rebuilds vs. aftermarket standard travel ?

[ny300exrider]

thinking about getting myself some better front shocks for my 05 450r now that im planning on doing some traveling to new and better riding spots. im not a pro racer, just a trail and sandpit rider getting into some minor mx riding. i came across thesepep's and im wondering what exactly are they. now ive been around quads for 5+ years and know about peps great reputation however, i havnt seen a pair for this cheap. another, more expensive option is the standard travel elka triple rates which are somewhere around $750. it would take me longer to save up for these and if those peps could compare to the elkas, it seems like theyre an awsome choice. lastly, i was also thinking about getting my stock 450r shocks rebuilt. i understand that the rebuilds do a great job from what i hear and itd be nice to have the rear done at the same time. however if it is worth the extra money to get the standard travel elkas or peps, i will most likely do that.


lemme know what your guys opinion on this is. first of all, are those peps i posted good stuff and comparable to the elkas? second, is it worth going aftermarket or should i stick with the rebuilds?

thanks alot and sorry for the repetitive topic.

[F-16Guy]

This is my $0.02:
Yeah, the PEPs are probably pretty sweet shocks, but they are non-adjustable. Also, from what I've read, the real problem with the 450's is the rear shock, not the fronts. For another $150, you can have the fully adjustable fronts rebuilt and set up exactly how you want it, and you'll also get the back re-valved and re-sprung along with a new rear link, which will give you a much plusher ride with little or no bucking in the choppy stuff. That sounds like a much better idea to me for a recreational and local-level MX rider.

[pudamac12]

yeah like the guy above me said if you don't get the rear end fixed you will never be able to truly get your suspension set the way it should be. Invest in the revalves and make sure whoever you have do it has a good linkage with it. I know some people out there don't do the linkage and you won't believe what kind of difference it can make

[pudamac12]

yeah like the guy above me said if you don't get the rear end fixed you will never be able to truly get your suspension set the way it should be. Invest in the revalves and make sure whoever you have do it has a good linkage with it. I know some people out there don't do the linkage and you won't believe what kind of difference it can make

[pudamac12]

n

[northwest Texas]

Back several months ago when I was toying with the idea of buying a 450R I had a little visit with (I just went blank with his name) at TCS and he told me he could make those front shocks work very well. That would probably be the best step to take first in my opinion.

[JW450R1]

nothing beats and after market shock.for the handling,adjustments.the rear shock does make a big difference if u go with the rear dual linkage.keep in mind if u go with the dual rear linkage u really have to modi. your rear skid a lot.my opinion is that u can fine tune an after market shock a lot better then a stock rebuild.

[bradley300]

explain that theory since a stock shock and aftemarket shock both use a shim stack? what goes in one can go in the other, and both can be re-sprung. the only difference is the 5/8ths shaft which are only for strength, and some have high speed compression adjustment. but you can valve for that anyway and you probably arent going to touch it once its done. so they CAN be made to work equally.

it really sounds like you (along with many others, including myself a long time ago) have really been drawn in to shock advertisiments showing lots of useless gadgets. all a tuned shock is, is a certain spring curve on a shock dyno, and you really dont need a bunch of adjustments to get it (i.e. TRACK system, hi speed compression) these are great features for a hi level rider that is constantly changing settings for different tracks. but 90% of riders are going to get thier settings right the first day they ride them, and never touch them again

[Pappy]

Originally posted by bradley300
explain that theory since a stock shock and aftemarket shock both use a shim stack? what goes in one can go in the other, and both can be re-sprung, so they CAN be made to work equally

ditto.

IMO, until you get to Long Travel, the shock builders have been able to match the aftermarket for the most part with the latest round of stock revalve/re spring with regards to standard travel.

[bradley300]

even with standard travel, i have been seeing people with nice LT front ends selling them for the gthunder/atvfourplay conversion with stock rebuilds.

a point about LT is they hold more oil, meaning thay can stay cooler longer, BUT with more shaft travel, you have more shaft speed, meaning more heat, so for that point, LT does nothing. i also heard someone say "if you already have the correct amount of travel for your riding conditions, why add more? MORE IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER"