ELKA
My shocks themselves have been great. Obviously superior handling etc etc. BUY THEM, but read below and then don't do several changes all at once like I did.
My continuing problem is I did too much almost at once and I am still having front wheel vibrations pretty regularly. Been e-mailing with John and he's been very helpful.
My automatic air bag on my RTSM has not worked properly since Sept something with an Aug21, 2011 purchase. The system actually worked, held air pretty well, kept it about right, but every time I hit the switch, it showed manual on the CRT or what ever it is. It eventually got to the point where it quit, right about the time I rotated the fronts and added ride-on, which was a week or so after the shocks. The Ride-on balances (in theory) virtually any tires and it apparently did this after the above work. However, at the start of most every day, the front end acted up and still does (to a lesser degree) between 42 -45 and 53 to 57. Any other speed, smooth as glass. The rear shock/airbag troubleshooting by the dealer (who was great, by the way) ended up with the system quitting entirely, after it started letting all the air out when the bike was put in gear after being pumped up with an air compresser!!! At that time, Jeff, Service Manager and fellow Marine, by the way, said "Get this bike out of here, I'll call you after I talk to BRP." This was on a Sat at 4:30, by the way. I agreed whole heartedly. The theory was and still is, that the varying air bag pressure was driving the front end nuts with the geometry of the whole 3 wheel system out of wack a little, or a lot. Yesterday, after hours of prep for the big reprogramming of the auto air bag system, and a big delay when that did not make the system work, (even though the screen said it should) requiring another call to the "mothership" to the guy with the IQ to figure out what happened. Know what he said? "Go over, start the bike and see if the system works." Jeff did that, it worked and continues to work. I guess the electrons had to run around in circles for 30 minutes or so, with the switch off, before the BUD system said "Bingo!" So now the shocks have been readjusted to their setting from ELKA, the rear shock holds about 45 to 50 pounds for my fighting weight of 170 and the ELKAs continue to be great, the air bag is great, the Ride-on is great, except the front end still wobbles some at the above speeds of 42 and 53. John has suggested I get the front wheels balanced, I had taken the weights off all 3 wheels, since the Ride -On is supposed to balance them, with out a computer, by the way!! The rear wheel will have the original # of weights replaced on Friday, Ride-on will do it's trick and I promise to never write a thing this long again. The wheels did have a lot of weights and I should have know better, except I had rotated the tires and the old weights were no longer appropriate. Did I tell you about the venting from the canister hose in the middle of this also? I promised Jeff I wouldn't do the canisterectamy on the bike or him :yikes: this time, but he'd better get the new can here in 2 days or no more Semper Fi for him!! :banghead: . Other than this stuff, the first 9,000 miles have been super - the water pump oil seal, that's another day's adventure. I'd almost forgotten about that in all the excitement.
I really did shorten this, don't want anyone falling asleep and having qwertyuiop embedded in his/her head.
GET THE ELKAS and do one thing at a time so you can figure out what is happening.
Good night Virginia.
Tuck
I have no idea why changing the front shocks would make such a change on a smooth freeway, but they do. Some people are lucky and get a scoot that handles well from the factory. If you are one of those, I'm not sure what the Elkas could do for you. I wasn't lucky.
. Highly recommend Elka and Len at Cowtown...
