My name is Gene Tartt. I am a Disabled Veteran and I  recently purchased a 2017 Can-Am Renegade 1000R. It is a sweet machine to say the least! I suffer from a number of injuries including a bad back, arm and hand.  I have an 07 Can-Am 650 Outlander that I have ridden for the last 9 years. It is a great machine but it will beat the CRAP out of you on these Florida trails! It actually is no fun to ride because of the pain and the beating. I almost decided to give up 4 wheeling because of the lack of fun the pain causes. At 54…..pain just gets old. I hated to give up 4 wheeling so I decided to purchase a machine designed to soak up the bumps and eat trails. Well……after a SHORT ride…..I realized that The Renegade rode STIFFER than the Outlander   Holy Cow!  Now what??   This was going to be an expensive mistake!  The Fox Podiums that came on it only have the “pre-load” adjustment. Well….there was NO WAY these were going to work.  After much thought and research…..I decided to pull the trigger and called Elka. I got Mr. Sebastian on the phone….and he proceded to enlighten me on the basics of suspensions. He questioned me on my riding style, weight, machine, etc….   He talked me out of the Stage 3’s that I wanted to order. Sebestain insisted I would need the rebound adjustment that the Stage 4’s provided. After I regained consciouness from passing out after talking price…..lol……I decided I was in too deep with my new machine to not make it right. So….I ordered the Stage 4’s.   Less than 10 days later….they showed up. They are stunning in appearance…..a real work of art!
RIDE: After an easy install….I took it for a ride.   So….are shock absorbers worth 2 grand???  HECK YES THEY ARE!!!   I NEVER thought I would spend that kind of money on shock absorbers…EVER!    But I can personally tell you that they are worth EVERY penny!  The stage 4 Elkas took the pain away!  With the factory settings for me…the ride and handeling was about 500% better!  Weird how it can ride softer….but handle and corner BETTER!  Pretty amazing. After a few weeks of tweaking all settings……I ended up at the bottom adjustments for compression and rebound. I also lowered the rears about 15 turns of pre-load. At these settings…..It is like riding a FAST PILLOW over these rough Florida trails! There is no more jarring or sharp hits. It handles WAY better than stock. Now….it is fun to ride my new machine again!  Elka put back what years of injuries took away. And that is NO joke.  It is pretty cool now to look at some serious bumps that I would never even consider before going more than 10 mph over……..and now……just gassing it and flying over them like it is nothing and ZERO pain! It adds fun AND safety to the ride. That is worth every single penny!  The guys at Elka know their stuff and make great equipment to back it up! They are very nice and knowledgeable…and I HIGHLY recommend purchasing from them for your suspension needs. I am so grateful to Sebastien and Elka’s Vice President Mr. Kingsley for their kindness and communications with me.  Thank ya’ll for making my new Hot Rod a very comfortable and safe one and for putting fun back in my life!
Sincerely and God Bless,
Gene Tartt   Sgt. USAF Ret.