so!
thanx to my riding buddy i was able to obtain an '08 shock that i installed yesterday. my '03 has only 6k miles logged so the stock shock hasn't seen much combat. i didn't quite know what to expect.
as other members have reported, i could notice the difference just taking her off the center stand. also have abit more clearance and missing is the sag effect i'd encounter sitting on the bike w/the stock pogo-stick. left the preload at the springs tallest setting to see how that feels initially. do'in me a modified honey-do 'mini' list and then i'm on the road for an FCF
---------(functional check flight)