Elka shocks, good or bad?....

[duganc1717]

After riding ~1k in four days this past weekend through MA, VT, NH and upstate NY I have quickly realized the rear shock on my 2009 Yamaha Fz1 is very inadequate, especially riding 2up and with loaded Givi E55 topcase. It was bad enough on Sunday when the temps started increasing that we pulled over to make sure it had not dump it's oil.......
So I started looking for shocks that the spring preload is hydraulically adjustable, to make adjustments easier for traveling 2up with luggage. I found the Elka Stage 4+HYD, hydraulic spring pre load adj, low/high speed compression damping and rebound damping for $995. Anyone have experience with Elka products?

Also anyone have experience with Nitron or Hagon rear shocks? I looked @ Ohlins, but the shock lists for just under $2k, on the Penske site I did not see a hydraulically adj spring preload option?

[OreoGaborio]

If you're gonna spend that much, do NOT forget about Ktech.... give them a long hard look.

I just put their suspension on my race bike & hoooly crap. I thought my set-up was good before... nah. NOW it's good.

[RandyO]

Elkas have a good rep and a larger diameter shaft than some other shocks

another option for a hydraulic preload is WP, but pricey, I paid nearly $1300

[duganc1717]

If you're gonna spend that much, do NOT forget about Ktech.... give them a long hard look.

I just put their suspension on my race bike & hoooly crap. I thought my set-up was good before... nah. NOW it's good.

They do not offer anything for the Fz1/Fazer.

Race tech's rear fully loaded shock is $1200.

[tbonehedge]

I put an Elka on my track bike (02 ZX6R) a couple years ago and like it, I'd buy another one if I had to. Made a HUGE difference over the stock shock. When they shipped it they sent me all kinds of paper work for a dirt bike shock, I wasn't happy so I contacted them and told them to send me the street bike shock manual. Next week I got the manual I wanted, stickers, and hat. It was a nice customer service touch!

[Pigman]

I ran an Elka for a season and had no problems at all.....very huge following on the west coast not so much here.

[nhbubba]

I put one on my DL650 V-Strom. These shocks are the forum darlings, likely partly because Blair from SVRacingparts.com does a really good job marketing them there.

The more I ride it, the more I like it. At first I wasn't sure I could tell the difference. Which sucked considering how much it cost. But I think I have my bike pretty close to dialed in for my riding. Now when I ride something else and come back to my trusty V-Strom I fall in love with that fugly ass motorcycle again.

Personally, I found doing proper sized springs and emulators the biggest night and day difference for this bike. But it was woefully under-sprung for me. I dropped new springs, oil, and race-tech emulators in my damper rod forks all at once. That was a real night and day difference. I did the rear a year later and it wasn't as huge of an impact. Although I do think it helped ride significantly.

The only hiccup was the line to the remote pre-load adjustment was installed pointing the wrong way.



My shock came with stickers.

[MFChop]

LOVE my K-Tech! Got a great deal on it from John at Advanced Traction

[RandyO]

The only hiccup was the line to the remote pre-load adjustment was installed pointing the wrong way.

.

must be a V-strom thing, same hiccup with my WP on my Vee, but excellent service from FactoryConnection, they made a house call and flipped it around

[Chippertheripper]

My 650r came with an elka. I feel like it's easily on par with the Penske stuff the local suspension guy sells.

[Tokyo Drift]

LOVE my K-Tech! Got a great deal on it from John at Advanced Traction

I got my Elka through John; he's awesome to deal with, and stands behind his work & products 100%. Mine is not hydraulically adjustable for preload, which would be a nice feature to have. The preload collar is opposite of stock, and requires the gas tank to be moved for access. Other than that, the shock is well-built, and performs on a level far exceeding my abilities.

[butcher bergs]

I warned you!

[duganc1717]

I warned you!

In my defense, if I was riding solo it would not be replaced. Unless I was going down the track day road, which I do not see happening. With a passenger and the Givi case it became a handful @ times.
The other option is to sell the bike and grab something better suited for 2-up touring, maybe a Concours 14?

[Garrett]

I had a cruddy old LT250R with Elkas all round and a boner stock LT250R. The one with Elkas was phenom.

[WinVT]

Have an elka on my current r6 race bike and I love it!

[Garandman]

I have had an ELKA on my DL650A for several years: has the external adjusters. Compared to stock:





Have Penske on the Tiger and an SV650. It is a good performing shock and I would buy it again.

Pete Kates replaced the seals, fluid, and recharged the Nitrogen for me in 2012.

[soofle616]

I had an elka on my 929, now gino has it on his 929. Nice looking shock and served me quite well. I wouldn't hesitate to get another one

[Spooler]

In my defense, if I was riding solo it would not be replaced. Unless I was going down the track day road, which I do not see happening. With a passenger and the Givi case it became a handful @ times.
The other option is to sell the bike and grab something better suited for 2-up touring, maybe a Concours 14?

The concours is nice, but you'll miss the smaller, more maneuverable bike. I was with my dad in the Adirondacks last week, him on a C14, me on my tiger and he could not keep up at all. I took a turn on the C14 and I thought it was... Fine. But not for me. You can really feel the extra weight.

I'm kind of in the same boat as you, I do a lot of two up with luggage, and I'm not a small guy, planning to get a new rear shock. Been looking at Penske triple clicker, but I'll be seeking professional advice before I make a purchase

[The Snowman]

GMD now sells both Nitron and K-Tech. When I spoke to PK, he said that with all the computer-aided machining, it's easier to make a more quality product. The gap in quality that Ohlins and Penske used to have has gotten smaller thanks to modern methods of machining.