OK, I've sourced the black Tenax by Loxx from Germany and Stainless heavy duty Loxx-Germany. Both to arrive at my guy's shop (Petrol Lounge) later this coming week. I'll let him evaluate the robustness of both before installing. Only remaining issue is the darnn accessory rails which were supposedly coming from out of stock to back in stock.
I'm gonna be away for a week- taking a trip to the wilds of the US-- Dakotas and Wyoming- and figure that stuff will happen when I'm gone. It's too hot here in Central Texas to drive this thing but my plan is to get it finished -- the Moto II head with charging plate is really nice-- and get rolling. I'm planning on doing the Ozarks rally with some fellow Texans (well, I'm a Yank living in Texas but they seem to tolerate me- what's interesting from a cultural point of view is that NY'ers, known to be brusque and to the point, are appreciated in Texas, and from my perspective, the gentility of Texans has calmed me down, I'm almost polite now).
Thanks for all the input. I'll put up some photos once we've gone to the next stage.