P1000 Aftermarket shocks - spring weight/load leveling with varying loads?

[bldmtnrider]

Owned enough Honda machines over the years to know that Honda shocks are pretty crappy. Sounds like the stock shocks have load leveling damping in the back but I haven't seen that feature on any aftermarket. I am expecting interior weights to fluctuate between just my wife, to my family of 4 to me with an elk in the back with all my hunting gear. Not going to adjust preload every time I take it out but don't also want to be riding with the rear end sagging or too stiff.

What are you guys doing for the massive fluctuation of weight in these machines with aftermarket shocks, or am I just over thinking this?

 

[Remington]

Owned enough Honda machines over the years to know that Honda shocks are pretty crappy. Sounds like the stock shocks have load leveling damping in the back but I haven't seen that feature on any aftermarket. I am expecting interior weights to fluctuate between just my wife, to my family of 4 to me with an elk in the back with all my hunting gear. Not going to adjust preload every time I take it out but don't also want to be riding with the rear end sagging or too stiff.

What are you guys doing for the massive fluctuation of weight in these machines with aftermarket shocks, or am I just over thinking this?

Deff overthinking lol.
All u need to do is add some preload to satisfy your needs. When i hunt big game haul loads of logs, i have no issues

 

[bldmtnrider]

Deff overthinking lol.
All u need to do is add some preload to satisfy your needs. When i hunt big game haul loads of logs, i have no issues

How often are you adjusting preload, or is it a one and done? I just don't want to go between a stiff ride when my wife is solo to bottoming out on ruts with an elk in the mountains.

My only experience with this is dirt bikes and your weight fluctuation is a full hydration pack plus a few holiday pounds at the beginning of the season. Much outside of that and you start to notice something is off. Granted there is a 1500lb difference between the machines, just new to SxS so I figured I'd ask the question.

 

[Remington]

How often are you adjusting preload, or is it a one and done? I just don't want to go between a stiff ride when my wife is solo to bottoming out on ruts with an elk in the mountains.

My only experience with this is dirt bikes and your weight fluctuation is a full hydration pack plus a few holiday pounds at the beginning of the season. Much outside of that and you start to notice something is off. Granted there is a 1500lb difference between the machines, just new to SxS so I figured I'd ask the question.

Typically one and done. Its not that easy to change it every ride. If i were u i would adjust it to your main needs then use the dial adjuster on the shock for other needs.

 

[Ohio4x4]

How often are you adjusting preload, or is it a one and done? I just don't want to go between a stiff ride when my wife is solo to bottoming out on ruts with an elk in the mountains.

My only experience with this is dirt bikes and your weight fluctuation is a full hydration pack plus a few holiday pounds at the beginning of the season. Much outside of that and you start to notice something is off. Granted there is a 1500lb difference between the machines, just new to SxS so I figured I'd ask the question.

I've learned to deal with the empty machine riding rough. I haul regularly with pk1. I've got it set for the heavy load. If I'm not packing a crap ton of gear I'll haul a large cooler or other things to keep some weight in the bed. The fox shocks with preload handle a load better than the load leveling shocks of the 5 seat in our group. I do find myself using the 3 position clickers of the fox shocks to set for the pace we will ride often.

 

[bldmtnrider]

So when you guys are ordering your spring weight are you just planning for weight of family + weight of accessories (~200lbs) + weight of gear? Running the rough numbers I am coming back with ~900(family ride + gear) to 1,100lbs (elk hunting + gear + elk) over stock vehicle weight. Split the difference on go with 1Klbs?

 

[Surveyor]

Would I be better off with the Elka Stage 2's or the factory Fox? I need an upgrade from the base model shocks.
They're about the same price.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[JoeyL]

What are you guys doing for the massive fluctuation of weight in these machines with aftermarket shocks, or am I just over thinking this?

You are definitely on the right track by thinking about the loading, but its kind of wishful thinking that you will get it perfect for all the loading conditions.
maybe that's the million dollar idea??? - to have shocks where the preload is so easy to adjust, you could consider doing it every time you load the buggy differently.

So when you guys are ordering your spring weight are you just planning for weight of family + weight of accessories (~200lbs) + weight of gear? Running the rough numbers I am coming back with ~900(family ride + gear) to 1,100lbs (elk hunting + gear + elk) over stock vehicle weight. Split the difference on go with 1Klbs?

I ordered Elka S3's (and they are great) but when i did it originally i didnt consider a lot of weight in the back. Just basically got them set for a stock bike. They were perfect, when the bike wasnt loaded...
I am running 30's w SATV arms all around, and when the bike was loaded it would rub pretty bad in the back.
First i adjusted the preload, and it helped, but didnt solve the problem.
I ordered stiffer springs. I cant remember the rating on them right now, but they are 2 levels stiffer (in what Elka offers) than what they would put on a stock P1K5.
i put the new springs on, with the same higher preload adjustment as i had on the first set.

the rubbing is gone and it is a little stiffer, but really its not that bad. i am happy with the ride loaded and unloaded now. its definitely not as ultra-smooth as it was before, but definitely acceptable.

i ride mostly in my hunting lease is SE Oklahoma, on a lot of rocky roads like in the pic below, so the shocks definitely get a workout in the slow-ish to medium speeds. They are definitely one of my favorite upgrades so far.

 

[Ethan]

I also went with the Elka stage 4 shocks for a better controlled ride. They sent front and back springs at 300#. The fronts were too stiff and the rear was sagging with all the weight I carry and even bottoming out when my girls or hunting/camping gear loaded in back. Elka sent me 275# fronts and 350# rears and it made the front perfect but the rear was still bottoming. After another call to Elka it had been over 6months so I had to purchase 2 rear springs set at 400# and have to say I’m finally happy with the way it holds my load at the rear

 

[rickoshea]

just this morning i filled mine up to the doors with gravel and kept my Elkas on 20 clicks>hard and headed through my forest,not really much of a difference,you could tell it was loaded but not enough to pucker.