Wingmman RT what version of the Elkas did you order. I was on there site this morning checking them out.
I called their Quebec office and spoke with John (?), and he said that with my RT Limited, and even with my size (pretty big guy), that I only needed the "1 Way" shocks. That the reservoirs (the 1+ and above) were overkill. The reservoirs were for "off road sport riders that hammered the shocks and that the reservoir was for the hydraulic fluid as it overheats". For touring style riding, all I needed was the basic 1 Way shocks.
It was refreshing to NOT try to be up-sold to the higher priced item. The 1+ start at about $950 and the numbers go up from there. The 1 Ways were about $690. They custom set the shocks based on your bike, weight (and passenger & ryding style) so that when you get them (in 3 weeks) they should be already tuned for your bike. Fred has them and he also confirms that you don't need the more expensive ones. John said that when you install them (or in my case, HAVE them installed), make sure the instructions get read, because they look like they go in upside down from the stock suspension (with the spring at the other end now).
He installed some at a bike show in 10 minutes. The dealer shouldn't charge more than a half hour labor. It's a few bolts and done, according to him. I can still "twist adjust" them as needed. He said that they have sold about 150 sets of these to Can-Am ryders since April.
I love my Spyder, but I am primarily getting these because:
- At highway speeds, it gets wishy washy and wants to sway back and forth (maybe a half dozen-12 inches, but not amusing.)
- When the right edge of the roads dips down, I feel like I am tipping. (This is probably just my inner ear and old age. But it still induces a brief, but unhappy, pucker factor in me.) It's particularly bad when you are (sharply) turning one way and the the road tilts the opposite. Between G-Force and road angle, I feel like I am halfway to the gravel.
John said that they would also help with cornering and smoothing out the ride, but would definitely minimize the issues above. They come with a 1 year defect warranty. Fred says his changed his suspension about 50%, which is great, because if the difference was only 10%-20%, it would not justify the cost. 50% exceeds my expectations of how much they could improve the ride. I stood on his bike and tried to tip it back and forth and there is a huge difference.
IMO:
- More robust, tighter suspension for the RT's addl weight & higher center of gravity (safety),
- an HMT brake/running light on the rear trunk (safety),
- and a heat deflector for your brake foot (comfort)
are 3 issues BRP should have addressed in design. It is now costing me about about a $1000 to correct these on a new bike that I have just made my first payment on. Ow. Ow. Ow.:sour: