Koop
New member
Replaced the stock shocks and springs with Elka units this morning. I'm an ex-motorcycle roadracer and I have a fair amount of experience with shock (and fork) set-up. My main gripe with the stock shocks was stiction in the front. When riding through a sweeping curve the shock on the outside of the turn compresses as the body rolls while the shock on the inside extends. This is a low speed movement of the shaft/piston.
With the stock shocks, the low speed movement would hit sticking points due to internal friction of the piston and seals. When this happens, the shock movement stops momentarily, then suddenly releases and compresses or rebounds. This meant constant correction through a curve - kind of like connecting the dots through a turn rather than describing a sweeping arc.
With the Elka shocks, this isn't an issue. The low speed damping is near perfect and the Spyder turns so much better. I might have to do a little fine tuning on the rear. I expected a plusher feel to the rear than I'm getting. I'll let the shock settle in and it might loosen up a bit before I start fiddling with it.
With the stock shocks, the low speed movement would hit sticking points due to internal friction of the piston and seals. When this happens, the shock movement stops momentarily, then suddenly releases and compresses or rebounds. This meant constant correction through a curve - kind of like connecting the dots through a turn rather than describing a sweeping arc.
With the Elka shocks, this isn't an issue. The low speed damping is near perfect and the Spyder turns so much better. I might have to do a little fine tuning on the rear. I expected a plusher feel to the rear than I'm getting. I'll let the shock settle in and it might loosen up a bit before I start fiddling with it.
