka conversion for $285. This includes rebuilding/revalving the innards, adding SSD, and a remote ressy. Mine's going to him once Elka fills his backorder of the rebuild kits...will complement the triple rate SSD's with compression adjustment and piggyback ressy's I just bought from him the other day.

[kabd69667]

That rear conversion is hands down one of or the best rear conversions in the business. I bought mine from HSD Racing, but its the same from Quadshop

[CBRSLIDER]

I just got my newly converted to Elka rear stock shock back from the Quadshop. It is awesome. I got it set up for XC racing and it soaks up the rocks and roots like you wouldn't believe. I hammered it pretty good the other day and it held up to the abuse unfortunately I didn't. Too out of shape. But the shock is nice. Looks cool with the new black springs. I definately recommend it if you cannot afford a new Elka shock. I also had mine back in about a week.

Ray

[Dave400ex]

I think I`m going to get Elka Shocks. How much are the Triple Rate SSD Comp Adjust Fronts? $285 for a Rear Rebuild is Cheap. Plus you get it Back in a Week. I don`t think any other Shock Company could do that.

CBRSLIDER, How do you like your Front Shocks? If I get Elka`s mine will be Setup for XC so I want to know how they Work. Thanks.

[kabd69667]

$750 for compression adjust triple rates

[Dave400ex]

That is a Great Price. $1,035 for Front Shocks and a Rear Rebuild is Cheap. I think I`m going to go with Elka. I can save about $300 if I get Elka instead of PEP. Plus I can get them in a Couple Weeks. Now I just need to get $1,035.

[SGA]

Originally posted by kabd69667
$750 for compression adjust triple rates

Over at the HSD website it says $750 for Triple rates(sport) without compression adjust & $820 with compression adjust(sport race) and $375 to rebuild the rear shock

[Taco]

Originally posted by sgaexer


Over at the HSD website it says $750 for Triple rates(sport) without compression adjust & $820 with compression adjust(sport race) and $375 to rebuild the rear shock

Call Marty at the Quadshop.

[kabd69667]

When i ordered mine it was 750 for the fronts and 285 for the rear rebuild. Anyway, call mark up and tell him you can get them for 750 and he'll give you that price

[Dave400ex]

If I get Elka, I will get them from the Quadshop. I haven`t heard anything bad about them.

[86atc250r]

OCCRA288 -

What are you looking to find out? I've got a set of Elka's, a set of TCS's and ran a set of Axis for about 3 races last year.... And - I've got a set of PEP ZPS on the way (hopefully by the end of next week).

BTW - did you run the RFGP in November?

[Pepto_Bismol]

Hey sgaexer, those prices you quoted are for retail, that's what Elka themselves will charge you. The quad shop does have them cheaper. I have my fronts set up for MX/Baja, and let me tell you, If I didn't have them, I would definately have wiped out coming down at an angle off a very large jump(45 ft). My front right tire caught a piece of garbage carpet just before I hit the jump, and it cuased me to severly wobble in the air and I landed full weight on the front right tire first, the shock saved me big time. They are sweet! i'm either going to have my rear rebuilt, or just buy one outright this month, not sure which yet. BTW, I got my shocks in 7 days, WHOOT! (I bought direct from Elka and paid the 820.00) Later
Pepto:cool:

[CBRSLIDER]

Hey warriorman,

Sorry for the delayed response. Just forgot to look under this thread again.

The fronts are awesome. They have really instilled confidence in me to push it harder in the rough stuff, ie rocks, roots, rutts, etc. They really have helped me go faster and they are so plush. I told myself that I would not do a motor upgrade without first being able to ride it to its stock potential. Well the new shocks definately let me push it to the limits and now I have a 416.

I just got the rear converted and I highly recommed that. Really soaks up the rough stuff. And for $285, ya can't beat it. I just wish I was in good enough shape to use it to its potential.

I would suggest the quadshop for any elka purchases. They have been not only fast with their service, good with their prices, but friendly enough to answer all my questions. Marty is one **** of a nice guy.

Ray

[OCCRA288]

is TCS better than elka? they are in the same price range too aren't they? what about a shock with preload? I run mainly XC so i need a good setup that will take the abuse no whats RFGP?

[86atc250r]

TCS uses Elka bodies... Depends on if you think TCS might do a better job than Elka in the springing and valving dept..

