Valin Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 I just picked up a YFZ450 front end for my shee build. I have to get shocks, and am having trouble deciding which to get. I can pick up a set of used very little Elka Dune edition shocks in great shape for $350. Should I fit the bill and get those, or just spend the $175-$200 to get the stock YFZ shocks? The Elka's certainly look alot better, and the bike will be black and red, so they will suit the bike wicked. The other side of things is that this is a ground up build from an old, beat up chassis, so it's costing me quite a bit of cash to do, and there's still alot of parts that I need to get and could put the additional $150 or so towards. So, are they worth getting and holding the build off a bit, or should i just opt for the 450 shocks? I do have to say though, I am leaning towards the Elka's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbcmudtruck Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Your going to need shocks that are 16.5" long for that front end to work right. I have 16.5 elka tripple rates with rezzies and they work great for jumping and trail riding. The steering is stiff and really sucks when I lower it out for racing though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 Your going to need shocks that are 16.5" long for that front end to work right. I have 16.5 elka tripple rates with rezzies and they work great for jumping and trail riding. The steering is stiff and really sucks when I lower it out for racing though. The Elka's are the stock 450 length, I believe. They are the shocks that they sell for the 450's with stock arms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evro Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 i'm not trying to say they're better, but suzuki ltr450 shocks work also. they are about 17.5 inches eye to eye. the rezzies are vertical to the shock so you have to point them forward, unless maybe they'll clear some inframe pipes? you have to use spacers to fill the shock mounts, but i'm not sure about the yfz450s or the elkas. how much of the front end were you able to get? again, i'm not trying to tell you they're the best available, but they are certainly an option and they come in red and white for sure. I finished my swap a few weeks ago and have about 10 hours of trails on the new front end (with some big air!)and i am very happy with it overall. No comparison at all to stock handling. i have some photos of my swap as well. if you're interested in seeing them so you know what your up against, let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 I picked up the a-arms, and tie rods for free. I was planning on using the stock banshee spindles. Am I able to? I would like to retain roughly stock ride height. The Elka's were mounted on a 450 SE model on stock 450 SE arms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evro Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 I picked up the a-arms, and tie rods for free. I was planning on using the stock banshee spindles. Am I able to? I would like to retain roughly stock ride height. The Elka's were mounted on a 450 SE model on stock 450 SE arms. the spindle question is quite a can of worms around here. some guys do it and claim no problems, other guys swear it'll burn out ball joints due to stress and overextension. i used the full 450 setup; arms, spindles, hubs, calipres, tie rods and brake lines (rotors are the same) so i cant give you any first hand experience with banshee spindles. my ride height is about 14 inches i'm guessing but i'll measure when i'm out at the farm tomorrow. i'll also get you a front tire width measurement as well. the old setup with 1.5 inch rim spacers sat at 44.5 inches wide i believe. your tie rods (without the ends) should be 13 5/8 inch long or slightly better. with my setup, the tires do lean slightly inward at the top but there's no way to adjust it (customizing the arms with adjustable ball joints would fix that) and the ltr coils are close, and i mean close, to the rear of the upper arm but they have never made contact. using the 450 spindles, i had to swap the upper arms.....right arm to left side, left arm to right side. it may be different if you choose to use banshee spindles. lots of guys have done this mod, so i'm sure more will add their $.02 yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 Thanks. This info is excellent. I'll look at it and see if I can find myself a cheap set of 450 spindles so I don't have any downtime when it is time to reassemble. I'm not too crazy about the idea of the tires leaning inwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbcmudtruck Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 I did the complete swap as well and stock 450 shocks were a little to short. Measure the Elka shocks and see how long they are. Even though you said they were for a stock 450, they may be longer for some reason. If you use anything shorter than 16.25, it will sit low in the front. 17.5 is the absolute max I would use. I would think that it would sit high in the front with that much! Post up a pick with the ltr shocks please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 I think I am going to pick up a set of YFZ spindles and do it right. I have put in a question regarding the shock length. Here's some pictures of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evro Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 i'll get some pics up for you guys tomorrow night...some of the finished job and few of the installation and the minor mods you'll have to do. the upper arms are a natural fit, but the lower arm mounts need to be cut approximately 1/4 inch and the pics will show you where. i was also able to get the front brake lines off the 450 and put them on too because they are a more natural fit. the banshee lines get extended pretty tight but still definitely work. i just managed to get all of the stock parts that were replaced with aftermarket. at the splitter on the front brake line, i was able to block off a line and just reroute the remaining one to the brake line fitting under the rad. the photos will show what i mean a few pics here this is the blocked line at the splitter i eliminated the line on the right in the photo and just bent the left one to suit the new front line which is dry fit in this picture this one shows how you have to cut the lower arms to fit the mounts. i used some custom fabbed spacers but you can just use washers if you want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Awesome pics. Thanks for that. I am guessing you just cut the plastic bushing down flush on the side that looks like there is no bushing in the a-arm, or are you going to install the full plastic bushing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawn941 Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 i just picked up some new elka duners for $300 shipped,,,they fukin ride like a cadilac! i would pick them up if i were u,,,colors match your bike too! $350 isnt a bad price either for for a barely used set either,,,mine only had one ride on them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evro Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Ok guys, as requested, here are a few more of the photos. this one shows the ltr length at 16.5 inches. measure is taken with the shock installed, but no rider or weight on the bike Valin, i did use the bushings also. here are some pics of the lower arms after installation. lower right side lower left side my skid plate at the front is about 12 inches off the ground, without rider weight. dont let the photo fool you, the skid is about an inch away from touching the bottom of the frame so there is definitely 12 inches there. as for the shocks, i've gotta say that $350 for the Elkas is a great deal for a high quality product. my ltr shocks ran me $260 CDN (shipped), which i thought was a great deal. my front wheelbase (after i re-alignined after taking these photos) is about 46.5 inches Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valin Posted August 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Awesome pictures and details. Thanks alot. I'm going to go with the Elka's. I'll get some pics up when I do. I am also going to try it with the banshee spindles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbcmudtruck Posted August 31, 2009 Report Share Posted August 31, 2009 Did you find out how long the Elkas were? What weight and arm length were they setup for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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