Ranger 900 ELKA Stage 4 Suspension

[Ole Blue]

100.00 Bucks more at I Shock! 2150.00 on my Rhino! Couldn't pass it up!

[Chris]

These were $2,500 through Elka after shipping. That's right at a grand more than I paid for my Walker Evans for my Rhino!

[Ole Blue]

2,200 at LSR but I couldn't get ahold of anyone! The Kid at I Shock hooked me up! I was also lookin at 4's. Kid Said this week he could sell stage 5's for 100 bucks additional. Got all my bike info. and had em in 2 weeks. Their definitely worth checkin out? Those things are a work of art tho! Wow!

[Timmi]

$2,700 for a set for my wolvy thru elka
I may have to find a deal when I do go to buy them

These were $2,500 through Elka after shipping. That's right at a grand more than I paid for my Walker Evans for my Rhino!

[Chris]

Quick Initial Ride Update

These Elka shocks and springs are on a whole different level than the OEM Polaris Sachs emulsion shocks. It's really hard to describe how much they change the ride, handling, and overall character of the Ranger 900. Elka shipped my shocks set at 15 clicks from the hardest on the slow speed compression. The rebound was set at 25 clicks from the slowest rebound.




Leaving it as Elka set the shocks, I took off across our cattle pasture. I'm used to the stock suspension, and I was bracing for hard hits that never came. It's a strange feeling when you see a big, square faced hole coming at you at 25MPH. Your shoulders tense up. You grip the wheel tightly with both hands. Your right foot braces against the floorboard. Your ready for a hit that not only smashes the jounce bumper as the shock collapses; you're bracing for a hit that's going to unsettle the chassis, a hit that feels like you just broke something in the front end and then makes the rear end kick like a rodeo bronco.

Those hits never came.




I found myself driving at least three times faster than I normally would drive. And it didn't feel unsafe at all. The faster you go, the more the Ranger just floated over ruts and holes. I run my Ranger with the rear swaybar removed. I like the articulation of the rear suspension for my style of riding. The stock suspension would wallow and lean hard in turns without the swaybar, even a slower speeds. I would exploit this handling characteristic at times by cutting the wheel at slower speeds - the body would lean to the outside - and with the rear differential in the unlocked "turf mode" it would absolutely boil that inside tire as the suspension unloaded.

The new shocks all but eliminate the body roll. The Ranger seems to lean less with the Elkas and no swaybar than with the stock suspension and the swaybar connected.




The Elkas ride more firm than the stock shocks at slow speeds. I backed out on the compression and rebound a few clicks, and I honestly didn't notice much improvement in the slow speed ride plushness. I started running out of daylight and didn't get to really test my own settings. The ride isn't harsh a low speeds, but it is firmer. I'm not real concerned as I noticed this with the Walker Evans shocks on my Rhino. The were firm but loosened up after a few hours of use.

Overall, I am thrilled to have a set of Elkas on my Ranger. We all have our vices and things we are a sucker for. Suspension is one of those vices for me. I can't wait to put more miles on this summer!

[scottwv]

What spring rate did they spec you ?

[Chris]

If I have understood the spring codes, I have 274lb rear springs and 234lb front springs

[WV Hot Rod Rhino]

cause of my ridn style i ran 450s on the front and 550s on the rear of my rhino

[Chris]

James, you got me thinking about my Rhino. The Walker Evans shocks I installed had 250lb front springs and 400lb rear springs. The suspension geometry must be very different between the Ranger and the Rhino.

[scottwv]

You may have misread the codes ?? The spring rate should be determined by how heavy your bike is...I have 525 lb on the rear of mine. You are right about the ride quality...the faster you go , the better they ride !