Elka 1-way Shock Review

Finder · September 23rd, 2009, 04:41 PM

Okay. I've finally had enough time to put a decent amount of miles on the new Elka I received recently. Unfortunately, I didn't get the 2-way as was ordered through RaceBikeRentals. Elka drop shipped a 1-way instead and it was later determined that they stopped distributing the 2-ways for the 250 (thanks for the notification Elka!). RaceBikeRentals stepped up, provided superb service and communications, and gave me the option of keeping the 1-way at cost + refunding the cost difference, or sending it back for a complete refund and shipping. Since I had it already and knew I could add a remote reservoir if needed at a later point, I decide to keep it. Big

for the excellent customer service from the folks at RaceBikeRentals, and a huge thumbs-down to Elka.

Anyways, back to the shock. Installation, was dead simple. Tie down the front end or put it up on a secure front stand. Don't need to take any of the fairings off as the shop manual suggested. Just loosen the upper and lower shock mounting bolts and the lower tie rod bolt. Remove the nuts but not the bolts. Now start jacking up the rear until the pressure is released from the bolts (the rear wheel will still be in contact with the surface/ground). At this point, you can easily slip the bolts out and the stock shock will come right out. Install new shock in reverse order with the rebound adjuster facing the rear, torque fasteners, and you're done. I can see this easily being a 10-15 minute job after you've done it a couple times.

Now, my requirements for a shock was primarily for comfort on the street. I like to tour and will gladly trade off some performance for comfort. I found the stock shock to be a spine cruncher on the longer rides over various terrain. Too much rebound, and what I believe to be too much compression as well. My hopes was that the Elka would alleviate some of this harshness.

Results? On the plus side, I was able to dial in sag properly. However, with the shock set the way it came (20 clicks out on the rebound), it was every bit as harsh if not worse than the stock unit. Too much rebound. I kept dialing down the rebound over several days until I found something suitable for my preferences towards comfort without it becoming uncontrolled. Almost 10 more clicks was the best I could do. At this point, ride quality was much improved over the stock shock, but I feel there's still a lot left to be done on the compression side of things. Maybe if I had access to compression, I wouldn't have to back off rebound quite as much and still get the beter feel and comfort I'm looking for.

And let me take the oppertunity to say that the adjustment screw plain sucks. If you've played with Ohlins or another top end shock, you'll know they have a nice audible click and tactile detent on the adjusters. The Elka clicks very faintly when increasing rebound. When decreasing rebound, it doesn't click at all, and worse yet has very little tactile feedback. You'll often find yourself wondering if you've gone two steps instead of one, or maybe none at all, or maybe half. When you're crouching on the ground under your bike trying not to touch the hot exhaust while fiddling with this POS clicker adjuster, you'll wish you had another shock.

If I could do it again, I would have taken the refund and spend the extra $$$ on some Works or Penske 2-ways and just be done with it. In the end, it'll probably end up costing just as much for me to get a remote reservoir put on the Elka, and I'll still end up with a comparably inferior shock. Oh well, at least I found a good vendor with top notch customer service.

And again, keep in mind this is based on my personal preferences for a softer suspension geared more towards street/touring comfort than track performance. Maybe you'll get better results on the track.

Cheers!

RaceBikeRentals · September 26th, 2009, 07:03 AM

Dan,

I'm really sorry to hear the purchase wasn't up to your expectations. It sounds like the shock (after fiddling with it) is better than the stock unit, but really not worth the extra $$$. I went through a similar ordeal... installed an aftermarket shock on my racebike, spent money and time with the suspension guys tuning it, revalving, etc, only to find that I like the stock shock better

If you're interested, perhaps we can make some noise with Elka and see if we can get that thing returned and your money refunded. Don't know if it will happen, but worth a shot anyway. Let me know if you want to try.

Thanks for the detailed and concise review. It will be very helpful for other folks to know your experience.

randomwalk101 · September 26th, 2009, 10:19 AM

def go with Ohlins...spend a little extra money and you won't regret it.

gamma500 · September 26th, 2009, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by randomwalk101

def go with Ohlins...spend a little extra money and you won't regret it.

You wouldn't have a part number for the Ohlins by chance ?

RaceBikeRentals · September 26th, 2009, 05:06 PM

Looks like Kyle racing has a killer price on Ohlins: http://www.shop.kyleusa.com/product....categoryId=140

Finder · September 27th, 2009, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaceBikeRentals

Dan,

I'm really sorry to hear the purchase wasn't up to your expectations. It sounds like the shock (after fiddling with it) is better than the stock unit, but really not worth the extra $$$. I went through a similar ordeal... installed an aftermarket shock on my racebike, spent money and time with the suspension guys tuning it, revalving, etc, only to find that I like the stock shock better

If you're interested, perhaps we can make some noise with Elka and see if we can get that thing returned and your money refunded. Don't know if it will happen, but worth a shot anyway. Let me know if you want to try.

Thanks for the detailed and concise review. It will be very helpful for other folks to know your experience.

Again, many thanks for stepping up and offering your help!

