P1000 Elka shocks

[Mac013]

Hey guys.
I have almost finished the build on my p1k5. . . . . I'm super happy with my machine and how it has come along.
I will post pics when she is done.
I'm just looking to see if anyone is running elka shocks? I have the ability to get a set of stage 3 shocks at a great deal however I don't want to be a Guinea pig for Elka.
I don't want to lose any ground clearance or have too much sag. I'm hoping that elka can set the suspension up to handle accessories such as lights and a plow and the ability to carry passengers without affecting the shock performance.
Can anyone chime in with their experiences with aftermarket shocks on these pioneers?
Thanks.

 

[Admin]

 

[amc019]

Interested as well. Do they give the ability to adjust preload with a threaded shock body/collar? I haven't seen a set in person.

 

[randi 58]

I got stage one Elka shocks on a 700-4 on the front love them

 

[drfubar]

Welcome to forum from S.E. Tennessee

 

[Mac013]

Interested as well. Do they give the ability to adjust preload with a threaded shock body/collar? I haven't seen a set in person.

Yes they do. . . They are IMO some of the best looking shocks on the market. Depending on what stage you get they will have threaded preload, plus compression and rebound dampening.
I think I have attached a photo.

 

[1BadDart]

You searched for - Elka Suspension

 

[Kenjones21]

What kind of price can u get them for? I might be interested in being a guinea pig ? I know someone had posted that they gained 1 inch of clearance with Walker Evans if I can get 1 inch out of the Elkas' I will buy them, strictly my opinion only but i think the Elkas' look better built than the Walker Evans but I'm sure both brands are a great upgrade.

 

[Mac013]

It's kind of nerve racking to invest that kind of money into suspension to be a Guinea pig. It seems as though no one really has any experience with Elka suspension on their 1000's to give a fair review.
Decisions decisions.
I definitely don't want to sacrifice ride height at all to get ride quality and comfort.
Hmmmm
Was really hoping someone had some experience with them.

 

[ghost]

My turn... Stage 4
35 clicks compression, 50 clicks rebound adjustment.
I havent taken them apart but they look easily serviceable.

 

[ghost]

Kinda pricey but thats a nice upgrade. I only got the fronts on - rears are on order.

I had a blast today. Smoother ride - which is nice but what I really like is the control and traction. I took a trail today that i usually avoid cause I always bottom out the shocks no matter how careful I am. Today I went thru there much faster and found the bottom out bumper of the Elkas once. Normally I wouldn't drive like that but I was on a mission. Also bumped my head on the roof on that one. Then I put the seatbelt on - oops.

The technical stuff feels better too. It just crawls over stuff that felt unstable before. Then the steep snow covered trail - it didn't struggle nearly as much as it did with the stock shocks. Keeps those front wheel in contact with the ground - I was really looking forward to this test.

I put the self levelers to the test as well. Loaded up on firewood and drove back about 5 miles. The self levelers adjusted and the bike more stable than with a similar load on stock shocks. Still Kinda squishy in the rear (@JTW lol). Doing just the fronts is great - but now the weak link is the rear shocks. Glad I broke down and ordered them too.

I left the pre-load as you seen in the picture and after todays ride there was no change in ride height. Once I get the rears on I think I'll crank up the preload to get some lift.

My scale measured the stock at 8.8 lb and the Elka at 11.2 lb. Scale is not too accurate at that range but give a idea.

 

[JTW]

Kinda pricey but thats a nice upgrade. I only got the fronts on - rears are on order.

I had a blast today. Smoother ride - which is nice but what I really like is the control and traction. I took a trail today that i usually avoid cause I always bottom out the shocks no matter how careful I am. Today I went thru there much faster and found the bottom out bumper of the Elkas once. Normally I wouldn't drive like that but I was on a mission. Also bumped my head on the roof on that one. Then I put the seatbelt on - oops.

The technical stuff feels better too. It just crawls over stuff that felt unstable before. Then the steep snow covered trail - it didn't struggle nearly as much as it did with the stock shocks. Keeps those front wheel in contact with the ground - I was really looking forward to this test.

I put the self levelers to the test as well. Loaded up on firewood and drove back about 5 miles. The self levelers adjusted and the bike more stable than with a similar load on stock shocks. Still Kinda squishy in the rear (@JTW lol). Doing just the fronts is great - but now the weak link is the rear shocks. Glad I broke down and ordered them too.

I left the pre-load as you seen in the picture and after todays ride there was no change in ride height. Once I get the rears on I think I'll crank up the preload to get some lift.

My scale measured the stock at 8.8 lb and the Elka at 11.2 lb. Scale is not too accurate at that range but give a idea.
View attachment 30513 View attachment 30514 View attachment 30515

Glad you thought of me on that one!!

By the way.. I like the setup! How do you like that rear bed extender? I'm not sure how much I would use it. But I like the idea!!

Put some miles on it and report back on the difference it makes.. I was contemplating just doing the front.

 

[nbomar]

What stage elkas did you get? I have front stage 3 on order.


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[JTW]

What stage elkas did you get? I have front stage 3 on order.


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So what's the difference??

 

[ghost]

Mine are stage 4.
Difference is adjustable rebound. Thats the only thing the guy at Elka told me was different. Due to the weights I tend to carry he suggested the 4's but I probably would have been happy with 3. Havent had them long enough to know.

