So Cal Suspension

Extra light is always beneficial. Maybe I'll look into designing a set for that location.

Is this your bike? If so, how long have you ran these fans? I have two concerns, that should be easily answered. 1) What is the CFM of each fan? 2) Has the varying voltage (ie, not a constant 12v because of no battery), shortened the life-span of the fan motors? Other than those two, looks VERY clean, and well done! That should help people who ride in the heat of the summer here in So-Cal.

Haha, at first, I was like... "is this a true story?" Good one!

Thanks for the kind words, guys. I just got out a few hours, and dear God do I have a ton of emails, voicemails, and PM's to respond to. I will try to get to them asap. Basically, I went in for another Colonoscopy to try to figure out what the deal is with my stomach. The doctor got in there and immediately told me that I wasn't leaving for a while. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in October 2009, and have been having nothing but problems since. No medications seem to work, and the surgery to remove the colon is a last resort. When I went in on Monday, the plan was to try an IV infusion therapy sometime on Wednesday after specific blood and stool tests came back. If the infusion didn't work, the only option was surgery. The blood tests came back inconclusive early Thursday so we were at a road block. The infusion therapy is only 30-40% effective, and the risks of... well... death... were too high to move forward with that without the proper tests. Thursday evening a specialist from UCLA came down, and met with my GI Dr, my regular doctor, and the resident Internal Medicine doctor at the hospital. The 4 of them decided the best route would be to control the symptoms right now, while they await the results of more intensive testing. So basically, I'm in a holding pattern until the tests come back later this week. My GI Dr took another 18 biopsies during the colonoscopy, and removed two growths that were considered obstructive. The medication I'm on to control the symptoms is only a short term band-aid as the long term side effects would be worse than the Ulcerative Colitis itself. So in conclusion, I have a few sets of shocks that will be shipping out first thing on Monday, and several sets that are in process. Sorry for the delays, but hope everyone understands... Thanks!

You won't have a problem with 10% ethanol. Us Californians can't buy gas at the pump WITHOUT at least 10% ethanol added. Never noticed a difference in anything I've owned.

So as of right now it looks like Ill be driving out from CA, and bringing John from JL Engineering, Eric (Diskoe), and maybe Austin (flyhighprerunner). I'll be bringing the buggy (hopefully have a new one by then), and will be bringing all of my tools and parts to do whatever shock work needs to be done out there. I'll be making some good deals on parts and labor while I'm out there. I'll have some t-shirts, stickers, and some other cool shit to be giving away. Nothing better than tuning your shocks AT the dunes. Should be a killer time!

A 180-140 drop on the mains is pretty significant. That might have had something to do with it. Sounds like it was running very lean, and grenaded. You can't always rely on plug color. Different types of premix and gas will produce different colors. Plug color is a good starting point, but shouldn't be relied on 100%.

Don't take this the wrong way, but asking me what valving to put in your shock, is like asking a motor builder to give you porting templates. I will say this, though. Adding a mid-stack will GREATLY improve the way the shock handles, in your specific situation, hard landings. I don't always use mid-stacks, but I will be doing two of them today for two customers. Mid stacks have their up's and down's. You will sacrifice performance in one area, to gain in others.

I think you need to consider doing a mid stack, and play with your low speed, rather than messing with the highspeed. You're missing a valving plate on your high speed, also.

The rear will be too long, and the fronts will be a TAD short. I believe the rear on a blaster is like 15.5"... Not 100% positive, but I think I recall them being longer than a stock banshee rear. Also, the fronts I think are 13.5"

Ice racing, drag racing, flat track, TT, or the street...

California doesn't have such a law. The strange law we DO have, is that if the rider is under 18, the supervising adult must have a safety certificate from the state. I've never once heard of, or seen this enforced, anywhere. I am probably wrong about this, as I've never bought a brand new quad, but doesn't the sticker say something along the lines of "no one under the age of 16 without proper training"? That's pretty much what BLM (Bureau of Land Management) does here. If the kid is obviously too small to be riding a full size ATV, they might say something if the kid looks like they're not under control.

No labor day trip? Is that even a big day up there in Oregon?

