Elka suspension’s Sport-Utility series

Growing demand for high performance ATV suspension systems in the racing world has overflowed to the utility side of things. Every day use, in comparison to a race every other week-end, is one factor to take in consideration when judging on the viability of such an expensive addition to one’s ATV. Truth is, some of the big bore utility quad users out there are almost as demanding as racers on their ride. For those, in comes Elka suspension’s new Sport-Utility ATV series.

The recent addition of racing classes with these much heavier yet very fast machines certainly encouraged the move, but Elka, a fast growing Canadian company specializing in high-end personalized suspension systems of all kinds, also had the hardcore ATV riders and extra-demanding workers in mind when designing this new line of products for large utility type rides, and we suspect that such a product can be a big success in such a growingly demanding market.
   
One important aspect to mention, before one falls deep into the realm of infinite possibilities in upgrades; is that one must analyze if such a somewhat pricy add-on is really going to change his ATV experience for the better. Truth is, most should come to the conclusion that this would simply be unnecessary.  We certainly hope the usual users won’t think of this addition as a way to transform this majestic quad into a racing flyer, it’s just not! Our main goal was to get a feel of how this promising set of technologically advanced and personalized shocks could positively affect the ride in all conditions, including ones at normal and logical under the limit speeds. Yes, these Elka shocks will bring the Sport out of your Sportsman and make most bumps a joke for this efficient vehicle, but you can’t just bolt these on and start jumping this monster around feeling invincible. This upgrade is again, something you might not need at all, if you simply ride it on occasion for leisure, but it will at the very least improve one’s chances in any precarious situation demanding quick and precise control!
 
The Sportsman 850 XP is among the most powerful utility quads available today and in its stock form, the ride does keep good control over this intimidating force, but demands great respect and caution from its rider. Its original suspension is enough to make it one of the best handling quads available. This is due to an almost perfect new geometry that keeps body roll to a minimum, with the rested position of the arms closer to the horizontal plane. In other words, the suspension travels mostly in the area where less scrub is created, perpendicular to the frame and at the pivot point’s level. What ground clearance would have been lost in the process, was corrected with the largest wheels you can find on an ATV. We just loved the idea of having an opportunity to set the ride very differently for different types of uses. Adding these incredibly adjustable and fine- looking remote reservoir units rendered this Sportsman, one mightily impressive machine!

Personalized customization
The most advantageous aspect of these is their personalized customization; each of the user’s profile details is closely looked at for the selection of many different settings. A clear and important factor to start off on, is the exact spring rate chosen to suit the rider’s weight. Elka uses proprietary springs made from high-tensile steel and keep large inventories of different rates that can cover every rider weighing from 75 to 500 lbs. Less clear was our answer when asked what our riding style was, another very important aspect taken in consideration by Elka engineers, when customizing the valving. We knew that we would ride it pretty hard and in varied conditions, so we ended up describing my riding type as recreational.  What? Did I say something wrong?… Ok, I might be beyond what you would call recreational, but our readers can’t and certainly shouldn’t be doing the same things I do, so I would be getting a normal person’s kind of set-up.

All the needed adjustments
The other beautiful thing about our set of Elka’s, is that in addition to the customized valving, I also had control over additional restriction of the oil flow through the use of very precise clicking knobs easily accessible at any time. I jacked up the high speed compression 10 clicks (turned clockwise) to attack the ground a little more aggressively and smoothed out the slow speed compression for a little more comfort and forgiveness, while going through long series of bumps. What? …Jumps?! Who said anything about jumps? I didn’t jump…much. The compression adjustments allow riders to fine-tune the suspension to their personal preference and make it softer or stiffer quickly and easily on the side of the trail or track to adapt to various riding situations or track conditions.

Installation
Of course, it felt a bit weird to strip our brand- new Polaris Sportsman 850 XP of its still shiny and very good shocks.  I was trying to keep in mind all factors that would encourage or discourage me to do such a thing, if I had truly paid for all of this. Once my two big flashy yellow Elka boxes were opened though, I zapped back to childhood and started ripping out those amazingly colorful suspension units from the claws of a profuse amount of plastic bubble wrap. My hands felt like toes as I gradually got frustrated with the challenge of merely un-wrapping them. Pulling on the exaggerated amount of tape stuck to the bubbles only made things worse. Claudette, my girld frend, was a huge help laughing while uselessly popping bubbles. Using the knife she suggestif, did speed things up a bit.

