P500 Walker Evans or Elka Stage 3

[educ8tedguess]

Good morning/afternoon all,
I have been doing a lot of research on suspension for the P500 and I have made up my mind that I WILL be doing a suspension upgrade. I'm just on the fence as to what to get. I have read and watched any/all reviews on the WE shocks but can't seem to find as much on the ELKA . Anyone have any insight? I don't want to buy a set and then wish I would have gotten the other.
The ELKA's are a bit more expensive but I've learned that the extra price isn't always a good indicator of quality etc...

Experience with the stock suspension: I bought the P500 so I could bring my son or daughter with me on atv trips. While riding at local terrain parks, I notice that the stock suspension is terrible and my kids are bounced around pretty hard. Then recently, I did a trip to Hatfield McCoy and rode my Rubicon and my P500. While driving the p500 and following my buddy (who was riding my rubicon) I noticed that I could not keep a decent pace on the P500 without destroying my kidneys and teeth. I hit a spot on an easy trail that had a decent sized dip and the back end kicked up pretty hard. This is the kind of situation that would scare my kids enough to not want to go again.

What I'm looking for: I'm not in this for speed but I would like to be able to do 20 mph on a trail without feeling like I'm going to lose it. I don't need this to be a luxury car as it's an off-road buggy but I would like it to be more comfortable for my kids and more capable at keeping up with my buddies on their honda ATV's. (Again, I'm not trying to keep pace with RZR's etc... Just want to be able to roost a bit and enjoy the trails)

As usual, any insight is really appreciated. I know this is something I want to do and know it will be worth it, but I only want to do it once

 

[100Acre]

Subscribed.

 

[trigger]

As far as I know, only two of our members have went with the Elka's on the 500. They've given them good reviews but that's changing from stock. Don't know that you will get a direct comparison between the two, doubt anyone would take either of them off after spending that kind of money and experiencing the better ride. If you rode someone else's machine for a comparison, chances are they run a different set up in regards to tires, spacing and weight. Buying both and being able to return one of them without taking a hit would be about the only way. I'd be interested to know the results myself.

 

[Smitty335]

Good morning/afternoon all,
I have been doing a lot of research on suspension for the P500 and I have made up my mind that I WILL be doing a suspension upgrade. I'm just on the fence as to what to get. I have read and watched any/all reviews on the WE shocks but can't seem to find as much on the ELKA . Anyone have any insight? I don't want to buy a set and then wish I would have gotten the other.
The ELKA's are a bit more expensive but I've learned that the extra price isn't always a good indicator of quality etc...

Experience with the stock suspension: I bought the P500 so I could bring my son or daughter with me on atv trips. While riding at local terrain parks, I notice that the stock suspension is terrible and my kids are bounced around pretty hard. Then recently, I did a trip to Hatfield McCoy and rode my Rubicon and my P500. While driving the p500 and following my buddy (who was riding my rubicon) I noticed that I could not keep a decent pace on the P500 without destroying my kidneys and teeth. I hit a spot on an easy trail that had a decent sized dip and the back end kicked up pretty hard. This is the kind of situation that would scare my kids enough to not want to go again.

What I'm looking for: I'm not in this for speed but I would like to be able to do 20 mph on a trail without feeling like I'm going to lose it. I don't need this to be a luxury car as it's an off-road buggy but I would like it to be more comfortable for my kids and more capable at keeping up with my buddies on their honda ATV's. (Again, I'm not trying to keep pace with RZR's etc... Just want to be able to roost a bit and enjoy the trails)

As usual, any insight is really appreciated. I know this is something I want to do and know it will be worth it, but I only want to do it once

I had to pay import and local tax on my Elka's

 

[educ8tedguess]

As far as I know, only two of our members have went with the Elka's on the 500. They've given them good reviews but that's changing from stock. Don't know that you will get a direct comparison between the two, doubt anyone would take either of them off after spending that kind of money and experiencing the better ride. If you rode someone else's machine for a comparison, chances are they run a different set up in regards to tires, spacing and weight. Buying both and being able to return one of them without taking a hit would be about the only way. I'd be interested to know the results myself.

