Suspension Time for my 700

[bustedplastic]

So my 700 has been sitting all winter due to night school and a lack of time to get out on the ice.  I'm out in the garage today and noticed my front end is lower than usual.  I push down on the bumper and the quad drops about an inch and bottoms out. 

So my guess is the pogos have finally had it.

I have 4 full years of hard trail riding on the pogos and no rebuild.  Here's what I'm wondering.  Raptor or YFZ shocks seem to go for 250-350.  Do I buy a pair of these, or cough up another 100 or so for elka non-resi shocks?

Ebay scares me because I have no idea how much use the used ones have, buying new would give me peace of mind.  However, if the elka non-resi shocks are worse than the raptor/yfz resis, I'll go with the resis.

Any input for me on this?

Thanks,

David

[Spartan]

I would get the YFZ450 or Raptor 700 SE piggyback shocks worse case, you can find sets for 200-300. Elka Pogos are not a lot better than the stock ones.

[Mad Dog]

I would get the YFZ450 or Raptor 700 SE piggyback shocks worse case, you can find sets for 200-300. Elka Pogos are not a lot better than the stock ones.

Couldn't disagree with you more.  The elka shocks are not pogos, they are the same type and function of shock that you pay over a grand for, just without the adjustments or external fluid reservoirs.  They are way, way better than the 06-08 "pogo stick" OEM shocks and I'd take a new set of elkas made for me and my riding style over a pair of used OEM shocks setup for a wide range of applications just because they have more adjustments and a reservoir on the side.  If you're not racing and you don't have a half a mile of continuous whoops to cover the external reservoirs are more about posing than functional cooling.

[Spartan]

We can agree to disagree You will definitely appreciate the advantages that a shock with more adjustments gives you...especially if you ride a lot of whoops.

[XC_Raptor700R]

I would get the Raptor shocks as opposed to the YFZ's. I had a set of YFZ's on mine and it was very difficult to get the suspension set up right with the Raptor suspension geometry. We got them to work with some internal work, but I now have Raptor shocks and like them much better. There is a reason they are 2 different shocks from Yamaha. I have no experience with the above mentioned Elka's.

[Kenneth]

Honestly, I wouldn't get the YFZ450 shocks. They're for sale for a reason, and most YFZ guys complain about how stiff the stock yfz shocks are. I'd save up and get a pair of good shocks. I agree with MadDog about the Elka's even though i'm not Elka's biggest fan. 

www.kbmotorsportsonline.com

[bustedplastic]

Honestly, I wouldn't get the YFZ450 shocks. They're for sale for a reason, and most YFZ guys complain about how stiff the stock yfz shocks are. I'd save up and get a pair of good shocks. I agree with MadDog about the Elka's even though i'm not Elka's biggest fan. 

www.kbmotorsportsonline.com

I may decide to upgrade a little more, what would you recommend for replacement shocks, fronts and rear?  I do all trail riding and I dont want to break the bank...

[WiigStyle]

If you are looking at getting new shocks to replace the pogo sticks I would recommend the elka stage 1 for $495.

You can rebuild, revalve, and respring the shocks when the time comes.

I am an authorized elka service center along with sales.

If you would like to give me a call I will spend some time going over the advantages and disadvantages of the OEM piggyback shocks as well as the Elka route.

My phone number is 712-621-5191. If I don't answer please leave a voicemail and I will return it promtply.

Josh
WiigStyle Racing Suspension