[riggwelter]

Hello all,
I'm was wondering which suspension I should go with? Elka's or Fox? I know theres different levels of each and was wondering what the word is on each type. My goal is to plushen up the machine and make it a smoother ride and better turner. I currently have Holeshot ICTs on front and rear (I have the 10 inch rear rims), which has helped handling but has sucked up quite a bit of power as the tyres are quite heavy.

 

[dagirl71]

I cant believe no one has answered this post...I was wondering the same thing!
I have been told Elka'a are nice but Fox are better. But that seems to those who own which kind

I did some research and the shocks on the predator fit the 700xx. I have found used stock shocks for them they are Fox Podiums but want the FLOAT X EVOL...but for the $$ if they work why not try them right?

Any thoughts on that?

Hey how abot making this a poll?

 

[smo0oth1]

I cant believe no one has answered this post...I was wondering the same thing!
I have been told Elka'a are nice but Fox are better. But that seems to those who own which kind

I did some research and the shocks on the predator fit the 700xx. I have found used stock shocks for them they are Fox Podiums but want the FLOAT X EVOL...but for the $$ if they work why not try them right?

Any thoughts on that?

Hey how abot making this a poll?

They are both reputable companies that make quality parts, Just as you said the owner's of each brand will tell you the same thing.

 

[scuzz]

Yeah, it's really a blonde vs. brunette question....

 

[trx tas]

i am going fox i have asked around some shops here in australia and they all say run fox most of them say fox has better quality control and are much lighter with more room to make adjustment especially with the float x evol mine should be here in a few weeks anyway

 

[D Bergstrom]

Both are a quality shock. If you are looking for different "levels", then you will have to go with Elka, as Fox pretty much just makes the fully adjustable shocks, while Elka you can get no adjustments, compression adjustment only, etc.

I actually have ran both shocks on my 450R's. They both had there strong points and weak points. Currently, my 450R race quad runs Motowoz shocks, and it handles better then my quads did with either Elka or Fox. The second best setup I had was a set of revalved/resprung Elka's, the Fox shocks are next. For a "out of the box" setup, the Fox shox are great, and I think they were slightly better then the out of the box Elka's, but I think any shock, regardless who makes it, will only work its best if it is custom setup for you and your riding style.

If I had to chose between the two, I would probably choose Fox, if the other chocie was the fully adjustable Elka's. (Have to compare apples to apples.) It may even come down to what set I could get a better deal on. I do have to say though, I would chose Motowoz over either one. Once Teixeira Tech finishes up a-arms for my 700XX, I plan on contacting Motowoz to see if they can make a set to fit.

Doug

 

[riggwelter]

Thanks for the replies guys. It looks like they are both good. I will check out the motowoz shocks too.

 

[AZDEZRCR]

I run the Elka Factory Shocks up front and the Elite's out back both pairs have been revalved by Precision Concepts.I have tried Fox,I-shock,Motowoz and Axis.They are all good shocks but my set-up is what works best for me.If your not a full blown racer then any of these companies will be great.Elka makes a wide variety of shocks at different prices.Elka makes a lower grade shock that you can up-grade at any time that way it doesn't hit the pocket book all at once.

 

[xx700xx]

Resurecting an old thread...
I recently purchased fox floats and they're on their way. Last week I rode on Elka st. 3 and I definitely liked them over stock. I think there was still room to adjust them to me but it wasn't my xx. I did a search online and there are tons of forums with this question. Almost every forum had guys that ran elkas, fox, motowowz, and a few others. The majority liked fox over the rest. On fox's website you can see a video with the xx and they also have articles from about 4 different magazines on their shocks. Once mine are installed I'll be able to compare them to Valk's and see how they compare side by side.

 

[tchui]

ive been reading up on this alot recently as i was to commit to the 'investment' of better suspension

imo based on what ive read the long and short of it is this. elka is more of a precison made to order outfit with triple rates galore. fox has a wider net for a lower selling price.

elkas major plus, actually thats not true, fox evol major negative is that it doesnt have a spring, so if the bladder blew while riding its gonna be tough and more costly to get back to base.

fox major advantage is that there is no spring (lol) so you can fine tune your own suspension with less need for resprings or revalves.

seems like i am pro fox? actually not i was going to go with elkas! but the sales response and prices that fox has given me as an export order sealed the deal pretty quick.

pity they dont have them ex stock and i have to wait for the next batch.

off topic but for those that have done the ds conversion (or any other like it) did you put the front oe spring on to the back? i like or need (im not sure!) my suspensions pretty soft and the swapped rear spring made the ride better than the ds450 front swap did. try it of you havent. min preload front and max preload rear will result in the quad sitting 1 inch high in the front.

for those that dont want to cut up their bikes (dont blame you) look for a front spring and run all four front springs. this is what i would have done had i known. ride height would be more normal with this setup.

note this will suit lighter riders and/or rougher terrains.