I have the same thoughts regarding getting a direct comparison but figured it was worth a shot. My other thought is that there are a lot of people who know a LOT more about suspension than I and may have already looked into this at a deeper level. My "research" is reading reviews and real life experiences of folks who have these or have had experience with either company. But I don't know much about what makes a shock poor vs good, vs great based on how it's made etc... I have a friend that spends hours studying suspension for mountain bikes and can tell me anything I need to know about the various companies and their pros and cons. I'm hoping that someone comes across this thread who has the same fetish for UTV/ATV suspension.

At the end of the day, I'm sure I'd be happy with either and both would be a significant improvement over stock.. I will probably end up going with the WE shocks as more people have them and there are more places to get them worked on when they need it. I will do a little more digging to see what I can find and will post anything I can on here. But as my screen name implies, I tend to overthink and research everything so that when I do make my guess/purchase, it's somewhat educated. When I finally do make a decision, it will be based on the mindset of "quality over performance" Both options will improve my machine...But I will give up a bit of comfort/performance for a product that is more reliable; hence, I bought Honda's...

 

[JCart]

Cannot speak for the WE’s and went with the Elkas for a variety of reasons. Canadian Co., no import duties, fast shipping Haven’t put any amount of miles on them, ploughed snow this winter and they felt a little cushier then stock ones. Have only gone for short ride or two and they are nice.... easily drive one more gear faster no problem, very nice ride. Gonna take em out to work and spread grass seed on a utilities Right of Way tomorrow, I retro figure a seeder fits on the rear and works well.

Not sure îf this is a help
Cheers
J°

 

[educ8tedguess]

Cannot speak for the WE’s and went with the Elkas for a variety of reasons. Canadian Co., no import duties, fast shipping Haven’t put any amount of miles on them, ploughed snow this winter and they felt a little cushier then stock ones. Have only gone for short ride or two and they are nice.... easily drive one more gear faster no problem, very nice ride. Gonna take em out to work and spread grass seed on a utilities Right of Way tomorrow, I retro figure a seeder fits on the rear and works well.

Not sure îf this is a help
Cheers
J°

Anything helps so thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts. I didn't think about import fees etc... I will have to look into all of that. I keep reading good things about both brands so while I'm not favoring one over the other, I think having two quality products will make it easy to pick one, get em on and go enjoy them.

I'm going to give it one more week and then will just decide and do it. Otherwise it will be 2020 before I get them...

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[Smitty335]

Anything helps so thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts. I didn't think about import fees etc... I will have to look into all of that. I keep reading good things about both brands so while I'm not favoring one over the other, I think having two quality products will make it easy to pick one, get em on and go enjoy them.

I'm going to give it one more week and then will just decide and do it. Otherwise it will be 2020 before I get them...

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Love my Elka's 5 stage, but $$$$$$ about three of them after taxes! I think I would go WE's, unless your like me and would always be wondering what would the Elka's handle like, so I bought the best, maybe? You can fly with these, don't know if the P1 is ready for that!

 

[educ8tedguess]

Love my Elka's 5 stage, but $$$$$$ about three of them after taxes! I think I would go WE's, unless your like me and would always be wondering what would the Elka's handle like, so I bought the best, maybe? You can fly with these, don't know if the P1 is ready for that!

Wow, Stage 5's? I figure those would cost me a LOT of $. After import fees, divorce attorney fees, alimony, maintenance, child support, and at least 1/2 of my retirement, I think I would be turning the rear rack of the p500 into some sort of permanent residence.

In all seriousness, I do have a history of purchasing "less than what I wanted," only to turn around and buy what I wanted at a later date. But, in this case, all I want is a better ride that is more suitable for thrilling my little passengers without giving them concussions or whiplash.

I am all but settled on purchasing the WE for all four corners. I've been putting a little cash aside for this project and after I get paid next week, I'm going to make my purchase; it's time.[/QUOTE]

 

[JCart]

Flat ground few small holes, some small logs, all I can say is wow these are gonna be fun..... smooth ride, not sloppy, smooth compliant sturdy and gonna be huge fun! Easily 1-2 gears faster! Kinda scary as the wife likes speed when she drives it, gonna try and get her out this coming long weekend for a rip.

