RT Elka Rear Shock - is it worth it?

[robhowen]

While at Spyderfest I had Elka Stage 2 shocks installed on my 2015 RTL. I was blown away by the difference it made. Now i'm thinking about installing the Elka RT rear shock. I'd love to hear from those of you that have installed Elka on the rear of your RT and if you felt it was worth it.

Rob

[trikermutha]

Please define "Blown Away" the front shocks made when you had them installed?

[Ktd1911]

While at Spyderfest I had Elka Stage 2 shocks installed on my 2015 RTL. I was blown away by the difference it made. Now i'm thinking about installing the Elka RT rear shock. I'd love to hear from those of you that have installed Elka on the rear of your RT and if you felt it was worth it.

Rob

I too had the Elka front shocks put on my 2016 rt. At spyder fest love the handling. The Elka rep told me not to replace the rear shock until I blew out my rear air shock

[robhowen]

By this I mean that I experience much less bounce with the front wheels on rougher roads. The tires seem to be more stuck to the ground. Taking curves seems to be faster and more true; more of an arch and less steering. On smooth straight roads, interstates for example, seem about the same except when I hit a bump, cement joint, or other defect. In this case the tire seems to stay stuck to the surface. I have no signs that I have any of an alignment issue as my tire wear is as one would expect and very uniform. I have none of the signs of poor tire pressure, toe in or out, etc. I also have a TPM through my Garmin GPS which helps me make sure my air pressure is always correct as I only allow a 2 psi variance.

I hope this helps.

Rob

Please define "Blown Away" the front shocks made when you had them installed?

[Dennis in Lodi]

Elka suggested I go with the Stage 4 rear so I could have it set up softer for mostly one up riding. Then when I add a passenger the external adjuster is a pre-load not a rebound. The idea is they suggested -15 click out for solo then all the way to the right for adding a passenger.
Here is the scoop. I have an air bag like the RT but it is manually filled. Although I had the immediate benefits of a nice stuck to the road feeling like the front shocks, I lost a certain plushness or softness on the moderate bumps. Little things are soaked up nicely but it gets a little stiff with the Elka. I tried more spring pre-load and less air and the shock bottomed out. I tried original Elka spring pre-load and 50 psi and this covered the biggest bumps pretty well. I discovered it takes at least 35 psi to prevent excessive sag the way the Elka came stock.

So here is where my finale setting ended up. I tightened the Elka spring sag to only drop 1/2" of sag with 50 psi in the air bag. I ride solo or two up with the manual pre-load adjuster knob all the way clockwise of max external pre-load.

Here is the end result. Maximum and smaller bumps are much improved over stock. At no time has any pot hole bottomed out my rear Elka with 50 psi in the bag. Rebound and total control as the whole bike is planted. But at the end of the day the stock shock still had a softer hit over the moderate bumps. Same for the fronts, certain moderate bumps just have a certain slap that gets through the handle bars and seat that the stock set up did a better job of absorbing. But having the bike stay where it's pointed and not zigging left and right going over bumps made the switch worth while
Dennis

[TNSpyderRyder]

Hey guys!

I know this is an old thread, but maybe you're still riding those Sypders! I'm having some issues with the rear suspension on my 2013 RT-S SE5 in which I need to replace the pump, air bag and shock. All of that is going to cost me around 800 bucks. However, I've been looking around and see that some folks are just replacing all of that with the Elka stage 2 shock. My question is, most of the time I ride with my wife, but there are some occasions I ride alone. With the difference in weight, is it going to be a huge difference in ride height or rebound between riding solo vs two up?

Basically, I'm looking to hear from someone with an RT who's made this switch and what your experience has been. It's pretty enticing since the Elka cost about the same as replacing all of the current components, and this bike has had a history or rear suspension failure from the previous owner.

Thanks!

[robhowen]

I want to reply out of courtesy, but I only did the front. So, I don't know. I will say the front results were outstanding. Good luck.
Rob

I'm looking to hear from someone with an RT who's made this switch and what your experience has been. It's pretty enticing since the Elka cost about the same as replacing all of the current components, and this bike has had a history or rear suspension failure from the previous owner.

Thanks!

[Dmetcalf]

I also want to chime in and brag about the difference the stage 2 front Elka’s made..��

[Peteoz]

TNSpyder, just for info as it is not an RT, but works the same way…….I replaced the rear shock on my ‘16 F3-L with a Wilbers, and set the air bag psi to zero (for 3 years) and it rode perfectly….. that ‘16 model had the bag with manual schraeder valve adjustment only. I paid a few bucks extra and bought the Wilbers with a manual hydraulic adjuster that let me easily alter the “height” when I rode 2 up. (Which I never used, as her 120lbs on top of my 300+ lbs was hardly noticeable).

Pete