 

[xx700xx]

ive been reading up on this alot recently as i was to commit to the 'investment' of better suspension

imo based on what ive read the long and short of it is this. elka is more of a precison made to order outfit with triple rates galore. fox has a wider net for a lower selling price.

elkas major plus, actually thats not true, fox evol major negative is that it doesnt have a spring, so if the bladder blew while riding its gonna be tough and more costly to get back to base.

fox major advantage is that there is no spring (lol) so you can fine tune your own suspension with less need for resprings or revalves.

seems like i am pro fox? actually not i was going to go with elkas! but the sales response and prices that fox has given me as an export order sealed the deal pretty quick.

pity they dont have them ex stock and i have to wait for the next batch.

off topic but for those that have done the ds conversion (or any other like it) did you put the front oe spring on to the back? i like or need (im not sure!) my suspensions pretty soft and the swapped rear spring made the ride better than the ds450 front swap did. try it of you havent. min preload front and max preload rear will result in the quad sitting 1 inch high in the front.

for those that dont want to cut up their bikes (dont blame you) look for a front spring and run all four front springs. this is what i would have done had i known. ride height would be more normal with this setup.

note this will suit lighter riders and/or rougher terrains.

Wtf?

 

[TRX700XXX]

I would say fox's are better only for those who can take full advantage of them. Like being able to tell the difference in 3psi of pressure difference in the cambers or one click on the other adjustments. The fox's have much more freedom of adjustments and if you know how to set it up right, your golden.

 

[xx700xx]

Hmmm, I've ridden elka stage 3's and I did like them. They weren't even adjusted to me and they felt way better than stock. Ill set up my floats and give you guys a ride report/vid

 

[EEHonda]

The thing that would be the coolest about the floats is what scares me the most. Not being tied down to a specific spring rate but not having a spring. Springs can fail too though. How about a video on those same whoops from the last video, only with the new shocks.

 

[jfdanie2]

A video would be cool to see maybe do a before and after over the same track to really show the difference

 

[xx700xx]

The thing that would be the coolest about the floats is what scares me the most. Not being tied down to a specific spring rate but not having a spring. Springs can fail too though. How about a video on those same whoops from the last video, only with the new shocks.

I would definitely like to do the vid on the same whoops but that is at the badlands and I wont be going back for a bit. I'll try some rougher stuff at rocky glen saturday and let you guys know how they are. The thing I like about the air shock is that you can set it to a certain psi that you like and always keep it there. Plus its a lot faster to just pump up or bleed a bladder vs playing with springs. We'll see what happens. I'm not against elka, I'd just like to put out some valid info for people who would like to buy suspension in the future.

 

[Baxter]

ive been reading up on this alot recently as i was to commit to the 'investment' of better suspension

imo based on what ive read the long and short of it is this. elka is more of a precison made to order outfit with triple rates galore. fox has a wider net for a lower selling price.

elkas major plus, actually thats not true, fox evol major negative is that it doesnt have a spring, so if the bladder blew while riding its gonna be tough and more costly to get back to base.

fox major advantage is that there is no spring (lol) so you can fine tune your own suspension with less need for resprings or revalves.

seems like i am pro fox? actually not i was going to go with elkas! but the sales response and prices that fox has given me as an export order sealed the deal pretty quick.

pity they dont have them ex stock and i have to wait for the next batch.

off topic but for those that have done the ds conversion (or any other like it) did you put the front oe spring on to the back? i like or need (im not sure!) my suspensions pretty soft and the swapped rear spring made the ride better than the ds450 front swap did. try it of you havent. min preload front and max preload rear will result in the quad sitting 1 inch high in the front.

for those that dont want to cut up their bikes (dont blame you) look for a front spring and run all four front springs. this is what i would have done had i known. ride height would be more normal with this setup.

note this will suit lighter riders and/or rougher terrains.

Guess you have been doing some reading.
I had 3 choices on shocks for the front.
Elka st3 with remote rezzies
Fox Floats
Motowoz .

The Fox shocks were the dearest and I have seen the shock air seal go, causing a DNF for both riders. I am not blaming Fox for this both guys didn't look after the shocks or there quads.But it was a "what if moment" I don't score points for a DNF.
The Elkas have been hit and miss for me on valving and spring rate in the past, I have had 3 sets of fronts on differant quads and differant stages from 1-3.
I went with along shot and ordered and paid for a set of Motowoz shocks. They had not been built at this stage but Jim and Suzi after a few emails , I was convinced these were the people I wanted to deal with. Customer service is excellent but the time differance means they replies about 2am my time.
I am running a set of LT shocks with rebound,compression and preload adjustment . Any more adjustment would have been wasted on me. There set up for XC but are doing real good at dirttrack ovals and stuff. I am real happy with my purchase.

 

[xx700xx]

Shits tight! Installed everything this morning and I'll be testing at Rocky Glen manana. I added air pressure to the main chamber since this pic was taken and the xx sits a lot higher now. I like that I can simply adjust the ride height by increasing or decreasing air pressure in the main chamber. Pretty bad ass set up!

 

[Red-N-BlackXX]

Lookin good! I had 190 in the evol and 55 in the main, but I weigh about 15lbs more than you.

 

[jfdanie2]

Man that looks awesome.