I knew, when I decided to keep it, that adding a remote reservoir or custom valving might be necessary. Luckily for me, I live near some of the best suspension shops in the trade. I'm sure that if I can get the compression backed off just a bit, it'll be fine for my street needs.

Alternatively, I could just trade all my bikes in for the R1200GS that I've been wanting. That should take care of the Elka issue.

Cheers!
Dan

September 23rd, 2009, 04:41 PM	#1
Finder ninjette.org member Name: Mr. Location: SF Bay Area, California Join Date: Jul 2009 Motorcycle(s): F650GS Dakar, FJR1300, Ninja 250R Posts: 47	Elka 1-way Shock Review Okay. I've finally had enough time to put a decent amount of miles on the new Elka I received recently. Unfortunately, I didn't get the 2-way as was ordered through RaceBikeRentals. Elka drop shipped a 1-way instead and it was later determined that they stopped distributing the 2-ways for the 250 (thanks for the notification Elka!). RaceBikeRentals stepped up, provided superb service and communications, and gave me the option of keeping the 1-way at cost + refunding the cost difference, or sending it back for a complete refund and shipping. Since I had it already and knew I could add a remote reservoir if needed at a later point, I decide to keep it. Big for the excellent customer service from the folks at RaceBikeRentals, and a huge thumbs-down to Elka. Anyways, back to the shock. Installation, was dead simple. Tie down the front end or put it up on a secure front stand. Don't need to take any of the fairings off as the shop manual suggested. Just loosen the upper and lower shock mounting bolts and the lower tie rod bolt. Remove the nuts but not the bolts. Now start jacking up the rear until the pressure is released from the bolts (the rear wheel will still be in contact with the surface/ground). At this point, you can easily slip the bolts out and the stock shock will come right out. Install new shock in reverse order with the rebound adjuster facing the rear, torque fasteners, and you're done. I can see this easily being a 10-15 minute job after you've done it a couple times. Now, my requirements for a shock was primarily for comfort on the street. I like to tour and will gladly trade off some performance for comfort. I found the stock shock to be a spine cruncher on the longer rides over various terrain. Too much rebound, and what I believe to be too much compression as well. My hopes was that the Elka would alleviate some of this harshness. Results? On the plus side, I was able to dial in sag properly. However, with the shock set the way it came (20 clicks out on the rebound), it was every bit as harsh if not worse than the stock unit. Too much rebound. I kept dialing down the rebound over several days until I found something suitable for my preferences towards comfort without it becoming uncontrolled. Almost 10 more clicks was the best I could do. At this point, ride quality was much improved over the stock shock, but I feel there's still a lot left to be done on the compression side of things. Maybe if I had access to compression, I wouldn't have to back off rebound quite as much and still get the beter feel and comfort I'm looking for. And let me take the oppertunity to say that the adjustment screw plain sucks. If you've played with Ohlins or another top end shock, you'll know they have a nice audible click and tactile detent on the adjusters. The Elka clicks very faintly when increasing rebound. When decreasing rebound, it doesn't click at all, and worse yet has very little tactile feedback. You'll often find yourself wondering if you've gone two steps instead of one, or maybe none at all, or maybe half. When you're crouching on the ground under your bike trying not to touch the hot exhaust while fiddling with this POS clicker adjuster, you'll wish you had another shock. If I could do it again, I would have taken the refund and spend the extra $$$ on some Works or Penske 2-ways and just be done with it. In the end, it'll probably end up costing just as much for me to get a remote reservoir put on the Elka, and I'll still end up with a comparably inferior shock. Oh well, at least I found a good vendor with top notch customer service. And again, keep in mind this is based on my personal preferences for a softer suspension geared more towards street/touring comfort than track performance. Maybe you'll get better results on the track. Cheers!

September 26th, 2009, 07:03 AM	#2
RaceBikeRentals Pimpin Name: Richard Location: Ninja 250 Whorehouse Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): Bunch of em Posts: 973	Dan, I'm really sorry to hear the purchase wasn't up to your expectations. It sounds like the shock (after fiddling with it) is better than the stock unit, but really not worth the extra $$$. I went through a similar ordeal... installed an aftermarket shock on my racebike, spent money and time with the suspension guys tuning it, revalving, etc, only to find that I like the stock shock better If you're interested, perhaps we can make some noise with Elka and see if we can get that thing returned and your money refunded. Don't know if it will happen, but worth a shot anyway. Let me know if you want to try. Thanks for the detailed and concise review. It will be very helpful for other folks to know your experience. __________________________________________________ -Richard MotoList.com <<<List your stuff!

September 26th, 2009, 05:06 PM	#5
RaceBikeRentals Pimpin Name: Richard Location: Ninja 250 Whorehouse Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): Bunch of em Posts: 973	Looks like Kyle racing has a killer price on Ohlins: http://www.shop.kyleusa.com/product....categoryId=140 __________________________________________________ -Richard MotoList.com <<<List your stuff!

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September 26th, 2009, 10:19 AM	#3
randomwalk101 self wrencher Name: john Location: houston Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 08 250r and 07 600r Posts: A lot.	def go with Ohlins...spend a little extra money and you won't regret it.