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M2 or Elka- Worth the Money?

C

CapnPete

New member
Just bought the Vred front tires/General rear but not mounted yet. Already have the sway bar mod (which IS worth it).

Looking at some (very expensive, it seems to me) after market shocks. Like to get feedback before laying out 2 grand for 3 shocks. I would like to hear from others which is (M2-Elka), or is not, worth the money.

Thanks for your time

Cap'n Pete
 
I have the M2's on mine and absolutely love the adjustability of them. Customer service is great and he (Marcus) will make sure you are happy with your purchase.
 
CapnPete said:
Just bought the Vred front tires/General rear but not mounted yet. Already have the sway bar mod (which IS worth it).

Looking at some (very expensive, it seems to me) after market shocks. Like to get feedback before laying out 2 grand for 3 shocks. I would like to hear from others which is (M2-Elka), or is not, worth the money.

Thanks for your time

Cap'n Pete
Click to expand...

We have some screaming specials right now...basically, the first 50 sets I sell...are going to be at huge discounts "to get the word out". We would be glad to provide these shocks to you and give the best support we can.

https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?122314-M2-SHOCKS-PRICING-SPECIALS-for-Spyder-and-Ryker&highlight=M2Shocks
 
I know they were not mentioned, but BRP Can Am has offered Fox Shox as an accessory. On our Spyder, we had already installed the Baja Ron swaybar. Yes it was an improvement. A short time later I installed Fox Shox. Overall, out of the box they were valved good and have a better spring rate for enthusiastic riding. Granted, no compression or rebound clickers, however, for most people once set, if they ever even truly dial in the suspension, the clickers stay at set and forget.

Not sure what the current retail and street price on the Fox stuff is. With careful shopping, I got our set of Fox Shox for about $375, delivered and no tax.
 
Tough one....

The M2 have not been around on this site for very long so hard to say how well they are in the long run. So far the look, installation and service is getting good reviews. There are many more out there. I have the Fox with shock re-locators and are very happy with them many I ryde with have the RaceTech (up there with the Elkas) and there are several others....happy hunting...:thumbup:
 
Just bought a 2015 F3 S and it came with the Elka stage 3 front shocks and a Baja Ron's sway bar and comparing it to the 2012 RS S I had is like night and day in the handling department, the RSS did have Baja Ron's sway bar but stock shocks and with the sway bar it was better but still didn't have the planted feel the F3 has. Most of my riding is in the mountains and the shocks really make a difference in the cornering feel of the Spyder. Stock shocks are always built to a price point and the ones that come with the Spyders are an emmulsion type which mixes the oil with the nitrogen and when used, which is any time you ride, they have a tendency to foam the oil-gas mixture which isn't a good thing, after market shocks such as Elka, M2 and others separate the oil and gas which makes for a much better ride and better control so I would say worth the money if you like better control and handling. Just my 2 cents worth.
Forgot to add that most all of the after market shocks are rebuildable and the stockers are throw away when they're done.
 
There's no real way for anyone to advise if one or two is better than the other; unless they've actually had a chance to perform head to head comparo testing with the same rider, over the same course. Any adjustable shock offers obvious custom tuning advantages over a non adjustable shock. I bought the Elka Stage 2 R; featuring preload and rebound damping. Having said that; the comparable M2 R shock looks to be a very quality unit with the same adjustable advantages (over the poor quality stock BRP F3 R shock); based on testimonials from other F3 riders here; it doesn't sound like you can go wrong with the M2 brand either.

I'm very satisfied with my Elka so far; it has a larger diameter main rod than the F3 stocker, and the springs are larger diameter too; leading me to expect longer life before a rebuild from it. The single adjustable preload wheel is a simpler system than the 3 previous adjustable motorcycle mono shocks I've owned; all of which had the more common two wheel (lock ring and adjuster wheel) system that required a hammer and some sort of punch to adjust (defines "NOT FUN"). Several small preload adjustments, with follow up test rides over the same set of roads have gotten the Elka dialed in for me, and the R of my Spyder is now in "suspension tune" with the front (stock Fox Podium Shocks). A MUCH nicer ride with improved R handling! I'll start playing around with the rebound setting soon to see if a few clicks either way improve the ride any.

