A few spring projects for the 800:

[gdrudd13]

The fork springs made a big difference on mine as well. The most noticeable thing is that it doesn't dive when you're coming to a stop like it did before. I went the air suspension route, but upgrading the shocks front and rear make it so nice to ride.

[kfoster]

The fork spring kit for the 1500 has arrived  Spacer material and washers are included. Now I just need for find a few free hours to do some more spring improvements.

BTW.....It is snowing here this morning in Rochester, NY

[greenbarn]

The spring kit, I believe, comes with PVC spacers  you can cut to fit.  That's what I used.   I remember what a positive change this made in my ride on the 800.  Course, one of them had pretty BAD looking oil in it...  I didn't ride the 1500 long enough before changing the springs to notice the difference - bought it in November, and went through it over the winter.

[kfoster]

Greenbarn - I just read your outstanding fork spring thread. I also ordered the springs. I think there is some fork oil out in the shed. Now to get some spacer material. 

[kfoster]

Fifty? I almost remember being fifty......Naw, that is too long ago!

The rear shock on mine only has 12,000 mile, but of course a bunch of years. It is almost identical to the rear shock on the KLR. That unit is not too shiny either. I swapped out the spring on my old KLR to good effect, but that shock still had some rebound dampening intact. The drifter was kind of a bouncing hot mess till this week's transformation.

I have not changed the gearing yet. I see that you guys like it a bit taller. So far, I don't mind spinning the motor a little bit. It was so lean off-idle that I needed to spin it up to get beyond the flat spot. Now that I've opened up the pilot, that is not an issue. It works quite well now.

[CDNRatMan]

  I have to defer to my much older friend from the State of 0hi0, he is so close to being 50 now...lol.... anyway the shock the springs and the re sprocketing were the three things I think should be done, now that the bike is at this age those will make it feel like a brand new bike.

[greenbarn]

Yea, the stock monoshock leaves a LOT to be desired for 2-up.  I don't know if they are just worn out by this time, or if they were just never good enough.  Glad to hear it's working well for you....

Have you re-sprocketed that bike to improve the gearing??  That will make it into a new bike if you havent' done it already....

[kfoster]

Just back from a road test and short two-up ride. The Progressive shock was a great investment. The bike holds it's line far better than before. It's a bit unbalanced from front to back. The soft forks are more evident. I'll do the progressive springs at some point this year. The bike is dramatically improved when riding two-up. I think I can leave the rear shock set just the way I have it right now. I'm a tad disappointed that you can't do adjustments as easily as pre-load was on the stock shock. However, it is a very good compromise and the damping is far superior. The bike will really work well for it's intended purpose of relaxed two-up riding and weekend trips.

Woo hoo!!!!

[greenbarn]

That rear shock is something I've been wanting to do, but haven't wanted to spend that much dough on.    The front springs, however, is a "must do" mod on the 800, and 1500 as well.  Really helps out a lot.

Good looking ride you have there. 

[pcarrell]

Those are some very tasteful mods.  I'm sure you'll notice the improvements right away.

As for the forks, I've heard that the way to go on the 800 is to get a Progressive 1500 kit and install it.

[CDNRatMan]

lol I too had my seat redone and had gel pad put under my tender young buttocks, (that is for PC ) and the sides shaved and angled a bit.

Now if you do the front end, really easy, GreenBarn set me on it and I used the 1500 progressive springs and added a 14" to the spacers. What a fantastic difference. The job is really simple, I did use the recommended oil at the as in the manual amount. Really made the front stiffer and to my liking.

You will need your jack and a second on to hold the front end up, all that weight will be off it. When you do it then ask any questions I also have a bunch of pictures in the forum under the title. We can find it when you need it. Or I have them on file.

[kfoster]

Oh.......I forgot. I took the two-up seat to an upholsterer to be shaved down for comfort. So far it seems much better. I am gonna' have to consider new springs for the forks too.

[CDNRatMan]

  you will find a huge difference in the ride now.

I am starting to think of a few winter projects already and they will be mostly cosmetic.

Nice looking bike.....something about Red 800's.........

[kfoster]

I finally was able to find a set of bag mounts without having to make anything! A guy in Jamestown was selling an 800 on Craigslist. I asked if he was interested in selling the Osprey mounts and bags separately. We made a deal and I have them. Looks like I really need some longer bolts to Make the mounting easier. Other than that, they are great.

I also got around to drilling out the pilot jet screw on the carb and fattening up the mixture. The carb comes off easily and the job can be done without complete removal. The bike runs off idle much better now and requires choke for far less time. I'm kind of surprised that someone had not done it already.

Lastly, I installed the Progressive rear shock yesterday. That was not bad, once the bodywork and tool box was removed to gain access. I used jack stands to hold up the bike and my lift to hold the rear tire in position for bolt removal and installation. I will get a chance to ride the bike today. It should be a huge improvement, as the old shock had almost no rebound damping left.

Some photos in no particular order:

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