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Last weekend we had a free day and headed to the Badlands. (Attica, IN) for my first ride with the new shocks. I’m happy with my purchase. The ride is much better than the stock shocks ever were. They are not as good as Elka’s, but for my needs, they are perfect. I’m going to mess with the preload and damping a bit before my next ride. As they were maybe a bit too soft.

I ordered a set. They are going on now. They seem decent. I have aero complaints about fit or finish. For $150ish, they might end up being a steal (for me and my riding style). A few rides will tell, but I have zero complaints so far. I went with the white set and will eventually paint the springs when I change the frame color to copper/burnt orange. Speaking of which, I’m need a set of those copper brake line holders. Those are nice, currently my brake hoses just rub on the springs. lol. Mine doesn’t look near as nice as yours. It runs like a top and pulls hard from bottom to top, but looks worn. Thanks again for the advice .

Not at all, I appreciate the reply. Those are the same ones I was looking at. Are your lower shock mounts modified? Or is that how they were made? BTW, your bike looks great. I tried checking out the Worx shocks, but their website is not good. I need their van to make a trip to the midwest.

If it matters…. +2 +1 A-Arms -2” Swingarm mostly woods riding.

I should be embarrassed to ask. But I’m not. I have a 2002 banshee. Bought it new, rode a ton, including Roostfest 2004. But stopped riding when I had kids. (I used to be mrmatt, but couldn’t get logged back in. ) Anyway, I bought a KTM XC125 and started riding again with my 16 yr old son. We only ride about 6 times a yr, because we don’t want to risk an injury during his baseball or football seasons. I locked up a front shock this weekend. Works would have been a perfect performance and price point for me. But I guess they went out of business. I can’t justify paying for Elkas. I’m sure they are awesome, but I don’t ride frequently enough, or fast enough to justify the cost (I turn 50 in a couple of weeks). What other options do I have? I didn’t see any used ones for sale on eBay or marketplace that caught my attention. Temu and Amazon have some that are $100-$200 a pair. I’d be fine to only get 20 rides out of them. But I’d be pissed if they didn’t last 2 rides. Thanks!

I ride a set of PT mids and feel they are very well suited for trail riding. I won't consider giving them up. The PCs are excellent pipes too. If you drag two banshees similarly built, one with PTs one with PCs, the better rider will win. The guy running the PTs will just shift a little sooner, since the power comes on a little lower in the RPM band. Compare prices though. PTs are a lot more expensive than PC.

I'll be back in Indiana for Thanksgiving week. I'm considering bring the Banshee back with me. Anyone want to go riding at the Badlands on Wednesday 11/22?

Good to hear from you. I haven't been on (the bhq or the banshee) much lately either. I moved to Georgia a couple of month ago and am still looking for a few riding partners. I was planning on heading back to Indiana this weekend for the Ironman, but I've decided that 20 hrs in the truck for a 2 hour ride isn't really worth it. But, I am going to take the entire Thanksgiving week off and bring the Banshee back to Indiana, so if want to meet up for a ride at the Badlands or Haspin, let me know.

I may be able to make it on Sunday. Jay are you going?

I may be moving to Georgia, just South of Atlanta, and was wondering if there are any places to ride in the area.

I'll be there on Sunday. We are still trying to put the group together, but for sure I'll be riding with a Z400 and a Suzuki 700 Utility quad. Plus a bunch of guys with trucks/jeeps.

Stan, I won't sugar coat it, the next few months of your life are going to be the worst. Divorce is 10 times worse than anyone can imagine. It will take longer to resolve than you expect and you will go through all of the emotions in ways that you didn't think were possible. BUT, once it is over you will be a stronger man with a better life. It is hard to believe right now, but you will. My ex did the same 'out-of-the-blue' bull shit after 9 good years. I was floored, but after I had time to reflect, I realized that there were signs that I either missed or choose to ignore. Either way, it wouldn't have made a difference. She wasn't happy with me and there was nothing that I could do to change her mind. Sounds like you are in the same boat as the rest of us, she just forgot about what is important and lost perspective of her life. You will realize, like the rest of us, that this is your oportunity to improve yourself and your life. You didn't ask for this oportunity, it was given to you, and I know you will make the best of it. Don't let this sour you to women. From the number of replies to this post, it is easy to tell that there are a lot of bad women out there, but not all women are. I highly suggest finding a counselor to talk to. Your friends and family will be there to support you, but most of the time f&f can be too nice and supportive to really help you through this. A counselor has no vested interest in you, they weren't your friend before, nor will they be your friend after the sessions. They don't care if they piss you off by asking tough questions. They will make you think about stuff that you don't want to think about and address issues that you would prefer to ignore. F&Fs will skirt around these issues and point blame at the bitch. Neither of these are helpful in truly getting over this. Don't get me wrong, f&f are very important right now, but a counselor can help so much more.

Then go for it. I run a -2" in the dirt and a +3" in the sand. I modified both of them myself. Just take your time and make sure that everything stays in place when you weld it back together. The thin steel like to move around a lot if you don't control the heat.

Do it yourself if you have the skills. Since you are asking the question here, I assume that you doubt your own skills, in which case you shouldn't touch it. It will be cheaper to buy and extended swingarm on ebay than to pay a shop to extend one for you.

Worse possible outcome: You buy bike, she files for divorce, she gets bike when assets are divided. Seriously though... None of us actually know how your relationship is with your wife. But I agree that if she is using the D-card there may be other issues there and buying a bike won't make it better. D is expensive and very painful even if kids aren't involved. I'd take your time and discuss it with her over a period of time. And I mean discuss it, once the D work comes out or one of you starts getting emotional or angry, end the discussion and pick it up again in a few of days. If handled properly you will work out more than just the bike issue.