I currently have a WR bike but I'll have a DS hopefully by summer..(the wife needs a few things worse than I need a new atv) and I can't find anything out about the shocks that are on Natalie's bike or any other MX DS for that matter. I see that they are KYB's but where can you look at them? Surely they are using something that you absolutely CAN'T buy.
Well from what i've read, they're only on the pro's sponsored bikes. Like a works item is for motocross and such. I'm pretty sure they are not available to the public at all.
Let me know if you get ahold of them
By the way, i bet for the money you'd spend buying a pair of those (because they're so 'exclusive') you'd have been better off buying some Fox or Custom Axis or something performance wise.
I'm not going to agrue the Axis part. I'd just like to read about them. When I started racing there was PEP, Axis(expensive!), Works, Whitepower, and Ohlins. Since then PEP is almost unheard of, Works is at the BOTTOM, Ohlins are apparently impossible to get unless you want the basics, and the WP's are gone from atving alltogether. Hell, I might have heard wrong but I was told that Baldwin stopped dealing with PEP's and Mark Baldwin was the only other guy who built PEP's other the PEP owner.
It looks like the prices are all about the same now. I guess Axis would probably be the best for the $. They've been around the longest. One of the things other than comfort that sold me on the bike was the beefy shocks(+ thats as close to an Aprilia as I'll ever get). Those look like a re-build would be very beneficial. The stock shocks on the Jap bikes are a joke(aside from the Suzuki..kind-of). I really think spending anything on improving them would be a waiste of money. I can see the DS and Can-Am allthogether putting a hurting on the aftermarket in time.
Getting off the subject, I found something else I'm sold on. DuraBlue has urithane(sp?) skidplates out now. They use that stuff for bushing on trains. Its tough **** and LIGHT.
For after market shocks there's like 4 companies i'd look at. Elka, Axis, Fox, TCS.
In order of "Performance" or top of the ladder, it would probably be Axis/Fox tied for first, Elka, and then TCS.
And prices would be the same order. But if you do get the Can-Am. See if you can squeeze out a little more for the X package, totally worth it in my opinion. Not to mention the other benefits, but you get the shocks with high and low speed comp adjustment. and after THOSE suckers are rebuilt by C&D for example, they would be better than most after market for sure.
I think I'll stay away from c&d. I saw where he was telling he could rebuild a set for $800. I asked what someone could expect from the rebuild and no response. He answered some other dude and completely blew my question off. I have a business and **** like that doesn't work if you want to make money. I'm guessing that you really just waiste your money or he would have had some explaination. I've seen contractors around here do the same thing in thier own way and after they run throught all the idiots, they go under. There are bike shops here do the same thing. They all closed.
maybe he forgot about or just passed up your question? pretty easy to do. C&D has an excellent reputation here and i've heard no complaints about their shock rebuilding. and i hear they stand behind their product better than another popular shock rebuilder.
I agree with cdrookie, C&D is an excellent place to get work done and have questions answered. Colby (the owner) will answer all your questions, but like anyone else, he can overlook questions in forums. Post in the C&D section and he'll help you out. Good luck!
Kayaba (KYB) has been building OEM suspension for decades. The reason you really haven't been able to find much is because the only time they, or even Showa get involved in race ready shocks it's for their (up to this point) factory MX riders.
The KYB shocks are indeed a factory backed item, read:unobtanium and only they will have them available. A company like KYB supplies so many shocks to so many companies, they don't need to sell their race shocks to the public.
That is why, aside from Ohlins and Fox, the other companies live and die with aftermarket only reputation. Ever see the coverage of the Indy Powersports Trade Show? There is probably 10 different other companies making custom shocks, but only scratch the surface or even survive a few months.
So that's about it. If I were to have some stock shocks modified, I have had good luck with TCS.
There is information on all the other shock companies in the suspension area of this site. There you can read about the ARS-FX shocks, 6th Sense, Stadium, etc....the list goes on and on.
Originally posted by cdrookie maybe he forgot about or just passed up your question? pretty easy to do. C&D has an excellent reputation here and i've heard no complaints about their shock rebuilding. and i hear they stand behind their product better than another popular shock rebuilder.
Have you heard good things from anyone who knew any better? I'm not trying be an *** with that, I've just heard some crazy stuff come from people and I tell them different. They don't listen and in a minute or two, there they go flipping down the track. I took some feed-back about the 04 450R and if that had been my first atv EVER, it would have been the ****. It was like my 10th overall and 6th sport atv. The previous 3 were an CGR built 500 quadracer, Krank-It 250R, and my fave...99 Banshee. I almost cried after I realized that what I had was it. I guess I kept thinking it would get better but it didn't. My friend spent almost $10,000 extra on his 04 450R to get it where I wanted mine. I passed mine to my wife and bought the WR. It scared the **** out of her and my 13 year-old sister. I am going to have to pass on that dude. Sorry guys.
Originally posted by ThePhantomRider That is why, aside from Ohlins and Fox, the other companies live and die with aftermarket only reputation. Ever see the coverage of the Indy Powersports Trade Show? There is probably 10 different other companies making custom shocks, but only scratch the surface or even survive a few months.
So that's about it. If I were to have some stock shocks modified, I have had good luck with TCS.
There is information on all the other shock companies in the suspension area of this site. There you can read about the ARS-FX shocks, 6th Sense, Stadium, etc....the list goes on and on.
TPR
Progressive shocks cost tooooo much and Spader didn't do that great with them. As far as that goes he did better with a TC motor and PEP's in 2005.
ARS-FX might make it with their front-end being so good. Looking back, I remember when I bought Elka's when no one even knew what Elka was. I was told I was stupid and a year later, EVERYONE had them.
You don't see Stadiums or TCS shock around here. I had a friend who bought a set when they first started making them and they weren't any better than Works then.
Motowoz came out and burned down the next day-so to speak.
What happened to PEP? Thats one place that NEVER over-priced itself. Do you have to go straight through a dealer to get them? They had a website for like a week.
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