Keep finding that I’m bracing or tencing when approaching a bump or log... these stage 3 Elkas seem to float over it, no fuss, just smooth flow. Stage 5s would be flat out flying all the time hahahaa.

Good luck on your purchase.

j

 

[educ8tedguess]

Flat ground few small holes, some small logs, all I can say is wow these are gonna be fun..... smooth ride, not sloppy, smooth compliant sturdy and gonna be huge fun! Easily 1-2 gears faster! Kinda scary as the wife likes speed when she drives it, gonna try and get her out this coming long weekend for a rip.

Keep finding that I’m bracing or tencing when approaching a bump or log... these stage 3 Elkas seem to float over it, no fuss, just smooth flow. Stage 5s would be flat out flying all the time hahahaa.

Good luck on your purchase.

j

Thank you very much for this feedback. Sounds like it was money well spent and I'm glad you are happy with them. Enjoy your rides and your weekend.

 

[educ8tedguess]

Front and rear WE shocks are ordered. Now the waiting game.

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[Chooglin]

Front and rear WE shocks are ordered. Now the waiting game.

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Congrats you're going to love them !

 

[JCart]

Front and rear WE shocks are ordered. Now the waiting game.

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Cool let us know how you make out! If you can afford front and rear I’d say that’s the way for sure, so happy I’ve done mine. Kinda fretting over mud and fine silica raising hell with the seals and piston wipers what are you guys doing (if anything) to minimize potential damage. I’ll have a look at Elka as they might have something, when I ordered mine I never really considered it, as it was winter and now maybe just over thinking it.....

j

 

[educ8tedguess]

Cool let us know how you make out! If you can afford front and rear I’d say that’s the way for sure, so happy I’ve done mine. Kinda fretting over mud and fine silica raising hell with the seals and piston wipers what are you guys doing (if anything) to minimize potential damage. I’ll have a look at Elka as they might have something, when I ordered mine I never really considered it, as it was winter and now maybe just over thinking it.....

j

I made the decision to buy both front and rear or nothing at all. Every time I try to save money by starting small, I end up spending more in the long run.
I haven't thought about protection for the shocks but it makes sense.
I'm not very patient so the next few weeks of waiting are going to suck. My skid plates will be here Tuesday so that should break up the wait a bit.




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[JCart]

Looked at Elkas site, they don’t make any for the stage 3 (Protection from mud, gravel or other keerap). Mmmm perhaps some of that Trucker tarp material really robust, sew on some Velcro and encase the shock in a tube, with bottom that’s open a little to let any keerap fall out the bottom.

j

 

[Chooglin]

The W.E. are completely rebuildable if need be , don't know about the Elkas ?

 

[NTCPrezJB]

Elka is also rebuidable. Run them on my 400EX. Pretty much any aftermarket shock is rebuildable to be honest.

 

[educ8tedguess]

I like that they can be rebuilt. I will probably keep my old shocks just in case the WE need to be rebuilt and I need to utilize the machine during the rebuild process. If it's anything like the mountain bike suspension world, I'll be waiting on it for a while.

 

[Arizona]

I made the decision to buy both front and rear or nothing at all. Every time I try to save money by starting small, I end up spending more in the long run.
I haven't thought about protection for the shocks but it makes sense.
I'm not very patient so the next few weeks of waiting are going to suck. My skid plates will be here Tuesday so that should break up the wait a bit.




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When you get your W.E. shocks, if they don't soak up bumps enough for you, and you don't bottom out much, W.E can re-valve them for you to let some more oil flow through making them softer. Me being only 142 lbs. mostly slower riding, my new W.E. were helping soften some, but not as much as I expected, sent them back for re-valve, they are better but not much. From my experience, and maybe others, I suspect W.E. has put my re-valve into new shocks being sent out, possibly same complaints they weren't soaking up bump as much as people wanted. I have my turn valve knobs all the way soft, would like them even softer, W.E. tech said he doesn't want me bottoming out all the time, it takes a harsh rut 15 to 25 mph for me to bottom out, and it only happened once because I was trying to bottom out.