First off, we cleaned it up and then loosened the front wheels lugs. It is better not to jack the whole thing up on a centered jack for this job, as you will need to get close and almost under the ride to work well and move the a-arms up and down to align the main bolts; trust me, you don’t want that thing to fall and crush any part of you. It is best to do the front and back separately, keeping two wheels on the ground at all times, for stability while you work. Once the wheels were off, we gave everything a quick glance and inspected the brakes; why not take advantage of this opportunity to grease all the zerts too? Actual installation of the units is as easy as removing the stock ones. Two 15 mm wrenches will do, but ideally, one of these would be a ratchet type spanner. You will thus easily set your wrenches on each side of the bolt (standard ring spanner on one side) and never lose grip on them as you can quickly crank the tad exaggerated amount of threads on the bolts. This will make the whole process much faster, as dismantling and re-installing the main top and bottom bolts is almost the whole job done. Just out of curiosity, we used a common ratchet and box on one side and the simple ring spanner (box-end wrench) on the other. It was a bit tight to work with, but we managed pretty well, slipping off the bolt and having to re-align our tools only a few times. We also explored the possibility of accessing the top bolts from overhead and it was just as easy that way, with the front rack off, of course.

Our kit did come with all the necessary clips and rubbers to secure the reservoirs, but there was no instructions as to where exactly we were supposed to hook these up. Following the natural flow of its hose, we spent a few minutes trying to find a spot that would be both very secure and position the adjustment knobs in an easy-to-access fashion.   We ended up cutting thin slits close to the top edge of the large inside plastic panel of the Wheel, to pass our thin clips through. We were totally conscious of the proximity of the gas tank, sitting just a half inch behind it, so we started off by gently carving the plastic with the end of a flat screwdriver and then used both the clip itself and an x-acto knife until we had passed through that plastic, which we found to be tough enough to securely hold everything in place. Wow, not only did that go well, but our front reservoirs ended up perfectly placed for a killer look! It would have truly been a shame to have them completely hidden behind the wheels; the beautiful craftsmanship of these colorful jewels calls for maximum visibility!

Let’s get technical
Now let’s talk about the shocks themselves and what secrets they hold beneath this flashy exterior. Before any unit is marked with a serial number and sent out to a customer, it is rigorously tested on a dynamometer to ensure maximum performance and durability. Many technical features contribute to the quality, performance and reliability of these suspension units, but they also profit from a very hands-on approach by devoted Elka technicians. Each set is hand-assembled with passion within very tight tolerances; appropriate thread-locking fluid is used at several steps of the assembly process to prevent loosening from vibration and extended use. The main piston is hard-anodized, combined with high-quality shims, high-quality triple-seal heads, o-rings and wear bands that reduce heat and friction, are said to be used for greater longevity.

The ride
Increased traction and comfort were obvious changes early into our test. Yes, there is a noticeable improvement as soon as you try them on, pretty much across the board. The roll effect when cornering will be reduced, front-end diving under braking will be minimized, you will be better protected against bottoming-out and control while breeching obstacles will also improve.
 
We had chosen a fairly flat and high speed permitting circuit, which we first rode with the stock shocks and then came right back to after our fairly quick installation. We pushed it really hard on both occasions and our lap times were pretty much the same, but it felt much more physically demanding and sometimes a bit scarier with the stock shocks. The biggest improvement detected was under braking; the engine brake is a bit too aggressive for our taste on the Sportsman, and the stock units let the front dip quite quickly when merely letting off the gas. This was borderline scary when we would negotiate our very tight hairpin after a long straight. The Elka’s almost made this problem disappear entirely.

Another thing we also quickly noticed is that the beast didn’t climb up on a wheelie as much when getting back hard on the throttle. This seemed to be something that would greatly appeal to racers gunning for the holeshot in a big GNCC event. The Elka’s gave the 850 XP amazing traction off the start and allowed us to gun it a little more than we would normally do from a standstill with the stock shocks.
 
If you fit the profile, as a responsible but extra demanding rider, the Elka Sport-Utility Series can be something you will truly enjoy for its ability to render the ride, not only more comfortable but also safer to use in very extreme conditions. Determining your needs is the key to the perfect suspension set-up!