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Posted by CDNRatMan
 - April 19, 2015, 18:22:47 PM

  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.

Posted by greenbarn
 - April 19, 2015, 17:33:36 PM

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....

Posted by kfoster
 - April 19, 2015, 16:27:35 PM

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!!!!

Posted by greenbarn
 - April 19, 2015, 15:50:17 PM

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. 

Posted by pcarrell
 - April 19, 2015, 11:36:30 AM

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.

Posted by CDNRatMan
 - April 19, 2015, 10:44:07 AM

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.

Posted by kfoster
 - April 19, 2015, 10:33:28 AM

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.

Posted by CDNRatMan
 - April 19, 2015, 08:32:12 AM

  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.........

Posted by kfoster
 - April 19, 2015, 07:59:46 AM

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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