Has anyone used Elka rear shocks?

[Shaun Harris]

I found a Dyno-Tech sticker the other day and decided I'd put it on my new build. While never actually sponsoring me, Chris was always good to me, so despite the fact the business wound up and he left the country say 15 odd years ago I feel the responsibility to do my bit to repay those free dyno runs.

Good on ya for remembering such people. As has been said on here recently- so many riders think they Deserve and a sticker will be enough for max support bah humbug it will.

If any one was to really pay attention on the marketing that Sloan Frost does, a lot could be learned on how to show a ROI for potentuall or current sponsors ( Donations basically) Good will PR is the only real marketable ROI for equipment suppliers here in little ol NZ, and more often than not new sponsors are found way outside the bike industry and often come along due to some one knowing some one that knows some one

[Robert Taylor]

There is a further factor here that I hadn't discussed yet with any resellers. The owner / manufacturer of the said shocks is steadfastly against discounting, worldwide. The price is the price and its very very good anyway. Cut from very good cloth and very well educated and spoken ( private school and university educated, ex RAF navigator and commissioned, cant do better than that! ) he is of a refreshingly old school mentality where old world service is everything. He says that may sometimes cost him but he cannot alter the strong and ethical values he was bought up by, nor wants to. Moreover he is abundantly aware of the open slather ''scorched earth'' marketing that has occurred worldwide with so many products that has laid waste to so many small businesses that were in all respects doing an excellent job for their local communities / customers but were unable to have the same buying power as the big box resellers with low prices but largely appalling after sales service.
This reinforces the need for all resellers to have fair and sustainable margins
In the world of MX that attitude of I want everything at your cost or ''you give it to me because Im important'' is even worse than road racing. We sell quite a bit of stuff into MX but we steadfastly refuse to sponsor product or sell at cost. That means that we don't have so many top MX riders on the product because they seem to expect as of right that they should be sponsored the product. Even if you sell at cost you have to then sell a LOT of product at full retail to then get your accounts looking reasonable at the end of the financial year. And given that NZ is a tiny market with seemingly half of the population receiving taxpayer funded Government handouts / top ups the chances of recouping all of the profit you have otherwise given away is in fact zilch. We just dont have the population.
This is not me talking as a ruthless capitalist ( which I definitely am not ), our margins are respectable but by no means handsome and to provide an excellent level of service every business needs fair and reasonable margin.

[Robert Taylor]

I found a Dyno-Tech sticker the other day and decided I'd put it on my new build. While never actually sponsoring me, Chris was always good to me, so despite the fact the business wound up and he left the country say 15 odd years ago I feel the responsibility to do my bit to repay those free dyno runs.

Yes, Chris is a great technician but he wound the business up and sought pastures anew because he wasn't making any money. These stories are so common. That was 15 odd years ago before the internet laid waste to so many further small businesses otherwise doing a good job. But unable to compete with big box resellers who enjoy often hugely lower buying prices and operate often on 3-5% margin. But putting nothing back into our local economy by spending their profits locally where it will do most good. And also not employing locally where it will do most good. Exacerbated further by Governments inability / unwillingness to fairly and consistently tax everything that comes across the border

[sidecar bob]

So if you were dissatisfied with the delivered settings ( spring rates and valving ) you would then be more than happy to purchase further springs and to pay the going rate to have it revalved?

Isint that how it works anyway? I purchased new springs & im sure I paid at least the going rate to have my Ohlins sorted for the big fella.
Im not complaining, but thats just how it was.

[F5 Dave]

Yes, Chris is a great technician but he wound the business up and sought pastures anew because he wasn't making any money. These stories are so common. That was 15 odd years ago before the internet laid waste to so many further small businesses otherwise doing a good job. But unable to compete with big box resellers who enjoy often hugely lower buying prices and operate often on 3-5% margin. But putting nothing back into our local economy by spending their profits locally where it will do most good. And also not employing locally where it will do most good. Exacerbated further by Governments inability / unwillingness to fairly and consistently tax everything that comes across the border

Well now you mention it, it all came to a head while he was at the IOM supporting Anstey.

