OK but you FAILED to say what the best for my bike is then!!

 

I agree with outerlimit for the most part. My experiences on other machines have led me to prefer ohlins over elka and products from other companies as well. Elka elites are not good enough to warrant their price IMO, as ohlins, custom axis and PEP all do it better for the same money or less.

I dont have direct suspension experience with the DS so I was just trying to let you know that all of the options doesnt always result in the best shock, like the application of quad rates to a desert or sand machine as a general statement.

 

well in a way i can't agree with you there, after i smashed my ds and bent a shock, i found some used quadrate elkas with no rezzys or adjustments, they were set up for 175 guy who trailrides, now i weigh about 200-205 who trail rides aggressively and i love these shocks, nice and soft for the small bumps but i have yet to bottom them out and they're only 5/8 tight, but i have no done any big big jumps yet, now i can't compare these to a tripple rate shock so can't say they're that much better, but i think for the bigger jumps stock shocks can't compare,

 

Dont get me wrong, I'm not saying the quad rates are no good. I was just trying to say that just because you have an extra spring doesnt make it better. I would seriously doubt if you would notice a positive difference by going from a triple rate elka to the same shock with an extra spring.

 

I have the Competition Works Performance tripple rate long travel shocks in the front, and a Works double in the rear - I dont have any problems in the whoops - The wheels stay on the ground the whole time. Speed doesnt seem to affect the hook up.

 

For that matter, I still have the stock shocks on my current DS, ... a 2005 Viper, and I don't have any problems in the whoops either. I had to spend half a day dialing in preload, race sag, compression damping, and rebound damping, and now it works very good. Anyone notice that quarter mile long secton of whoops heading over to comp hill at the Dumont Sand Dunes last weekend? I tried that section of whoops a few times, going faster each time, and on the last run I drag raced a YFZ from one end of the whoops to the other, and he got smoked bad.
OL

 

Yea u should try adjusting ur stock shocks and maybe save a lot of money, i like my stockers, but the new Works Widows shocks look sick, i like the black look of the Elkas tho, i've never heard any complaints on shocks tho so just go with what u like

 

Yea...wait till your bike is 6 months old.....shocks will crap out on ya...

 

I think OL has had more than one DS and for longer than a few months, but I could be wrong.

 

This is my third DS, and it was the first '05 model DS to hit the showroom. I have had it since last May (eight months) [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]. If I do need to replace shocks at some point my choices would be:

1) Ohlins
2) Works
3) TCS

Works shocks are the most under rated shocks on the planet, they actually work very very good. But Works has got to have the worst marketing department ever, because everybody that hasn't used Works' top end shocks tends to associate Works shocks with "budget shocks". Elka on the other hand has the best marketing in the business, and the most bells and whistles on their shocks, so most people that have not used several different brands of top end shocks tend to automatically associate Elka shocks with "top of the line" shocks. I'm not saying Elka shocks are not "top of the line", but even Works has a line of shocks that is every bit as good.

OL