I like the bed extender - it's a solid quality part. I use it quite a bit.
I use it with an inflatable boat in the back along with my other gear. I find lots of uses for it.

 

[JTW]

I found this helpful in comparing

Side-by-Side Vehicles (UTV) Shock Absorbers - Elka Suspension

Per front or rear set...
Stage 1- $600
Stage 2- $650
Stage 3- $1000
Stage 4- $1200
Stage 5- $1350

 

[Chap45]

Kinda pricey but thats a nice upgrade. I only got the fronts on - rears are on order.

I had a blast today. Smoother ride - which is nice but what I really like is the control and traction. I took a trail today that i usually avoid cause I always bottom out the shocks no matter how careful I am. Today I went thru there much faster and found the bottom out bumper of the Elkas once. Normally I wouldn't drive like that but I was on a mission. Also bumped my head on the roof on that one. Then I put the seatbelt on - oops.

The technical stuff feels better too. It just crawls over stuff that felt unstable before. Then the steep snow covered trail - it didn't struggle nearly as much as it did with the stock shocks. Keeps those front wheel in contact with the ground - I was really looking forward to this test.

I put the self levelers to the test as well. Loaded up on firewood and drove back about 5 miles. The self levelers adjusted and the bike more stable than with a similar load on stock shocks. Still Kinda squishy in the rear (@JTW lol). Doing just the fronts is great - but now the weak link is the rear shocks. Glad I broke down and ordered them too.

I left the pre-load as you seen in the picture and after todays ride there was no change in ride height. Once I get the rears on I think I'll crank up the preload to get some lift.

My scale measured the stock at 8.8 lb and the Elka at 11.2 lb. Scale is not too accurate at that range but give a idea.
View attachment 30513 View attachment 30514 View attachment 30515

Hey Ghost, You seem very knowledgeable about the shocks on the Pioneer. I have a question for you, I have the Pioneer 1000-5 delux and I just purchased the western impact utv snow plow. The plow is some 400lbs and when attached I only have about an inch clearance. I'm considering purchasing the Fox QS3 Shocks but I want to be sure that those shocks on the stiffest setting will not compress as much as the stock shocks, do you have any ideas or information that would help?

 

[ghost]

Hey Ghost, You seem very knowledgeable about the shocks on the Pioneer. I have a question for you, I have the Pioneer 1000-5 delux and I just purchased the western impact utv snow plow. The plow is some 400lbs and when attached I only have about an inch clearance. I'm considering purchasing the Fox QS3 Shocks but I want to be sure that those shocks on the stiffest setting will not compress as much as the stock shocks, do you have any ideas or information that would help?

Thanks for the plug about my knowledge - LOL. There's probably other guys on the site that know more.

You have 1 inch clearance where ? If its 1 inch from the plow to the ground you might have a problem with the plow installation - I haven't installed a plow but that cant be right if its designed to work on the P1k. Pictures always help...

As far as the shocks go - I know my elkas would handle 400 lbs on the front no problem. I suspect the Fox's would be similar. I dont think the high/medium/low setting would help with the sag but add some pre-load to the front to handle the extra weight and you should be fine. You can get about an inch of lift from the preload before it starts to make the ride to stiff.

But maybe your problem is that you have so much sag on the stock shocks that the preload would make a big difference. Still - 1 inch doesn't sound good.

There are some Fox threads - maybe ask the guys there who are currently using the Fox's what they think.

 

[Chap45]

Thanks for the plug about my knowledge - LOL. There's probably other guys on the site that know more.

You have 1 inch clearance where ? If its 1 inch from the plow to the ground you might have a problem with the plow installation - I haven't installed a plow but that cant be right if its designed to work on the P1k. Pictures always help...

As far as the shocks go - I know my elkas would handle 400 lbs on the front no problem. I suspect the Fox's would be similar. I dont think the high/medium/low setting would help with the sag but add some pre-load to the front to handle the extra weight and you should be fine. You can get about an inch of lift from the preload before it starts to make the ride to stiff.

But maybe your problem is that you have so much sag on the stock shocks that the preload would make a big difference. Still - 1 inch doesn't sound good.

There are some Fox threads - maybe ask the guys there who are currently using the Fox's what they think.

Thanks for the help. Sorry I'm a novice at this. what do you mean by pre-load?

 

[snuffnwhisky]

Thanks for the help. Sorry I'm a novice at this. what do you mean by pre-load?

The ride height is controlled by the spring rate and preload on the spring. The shock dampening adjustments doesn't change the ride height, it just changes the speed of the shock when hitting bumps. Ideally, you would want to change the front springs to a stiffer rate to help support the extra load. Preload is the top adjuster nut on top of the spring. The more you run the nut down on the spring, the higher the rig will sit. The stock shocks do not have a way to adjust preload.

 

[ghost]

The ride height is controlled by the spring rate and preload on the spring. The shock dampening adjustments doesn't change the ride height, it just changes the speed of the shock when hitting bumps. Ideally, you would want to change the front springs to a stiffer rate to help support the extra load. Preload is the top adjuster nut on top of the spring. The more you run the nut down on the spring, the higher the rig will sit. The stock shocks do not have a way to adjust preload.

Exactly.
If plowing is your main event getting stiffer springs would be the answer.
If you want to trail ride and do some occasional plowing, any decent shocks setup for trails should work - and maybe adjust the preload for plowing but you probably wouldn't need to adjust.