[1Bad1000Xxc]

I'm just very disappointed with the suspension on my 800-X. After having Elkas on my Grizz and knowing what they are about, nothing can match those standards.

I think when I went last weekend on a ride and a Rancher with stock suspension was able to launch higher than my Gade and not bottom out, it was the straw that broke the camel's back.

I have tweaked this supension to the best of my knowledge and maybe that is the problem. But, the Elkas on my Grizz came setup for my riding style and weight outta the box so there was no tweaking needed at all.

It is really a shame with all of teh possible adjustments on the KYB suspension on the X to not be able to get it dialed in. A table top jump at 15 mph will bottom it out, and maybe I just haven't gotten the right setting right, but it must be over my head. :club:

 

[3TV]

Buster, I find it kind of odd that you are having problems bottoming out the suspension on your Gade X. Do you bottom the suspension with aggressive trail riding, or just with jumps? And are you bottoming out both ends, or just the rear end? I've found that my '09 regular Renegade can sometimes bottom the rear end if I land a jump just wrong, especially if I flat land it on all four tires, or land it on just the rear tires. The front suspension is stiffer than the rear, so I have taken to letting it land a little front end down, and it seems to suck up the hits a lot better that way, and rarely ever bottoms out. My wife's '10 Renegade X Xc has much plusher suspension than my regular Renegade, but I have never bottomed her quads suspension, so I don't have a complaint about it being too soft either. Her ATV is just like mine though, in that the front suspension is stiffer than the rear suspension. We have never even touched one of the clickers or the preload adjustment on her ATV, and it seems just fine to me. Our two Renegades are the only ATVs I have not upgraded to aftermarket shocks with, in a decades worth of ATVs. I've always thought the suspension on Renegades was pretty decent.

Didn't you have your springs powder coated red? I wonder if the baking of the powder coat in the oven has changed the load rating of the springs. Have you measured race sag? Measure the unloaded height of your ATV, which will require a friend to lift the ATV up so the suspension is fully topped out. Then sit on the ATV with your race gear on, and have your friend push the ATV forward and backward about ten feet so that the suspension fully settles, and remeasure the height of your ATV. If your ATV settles by more than 1/3 of your suspsension travel you need more preload. If your spring is preloaded by more than 1 cm to get the proper race sag then you need a higher rate spring.

But to answer your original question ... your Renegade is one of the best looking tricked out Renegades I've seen, so why not take it to the next level. Yes, get the Elka's.

 

[1Bad1000Xxc]

Well the way I have always appraached a jump is to hit it at just right speed and give just just another throttle burst on the launch to get the back tires to hit the ground slightly before the front or to land it flat with all 4 wheels hitting at the same time.

On the Gade, I have not had the bottom out but the front has had a tendedncy to slam the ground, one time even bending the Ricochet front skid in between the a-arms. When I sit on the quad, the suspension barely sags but again, my front preload is pretty tight.

It could be that in all of my tweaking of the shocks, I have only worked with low-speed compression and in fact needed to be adjusting high speed. I am guessing since I've been thinking about this a little, that since when you jump and land, there is a sudden burst of energy to the suspension rather than gradual like a slow speed trail ride and hitting ruts, that maybe I do in fact need to work on the high speed compression.

My thought behind that philosphy came when tweaking in the Elka steering stabilizer and they told me to adjust the high speed adjuster for a quick jerk to the bar, and that it was more of how fast and hard the shock comes to the steering rather than the speed I am travelling when it needs to do it's "stabilizing". So, I am thinking that possibly the same concept could apply on suspension. That although the high speed adjustment will be adjusting for high speed compression, but that it could also be an adjustment for a quick need for increased pressure on the high speed valving. Hell if I know if that even makes sense, but it seems to to me. I guess the only way to find that out for sure is to tighten up the high speed compression and launch it and see what happens.

As for the powder coating effecting the load rate of the spring, I understand what you are saying. However, the factory springs were powdercoated themselves. I guess it is possible being hit with 400-500 degrees a second time could have had an effect but who knows. I will say this was a problem with jumps even before the powder coating was done so I doubt that is a factor.

Thanks for you valued input and experience Phil!
Buster

 

[3TV]

Buster, you are correct in your presumption that you need to increase high speed compression damping. Jumping the ATV uses the high speed compression damping circuit, even if you are only going 15 mph. The low speed compression damping affects weight transfer, such as from front to rear when accelerating, and from back to front when getting on the brakes. Those weight transfers are slow movements compared to the speed at which the shock shaft travels when landing a jump. Body roll in turns is controlled by sway bars, and also controlled by the slow speed compression circuit.

I would count how many clicks it takes to turn your high speed compression damping all the way up, and write down that number so you know where to go back to if you need to. Then go jump that quad with the high speed compression maxed out. I'll bet it makes a big difference.

3TV

 

[1Bad1000Xxc]

Thanks for the ideas Phil. I turned it up to bottomed out on tightness for high speed compression tonight and will test it tomorrow evening. It took one full turn.

I can't wait to see how it does with anticipation of not having to spend the dough on Elkas. As much as I do love them, I hate to just throw money away for no reason when I can use it for something else. We'll see how it goes.

I did do the same amount of turns all the way around, although the rear was not bottomed out yet, just to keep everything in sync.

Thanks again for the opinions and ideas!

Buster

 

[1Bad1000Xxc]

Let me ask you this question Phil. When you turn the high speed adjuster, the low speed always wants to turn with it. Should I let it do so, as I did, or should I hold the low speed in it's original position with a screwdriver as I adjust the hugh speed? Most times I hold the low speed to maintain it's setting but I did not. It seems as if I don't, then it will tighten up low speed as well.

Thanks for any input you have,

Buster

 

[3TV]

Good question. I always let the low speed turn with the high speed, but have often wondered if it is the correct way to adjust it.

 

[800PowerMadd]

Do the elkas have easier ajustments than the stock X please explaine all the beniffits if you have the time. I might be interested in installing some. Thanks

 

[1Bad1000Xxc]

Well I will try yo keep this short and to the point. Elkas can be ordered in a variety of configuration to fit your wallet and needs. You can get a basic setup with no remote resevoirs or piggybacks and minimal adjustments for a minimal cost. You can then start adding adjustments as needed all the way up to the Elite series that has the same adjustability as the factory X shocks, with preload, low and high speed compression, low and high speed rebound but they have either triple or quad rate springs.

When i put Ealks on my Grizzly, they asked me my primary riding style, primary terrain, my weight, tire size, etc. They set mine up for high speed agressive trail riding but with also the ability to jump it. Setting it up for agressive trail riding, they actually lowered my grizzly from 12" ground clearance down to 10 I think to give it a lower center of gravity. I gots to say, that thing handled and performed amazingly and I never had to touch an adjustment. With all of their questions, they set it up perfectly for me.

On the contrary, Can-Am had to set up the X shocks outta the box to fit a variety of riding styles, rider weights, etc with the intent that the rider would have to tweak them for their needs. Honestly, I have played with them until I am blue in the face and never got them where they perform even remotely close to the way the Elkas did. If I had the extra cash sitting around right now, that would be the first thing I bought as to me, it was better than any power mod I ever did. They enabled me to hit rough trails faster and come out harder than anyone else I was riding with and I could overtake people that were having to slow down over the rough stuff.

I now have an Elka/Pro Moto Billet Steering stabilizer I am testing on the gade. The quality is top-notch!

 

[800PowerMadd]

Keep us all informed on the Elka steering stabilizer