TCS seems to use the same springs even as the Elkas, TCS uses OEM Honda reservoirs - Elka uses thier own - I believe Elka offers more options.

I like ZPS style shocks, both TCS and Elka offer that setup.

Like the PEP ZPS (and Limited MASS), as well as Custom Axis, - both Elka and TCS have 5/8" shafts.

The RFGP is the RiverFront Grand Prix held every Thanksgiving weekend in Fort Smith Arkansas... Seems like every year many of the OCCRA riders come up and race with us. It's where Brent Wickersham got hurt last year... I almost ran him over (there was a pack of us up front when he crashed).

[Dave400ex]

Gabe, do you think the Elka Triple Rate SSD Comp. Adjust Fronts and Elka Rear Conversion would be a Good Setup for me? I have never Raced but I want to when I can. The Guy from Baldwin told My Brother the Limited Mass would be better for him because the ZPS are made for Big Jumps where they can Fully Extend. The Guy said the ZPS don`t get the Little Bumps as well as the Limited Mass. What do you think? I like the Elka`s and they would be a lot better then Stock. Are the Elka`s the Way to Go?

[86atc250r]

Mark's right - if you don't plan on doing the big airs the limited mass will probably give a better ride. I'm hoping that the ZPS will be the perfect compromise for me since I love to jump - but also don't want to get beat to death. The lowered ride height is also a plus. As with anything mechanical, suspension is a give and take.

Elka's are good shocks. Their newer shocks are better than the ones I have. They have approx 1cm more travel & their setup skills have improved. I haven't ridden one of their conversion rears, but for the money & what people are saying, you'd have a hard time going wrong.

[Dave400ex]

Thanks Gabe. I think I will get the Elka`s. For me they should Work Great, Cost Less, and I can get them Fast.

[OCCRA288]

since i run xc and mx should i get the no preload or preload shocks? i can't afford top of the line but i do want the best for my money. can't spend over 1000 for front and rear.

Also when is the next RFGP? I might run it. It's really cool to get opportunities to meet people who've given you advice and actually race with them.

I placed 4th in the pro division last year as a first year racer. the only reason was consistency.


PS: Brent Wickersham didn't show up last weekend either. It was the first race of the season, too.

[86atc250r]

For both MX and XC - I'd probably say the ZPS style... Most are adjustable & you can raise the ride height a bit for XC... They may be a little firm, but if you're a really aggressive rider they should work well.

The RFGP is Thanksgiving weekend. It's part of the Arkansas Harescramble series (http://www.arkansasharescramble.com/)

That was a pretty bad crash Brent had. I was right behind him for most of the first lap & was pretty upset with some of the tactics he was using to keep me from passing - ended up crashing myself trying to push him into the trees. Got 2 places behind - there was a pack of about 5 of us when he crashed. I was in 4th gear when I came over the top of a rise and he was laying on the ground with the torn up quad on the other side of the trail.... I almost hit him before I got everything lined out. There was someone there helping him already, so I went on... It took them something like 4 or 5 laps to get him out of there - they said he was knocked out for several minutes.

[OCCRA288]

you are right about him not letting anyone by. If someone's faster than someone else the slower person should allow for the faster to pass. Period. i got behind wickersham at the beginning of the season and had to go off the beaten track to pass him.
ZPS would be ok for XC then? what would the cheapest ZPS style shock be?

[kabd69667]

Elka would be your cheapest bet. I think you said you could only afford to spend $1000 on fronts and a rear shock. You could get compression adjust triple rates, and a rebuilt rear shock for right around $1000.

[86atc250r]

I was quite a bit faster than him in the woods, but couldn't pass him in the straights.

The thing that had me mad was, I was right on top of him and got roosted in some mud, so I pulled my goggles - he looked back, saw that I wasn't wearing them, and proceeded to slow down, ride the clutch, lean forward and purposely roost the crap out of me whenever he got the chance, got in mud, got in rocks, etc...

Pretty poor way to try to keep someone off your tail if you ask me. Needless to say, it worked because I was getting extremely mad and ready to go for the kill (which usually leads to a stupid mistake).

Anyhow, after I crashed myself trying to do something about it (I hit him, but my front tire jumped up over his rear & I lost steering), there were two guys on 400EX's that got around me and were pushing him... He wouldn't allow them to pass either, even though he was causing a traffic jam (5 or 6 of us fighting for the lead)...

