Has anyone ridden a Cannibal with the two different shocks to see the difference? I still can't decide between the two (Cannibal v/s Speed) Thanks, Jared

 

It depends on what type of riding your going to do. The Ohlins are higher quality, but are very stiff, more for Moto-X. The Arvins would be better for trail riding. Your best bet is to go with the Cannibal, save the $1000, and put your own shocks on there. I run the Blaze Ohlins and are very happy with them. Elka also makes a good shock.

 

I was looking at elka's but will the work with the stock a-arms?

 

The Arvins are on the stiff side also. I had them. My brother put offset wheels to soften up his ride on his Speed w/ the Ohlins..

 

I have a Cannibal that came with Arvins. I bought RetroZ's stock Ohlins. I feel like the Ohlins are much better shocks. They are not any stiffer IMO, and they DEFINITELY do not bottom out as easy as the Arvins. I am serious about that. I coasted down a steep hill too fast with the arvins one time. When I hit the bottom of the hill, the shocks bottomed out and I thought I had broke my wrist. I did the same thing when I got the ohlins, It was by no means plush, but they soaked it up without the BANG of steel on steel.

 

I felt that the Arvins were a tad more harsh than the Ohlins, seemed like their spring rate was a little higher, but had less compression damping...

My Ohlins are VERY plush - However, to make them this way, you must make sure that the control arms aren't binding and move VERY freely. Mine were very harsh at first, until I corrected this. Cannondale control arms will bind in the rubber bushings unless you do something about it.

Offset wheels will not affect the ride of the quad. This is because the pivot points of the suspension do not change, thus the leverage ratios do not change.

Wider offset wheels will only transmit more of the trail thru the bars. This is because the centerline of the wheel is farther from the ball joints, which increases leverage against the steering system and ultimately, the rider. Take it from someone with a persistant hand injury, it's not worth the risk or even the fatigue it generates.

The other advantage to the Ohlins is that they are rebuildable/revalvable. Any knowledgeable shock builder should be able to revalve, recharge, and/or add reservoirs to these shocks. When the Arvins need rebuilt or altered, they have to be replaced.

 

<< My Ohlins are VERY plush - However, to make them this way, you must make sure that the control arms aren't binding and move VERY freely. Mine were very harsh at first, until I corrected this. Cannondale control arms will bind in the rubber bushings unless you do something about it. >>



I can attest to this. Greasing my A-arm bushings made a HUGE difference! Everyone needs to do this.