I have the original iPad, and it was great for a few weeks. The major frustrations I found with it, is it does not work with Flash, no way to lock the screen while a movie is playing (sucks for kids who constantly want to touch shit). I have never used the iPad 2, but I haven't turned mine on in about a month or so... browsing the internet is kinda difficult, and I always hated the fact that it constantly opens new windows, rather than tabbed browsing.

They do float very well. My buddy runs them because he's 380lbs, and the skinnier ones weren't working out for him...

First, I will address this. Typically, you will get 30-50% longer life span between rebuilds with an Elka or Axis shock vs. Works, Ohlins, PEP, etc... There are two main reasons for this. Seal quality, and seal tolerences. Elka and Axis use higher quality seals, and tighter seal tolerances, thus allowing a longer life-span. The parts, however are more expensive. Elka rebuild kits are in the range of $36-$44 each, whereas Works, and PEP are around $18 each. Labor costs are the same. Second, if you are a recreational rider, a set of Works dual rate shocks would be MORE than sufficient for you. They key is, if you are buying new, know what arms you will be buying before you order your shocks. I never recommend, when buying new, to buy triple rates. Triple rate shocks work great on lighter bikes, but there is no benefit on a Banshee. Banshees are too front heavy to utilize the third spring on a triple rate shock. In conclusion, stick with dual rates with reservoirs. Works shocks will work great, but if you want the best of the best, order some Custom Axis shocks.

I agree with Jay. Those kendas are not only fairly heavy, but they look funny as well. They are short and fat, and look odd, in my opinion. The sand star fronts are good (but a little pricier), as well as those GBC's that Jay posted.

If it sits really low, odds are you will be bottoming out and smashing your frame constantly. 450 shocks are generally pretty soft on a Banshee in stock trim. You need to find out what length shocks your arms were designed for, and have a manufacturer build you shocks to match. Since you are in Canada, I would suggest calling Elka first. Top of the line shocks, in my opinion, would be a set of Custom Axis shocks. If you're on a bit of a budget, give Tim at Works Performance a call, and he can get you dialed in with a great set of shocks.

If they are stock length, they are 16.8" eye to eye.

I saw this on GD... Still love the OG Rhino...

Yeah, I was on my honeymoon. Thanks for the kind words! I'm still currently sitting in Charlotte, NC waiting for my connecting flight, and won't be home until later tonight.

I don't know how long the shocks are off the top of my head, but you will most likely have caster/camber issues with them on stock arms. If possible, pick up a set of aftermarket a-arms with either adjustable ball joints, or heims, that you can accommodate your caster angle.

Well played with the pun, larry. LEshee. Nitrogen pressure should theoretically not affect the dampening of the shocks. For example, if one shock is completely empty of nitrogen, and the other is charged to 200psi, you most likely wouldn't be able to tell. I'm sitting in Charlotte, NC right now waiting for my flight, so I won't be able to go into GREAT detail about them, but I got an email from a supplier while I was on vacation, that has new seals available for those shocks. For a few months, I did not work on them because the quality of seals was sub-par. The labor for each shock is $75, plus parts. I do not have a confirmed price on these seals yet, but I would not imagine it to be more than $30 per shock. Shipping anywhere in the US is on $5. Oil, and nitrogen are included in my labor costs.

No, they will actually be set up really well for XC. They are set a little softer than a "trail" shock, would be. I generally set up dune shocks with very light compression, since most of the stuff in the sand is really light choppy stuff, that the shock needs to react to quickly. They will be perfect for you.

These are some of the best looking shocks I've done. I'd have to look at the invoice for be 100% sure, but I know they are stock length shocks, SHOULD BE valved for +2's with a 210lb dune/desert rider. When Mike sent them to me, honestly neither of them had ANY issues at all. One was a little dirtier than the other, so Mike wanted that one to be rebuilt, just in case any dirt got sucked into the seals. He forgot, but I ended rebuilding both of them, because I don't like just doing one shock at a time. These things were practically brand new inside and out. Stripped and coated the springs, and polished them up. I was sad to see them leave. Someone will get an awesome set of shocks buying these.