With that many people pushing him, he was riding beyond his abilities and had a nasty crash...

I hate it when someone gets hurt, but sometimes the best lessons are learned the hard way....

My theory on pulling over is this -- If I have someone obviously faster behind me, I'll give let them ride back there for a few moments, if they continue to push me, I let them by (I hate having someone on my tail pushing me, I'd prefer to be pacing them instead of having them push me into a stupid mistake...

If I am in traffic and am faster than the guys ahead of me, there's no way I'm letting anyone by me, until I'm by the slow guy that won't pull over.

Anyhow, talk to your shock builder about how you ride and if ZPS is right for you... I've been running TCS and Elka ZPS for a while now - but neither were specifically setup for XC (the Elka's were supposed to be, but were instead setup for light MX - long story)... The TCS's were much too harsh - but to be expected, they were setup specifically for +2 arms and lots of jumping... The Elkas are better, but I think could be vastly improved by removing some rebound damping from the fronts. I really think I'd like the feel of the Elka's better than the Axis if they had a little less rebound. The Axis I was riding, just didn't take up the aggressive stuff well, they bottommed much too easily.

I'm really interested to see how my PEPs do when they get here.

If you are on a budget, I'd definitely go with as good as fronts as you can justify - and do a rear rebuild. The stock rear shock is a good shock if setup properly.

If you are considering PEPs, talk to Mark Baldwin and see what he thinks would be right for you...

The cheapest ZPS style shocks would probably be a set of Works bodied (1/2" shaft with maybe a 5/8" upgrade) custom built ones from someone like GT Thunder. They also do an affordable rear rebuild.

[OCCRA288]

I think I"ll give elka a try. they sound about right. Next question is anyone think of a quick way to make 1000 dollars?

[smokin01'400]

why doesnt anyone talk about Ohlins? i think they are great shocks. they handle the bumps alot better then stock and are very good for jumping...i dont know about big jumps but small ones they are better compared to stock. later

[86atc250r]

If I remember correctly, Ohlins doesn't do custom shock setup, you're expected to use their generic setup...

You can have the best hardware in the world, but if it's not setup correctly for your weight, machine setup, intent, purpose, and riding ability - they're not your best option. Setup is more important than hardware....

Elka shocks are compared to Custom Axis but are much cheaper. Very hight quality, shock bodies, reserviors and all parts are machined and made in house. Very high quality and Very nice look. Elka is constantly updating their products, testing their products and other company's products for comparison. In my opinion they are the Leading shock manufacturer!

The quadshop is saying that they build their shocks in house. I called Elka and asked them if this was true due to some rumor's going around. Elka builds their shocks to your needs, The quadshop and Dennis Kirk doesn't they have some generic shocks valved some what close to your riding style and weight and they throw on a set of springs. If I was going to spend that much money on a set of shocks I would wan't them custom built specificaly for me not some generic valving that isn't going to work as well.

PEP shocks are behind times. They use Works shock bodies which is not as good as the Elka. I know that alot of racer run PEP but soon their will be more racer's running the Elka's.

Plus Elka is coming out with more and more new style's of shocks. Soon to have quadruple rate Long-Travel's that I saw on C&D Racing's web site http://www.cdracingonline.com.

TCS shocks are basicaly the same shock as Elka. TCS uses Elka's bodies. They do their own valving though. But I think the Elka's look a lot better than the TCS's.

Ohlin's they only have a progressive spring set up. The parts are harder to find. So rebuilding them is going to be alot harder to find some one to do it.

Just my 2 cents

Spanky

[Dave400ex]

Thanks for the Info. If I buy Elka Shocks I will get them from HSD or C&D Racing. If I order from C&D Racing they will be Setup for all my Specs won`t they? Spanky is right, if I spend that much Money I want them to be Setup for Me. I would be Mad if I got Shocks that weren`t Setup worth a Crap. I will be going with HSD or C&D for sure. Has anybody heard anything about these two Companies?

[mrusk]

C and D is a good company. You should really order from them. I have yet to order from them yet but have talked to the owner kolby several times and he is a great guy. I know several people that ordered from him with NO TROUBLES!

matt

[Dave400ex]

Thank You Mrusk. That`s good to know. When I order Shocks I will go with C&D Racing.