The nicer (more expensive) shocks with preload, rebound AND compression damping, and/or remote resevoir, and/or hydraulic preload adustability would be the shiz; if you will take the time to experiment with them and get them exactly dialed in for you, your Spyder, and your riding style. It's a lot of extra fiddling, and if you don't have a decent grasp on what each is supposed to do; you can make your handling worse, and in all honesty most folks don't have the desire and patience to fiddle with all of them long enough to really get them dialed in. But, if you do; they are definitely worth the extra cash; when you get them set perfectly for you.

Good luck with whatever you choose!
 
Flanker presents the reality key points, the majority of riders will not make adjustments to the suspension or have the knowledge to make the adjustments.

This morning, my brother came by. He and I grew up as kids racing motocross in the mid to late 1970s. This morning though, he brought over his Yeti mountainbike. Yesterday I rebuilt the rear shock, and today the front forks. When done, he did a quick informal ride on our street and through some stuff. As he has said since the 70s, I just ride it. He has no true understanding, and tells me, I am here and tune suspension, so he does not need to. He called after a serious ride and let me know the rebuilds, clicker changes and such made it like a new bike. When I asked suspension performance questions, his answer, I don’t know, I just ride it and have me around to set it up.

On our Spyder I truly wanted Ohlins. Sadly, Ohlins were not available. I went with Fox, not saying best or worst compared to other performance shocks, but certainly work very well for us without any revalving.
 
ordered my m2 shocks yesterday talked to marcus he is very hands on and knowledgeable cant wait for them to get here
 
fatboy said:
ordered my m2 shocks yesterday talked to marcus he is very hands on and knowledgeable cant wait for them to get here
Click to expand...
I talked to Marcus a couple of weeks ago & had a totally different experience. All I could get from him (between every other curse word) was that his shocks are the best in the world (that’s a bold statement from a new company that some people never heard of) and that all other brand shocks (he said Elka & other brands) are Sh*t. Needless to say I will not be purchasing my shocks from him.
 
JS3535 said:
I talked to Marcus a couple of weeks ago & had a totally different experience. All I could get from him (between every other curse word) was that his shocks are the best in the world (that’s a bold statement from a new company that some people never heard of) and that all other brand shocks (he said Elka & other brands) are Sh*t. Needless to say I will not be purchasing my shocks from him.
Click to expand...

Well, that was my bad then...I think I remember the call...I apologize to you for your experience. I think I kept mentioning the same things to you and I don't think you agreed with anything I said or believed what I had to say regarding one of the dealers that "did a back to back in the Atlanta area". Regardless of how passionate I am and believe in my product...I will tone it down in the future. Again, my apologies.

I personally do all the design and R&D. As a motorcyclist, racer, and suspension pro for many years, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE WHAT WE DO WITH THE SPYDER...I have never been part of anything that transforms a machine more than the shocks I design and build. Let's face it, we all own Spyders, Motorcycles, etc. for our weekend joy or our primary transportation. Again, to do what our shocks do (for me) leaves me passionately "charged up". I can't help it...I love what I do.

I can't change how you will interpret my message to you, but I can tell you that I treat every customer the way I want to be treated...and even if it wasn't to you liking...it was because I believe so much in what my company does and what it provides to my customers.

I want to add one more thing. I have built so many shocks that set world records, won AMA National Championship, etc. even made "special shocks" for NASCAR Cup Cars/Late Model cars that won...and it pales in comparison to a call I got from a customer by the name of Doris and she shared her love for Spyder now as well as her boyfriend's comments on the quality of the shocks. I believe I am the luckiest man every day to do what I do for people...for a living.
 
Last edited:
I also like that the Elka's are based on my riding preference and weight vs a one size should fit most approach. Their video on how they have "recipes" for the various components in the shocks based on my custom setup I thought was interesting.
 
JS3535 said:
I talked to Marcus a couple of weeks ago & had a totally different experience. All I could get from him (between every other curse word) was that his shocks are the best in the world (that’s a bold statement from a new company that some people never heard of) and that all other brand shocks (he said Elka & other brands) are Sh*t. Needless to say I will not be purchasing my shocks from him.
Click to expand...

My experience and conversation's with Marcus were opposite from you are stating. Marcus is very knowledgeable about his product and found there customer service outstanding.
 
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