[Robert Taylor]

Isint that how it works anyway? I purchased new springs & im sure I paid at least the going rate to have my Ohlins sorted for the big fella.
Im not complaining, but thats just how it was.

Sadly not everyone sees it that way!

[Shaun Harris]

Well now you mention it, it all came to a head while he was at the IOM supporting Anstey.

I paid for Chris to be my crew chief one year at the TT when I was to race an RS250 there for Padgetts Racing. He ended up working full time for them after that and really moved on to different posistions. Top mam!

[F5 Dave]

Yeah pretty much the last time I saw him was at Philip Island, he was looking after Jay Vincent doing 250 GP with Padgetts & looking to move on, we went to dinner with an Italian mechanic who was even drunker than we were, which was quite a trick, but he (the mechanic) bargained the price down which was good as I ended up paying for some reason that eludes me. But that was end of last century, not heard of him this century.

[nodrog:Me]

So if you were dissatisfied with the delivered settings ( spring rates and valving ) you would then be more than happy to purchase further springs and to pay the going rate to have it revalved? ...........

Yes, because I am a Grown up and I realise that's how the world works.

Are you Judith Collins PR writer? You have still failed to answer a simple Question.

Shaun supplies me with a product, which I pay all costs for (so it costs him nothing), and he gets advertising space on my sidecar. Is that a bad deal for Shaun?

Its a simple yes or No question.

[Shaun Harris]

Yeah pretty much the last time I saw him was at Philip Island, he was looking after Jay Vincent doing 250 GP with Padgetts & looking to move on, we went to dinner with an Italian mechanic who was even drunker than we were, which was quite a trick, but he (the mechanic) bargained the price down which was good as I ended up paying for some reason that eludes me. But that was end of last century, not heard of him this century.

Padgetts shafted him wicked pay wise, but Chris also never stood up and fought for what he really was worth, he used to phone me and me him a lot whlstl I was in the uk and was always pushing him to fight for more income, I chocked when he told me what they were paying him with his level of proffesional skills and focus and commitment.

[Shaun Harris]

Yes, because I am a Grown up and I realise that's how the world works.

Are you Judith Collins PR writer? You have still failed to answer a simple Question.

Shaun supplies me with a product, which I pay all costs for (so it costs him nothing), and he gets advertising space on my sidecar. Is that a bad deal for Shaun?

Its a simple yes or No question.

Nothing is square to the DR and bugger being him with his mentallity of always making a round hole perfectly Round everytime. Anal retentative perfectionist would be close to summing him up, if it is ok to use the word Anal and the DR in the same scentence.

[scrivy]

Has anyone used Ellas rear???

You sick bastards.....

I'm telling Kai......!!

[husaberg]

AS this thread has gone way way off track anyway...

I looked arround to see if Ron Williams (Maxton)was still doing the modified Konis because One i always wondered what was in them.
and two because i just wondered if it could offer an solution that suited Scotts budget.

What i found was Ron's company is making it seems all their own stuff now.

i seen this in the blurb whaich prety much matchs what Robert had said re springs and gubins...

Suspension doesn't have a huge effect on handling when your bike is leant over. "Think about it," says Ron. "When a bike hits a bump leant over, the forces aren't barely going through the suspension. What you are feeling is more to do with chassis stiffness and tyre construction.

Compression damping control is far more important than rebound for track riding.

Progressive or dual rate springs don't really work, mainly because they don't rebound back in a linear manner. Variable compression damping is much more effective. The benefit that most people who fit them feel is down to the original springs they replaced being too soft in the first place.

They valve some nice shinny looking kit.
http://www.maxtonsuspension.co.uk/files/products.htm

Prices range from £440 for a pair of twin shocks to £710 for the top-spec GP7. Fork conversions cost between £290 and £915 for the top-spec GP25 cartridge.

[sidecar bob]

Sadly not everyone sees it that way!

Right. I mistook the gist of your post for, "if a pair of Ohlins were supplied NZ new by the distributor, they came with the required set up at no additional cost" It really does look that way. My mistake.

[scrivy]

My mistake.