[Smoothbassman]

Well I decided to take a vacation day from work today and behold my freaking Elka Shocks showed up for my Sportsman 850 XP a week earlier than I expected!!!

I'm just bummed I will not be able to install them until next week. Headed out of town for the weekend with the wife!

She's going to be upset next week as her car is going go have to be outside while I'm installing them in the garage.

 

[GRIZZLYWIZARD]

Well I decided to take a vacation day from work today and behold my freaking Elka Shocks showed up for my Sportsman 850 XP a week earlier than I expected!!!

I'm just bummed I will not be able to install them until next week. Headed out of town for the weekend with the wife!

She's going to be upset next week as her car is going go have to be outside while I'm installing them in the garage.

That's awesome. I can't wait to see them installed.

 

[Koko]

I'm looking forward to feedback. It's the one mod I never ventured down before.

 

[1Bad1000Xxc]

It was by far the best mod I ever did to my Grizzly and I can't wait to see how they do on the Gade when mine arrive.

Looking forward to your pics and ride report Smoothbassman.

Buster

 

[Smoothbassman]

Well Got the Rear Shocks installed tonight in about 15 minutes. Starting with 20 clicks of rebound. Taking her out this weekend for a test ride.

I went with the triple rate single stage 1's with rebound.

Got to get the front shocks done tomorrow. Got to dismantle the front clip to get at the top shock tower bolts and I wasn't up for it today.

 

[1Bad1000Xxc]

Why did you adjust rebound right off the bat? They should have been adjusted near perfect out of the box.

 

[Smoothbassman]

Why did you adjust rebound right off the bat? They should have been adjusted near perfect out of the box.

They forgot to mark the setup card with the settings so I backed it all the way down and counted 20 clicks. Just brought it back up to their setup so I know where they started from.

My front shocks had 26 clicks of rebound and zero preload other than the springs themselves.

Looks like they were all mounted on a dyno and cycled. I can see the marks on the shock tower where they were mounted to something prior to shipment.

 

[Smoothbassman]

Well got the front shocks mounted today. Got to put in a quick test ride this afternoon over some pretty nice bumps. WAY BETTER than stock. It rides smoother already. Can't wait to get her on the trail in a couple of weeks over some good rocks. Got to bring the rear preload up a bit. It's squatting super hard under hard acceleration.

Now where should I mount the Elka stickers?!?!?

 

[1Bad1000Xxc]

Ohhhh SNAP!!!!

I'm envious of yet another person from the group buy since mine won't be here til Monday!

 

[Smoothbassman]

Ohhhh SNAP!!!!

I'm envious of yet another person from the group buy since mine won't be here til Monday!

I honestly didn't expect them to show up this fast. Got the order in on a Tuesday and they were here that following Friday. 10 days! Shipping only took 2 days since I'm resasonably close to Canada up here in PA.

 

[GRIZZLYWIZARD]

Have you had a chance to ride with them?

 

[atulkapur]

Guyz, these sound great....can I also put them onto my 850 xp ? Also needed a suggestion on tyres and rims....I have the stock tyres but need to upgrade to a heavy duty bad ass tyres....could you guys give me some suggestions ?
thanks, atul kapur

 

[Smoothbassman]

Have you had a chance to ride with them?

I did some test rides over some solid bumps. Also did heavy brake/acceleration and turning tests to measure the squat that I get. Initial impressions are favorable. The ride is smoother as the multiple rate springs soak up all the little bumps that I use to feel. I haven't got out there and really put them to work yet. Have a planned ride next weekend to put at least 60 miles on them over some nice rocks and high speed drit packed trails.

 

[atulkapur]

Sounds great bud, thanks for the info. I also wouldlike to know about the type of tryes I can use. I currently have the stock tyres and rims but need to upgrade to the BEST onmes possible.....mainly for sand, slush and rock terrain.......could you also recommend a few DVDs for me to see ? Sorry for all these questions but Im a new rider and living in India there are not a whole lot of ATV riders... Thanks again !!

 

[GRIZZLYWIZARD]

Sounds great bud, thanks for the info. I also wouldlike to know about the type of tryes I can use. I currently have the stock tyres and rims but need to upgrade to the BEST onmes possible.....mainly for sand, slush and rock terrain.......could you also recommend a few DVDs for me to see ? Sorry for all these questions but Im a new rider and living in India there are not a whole lot of ATV riders... Thanks again !!

Living in India I would have to suggest something similar to the Maxxis Bighorn. They do good in a variety of terrains. My other suggestion would be either the Pitbull Growler or the Rocker. These tires are made here in the states and I am unsure of international distribution.

 

[atulkapur]

the growler looks good, however dont know if they wud fit my drum...the cuyrrent stock sizes are 26" x 8 x 14" and rear 26 X 10 x 14".... the growler 27.5 looks good...what about rims, can I do 15" rims ?

 

[GRIZZLYWIZARD]

They make 15" rims, but you will be very limited to the tires available unless you go with a LT tire.

 

[atulkapur]

They make 15" rims, but you will be very limited to the tires available unless you go with a LT tire.

Im good with an LT tire as lonf as it is one of the best ones....could yu please advise ? Also where can I buy these on the east coast ?

 

[atulkapur]

Can you give me detauils of the part number for these elka shocks ? will they perform well on my Sportsman XP 850 2010 ?

 

[Smoothbassman]

Can you give me detauils of the part number for these elka shocks ? will they perform well on my Sportsman XP 850 2010 ?

There are no part numbers. You call or email Elka directly and they will custom make shocks for your ride based on your riding style and weight.

I couldn't ask for anything better. They WILL improve your ride in every way. They are worth the investment. I will never ride stock shocks again.