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Elka shocks, are they good?

10K views 35 replies 13 participants last post by  NOsquid 
#1 ·
I'm looking for a shock upgrade for my '03 SVS, partly because of my weight (around 210 lbs). The stock shock doesn't give me the cofidence I want when doing more agressive riding. Besides that, I would like to do more trackdays from now on and perhaps make this bike my track bike. I just love it and don't have the cash for now (and some years to come) to buy another one.

So I've been doing a search on shock replacement and I know for sure I don't want a Gixxer shock. So aftermarket shock it is then. I ran across Elka shocks on this forum and would like to know if there are people who can tell me more about them. Like quality, how they handle and what they cost! The threads I found were from early 2004 and I'm positive that there's more information about them by now. Personally I think a 2-way Elka set to my weight and riding style would be enough for me, but perhaps it's more cost effective to buy the 3-way Elka considering the small price difference between them.

Why go to all this trouble for an Elka shock? Well, the suspension manufacturers over here charge pretty high prices for their shocks from my point of view. Lowest price is 400 euro's ( $527) for an emulsion shock, compare with the Penske sport shock with preload and rebound setting only, up to 750 euro's ($990) for a full race shock from Hyperpro, WP, Technoflex/Wilbers, Reiger or Ohlins.

And a friend of mine is going to Canada this summer, so perhaps he can bring me back a badass Elka shock for a good price. I'm still Dutch you know. :D

Any ideas, thoughts or suggestions are more than welcome! :wink:
 
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#27 ·
We have two great shocks available for your 2004 SV650. One is our two-way adjustable unit($735US), the other our three-way hi/lo speed compression adjustable unit($895US).
I'd be the first to admit i don't know so...here goes. Isn't that about what an Ohlins unit runs? Seems to me i've seen em for about that. Are the Elka units really that good?
 
#28 ·
scoober78 said:
We have two great shocks available for your 2004 SV650. One is our two-way adjustable unit($735US), the other our three-way hi/lo speed compression adjustable unit($895US).
I'd be the first to admit i don't know so...here goes. Isn't that about what an Ohlins unit runs? Seems to me i've seen em for about that. Are the Elka units really that good?
Ohliuns units right out of the box for the SV, need to be lengthened and revalved and resprung. The Elka's and Penske's are great right out of the box for the SV. Those are the major factors. When I was looking, I was thinking of getting a Ohlins made for a 96~02 GSXR for $650, but then the $250 to add a new spring and revalve.. puts me in Elka/Penske territory. Plus the Ohlins is only double adjustable... where the Elka is triple adjustable.

For me.. it's value per dollar spent.
 
#29 ·
wacky_woodchuck said:
Ohliuns units right out of the box for the SV, need to be lengthened and revalved and resprung. The Elka's and Penske's are great right out of the box for the SV. Those are the major factors. When I was looking, I was thinking of getting a Ohlins made for a 96~02 GSXR for $650, but then the $250 to add a new spring and revalve.. puts me in Elka/Penske territory. Plus the Ohlins is only double adjustable... where the Elka is triple adjustable.

For me.. it's value per dollar spent.
Maybe just a caveat here, but when people (like me) have posted about the length of the Ohlins being too short, we're really talking about for setting up the optimum geometry for racing. For a street/track day SV, the Ohlins is a great shock and the length is really not a problem. I had one on my bike for a year. I ended up adding some ride height for the track with shorter dogbones, which worked well to solve the length problem. I do agree that the stock valving on the Ohlins is not as good as a Penske, but again if you're not racing you'd probably still enjoy the Ohlins. Re-springing is not a brand-specific issue, any shock needs to be sprung correctly for your weight. And all three manufacturers (Ohlins, Penske & Elka) make both a double and triple-adjustable model. Triples are nice, but a couple hundred dollars more money. The Penske triple has always been the one that I've considered the top pick if you can afford it. I bought too much titanium to afford the triple, so I now have a Penske double. :lol:
 
#30 ·
Well I finally got to try the Elka on the track. All I can really say is - I didn't notice the suspension at all, front or rear. I am assuming that if you don't notice it, it must be working correctly. The bike was "glued to the track" except for one little section I still have yet to "master" (I haven't ruled out pilot error). I am getting faster with every track day (although I'm still slow) but I did notice my tire wear (stock dunlops) was less with the Elka. Elka vs. stock - no comparison. Is it worth the money, I'd have to say yes because I don't think I'd be getting faster without it. Elka vs. other aftermarket shocks - I have no idea.

14 tooth counter sprocket, a big plus on the track.

Since I ground down the stock tires, I got a Pilot Race H2 on the rear and Power Race Soft up front. I can't wait to try those out.

Jody
 
#33 ·
Jody said:
Well I finally got to try the Elka on the track. All I can really say is - I didn't notice the suspension at all, front or rear. I am assuming that if you don't notice it, it must be working correctly. The bike was "glued to the track" except for one little section I still have yet to "master" (I haven't ruled out pilot error). I am getting faster with every track day (although I'm still slow) but I did notice my tire wear (stock dunlops) was less with the Elka. Elka vs. stock - no comparison. Is it worth the money, I'd have to say yes because I don't think I'd be getting faster without it. Elka vs. other aftermarket shocks - I have no idea.

14 tooth counter sprocket, a big plus on the track.

Since I ground down the stock tires, I got a Pilot Race H2 on the rear and Power Race Soft up front. I can't wait to try those out.

Jody
You got it Jody! If the suspension is working correctly, you shouldn't be consciously dealing with it on the track, it should just be enabling you to put the bike where you want it and not giving you any undue drama over bumpy sections. It's nothing specific to the Elka, any good shock set up properly for you and your bike will produce those types of results. On the track, the difference between a really good shock and a great shock is really only noticeable at the ragged edge where most people will never ride. But the difference between a really good shock and a moderate to poor shock can be noticed by anyone. It's great that you're watching your tire wear also, that's a teltale sign of how well your suspension is working.
 
#34 ·
Hi guys,

I just fitted a 2-way Elka to my '02, and find it to be the best mod I have done so far. BUT - I found that I needed to crank up the preload until about 45mm of thread was showing above the adjuster ring to obtain correct rear sag. Does this seem ok, or do I need a firmer spring???

cheers
 
#35 ·
victim said:
Hi guys,

I just fitted a 2-way Elka to my '02, and find it to be the best mod I have done so far. BUT - I found that I needed to crank up the preload until about 45mm of thread was showing above the adjuster ring to obtain correct rear sag. Does this seem ok, or do I need a firmer spring???

cheers
threads dont matter.. what you need to figure out is:

1- how much do you weigh?

2- what spring rate is the spring that the shock came with?
 
#36 ·
A lot of people seem to like about 10mm of free sag with 30mm of rider sag. If you have good rider sag but too much free sag, spring is hard. Too little free sag, spring is soft.
 
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