The shorter rear shocks are actually Progressive shocks I had in a box in my garage. I never rode it much with longer shocks on it.
It rides like it looks.
The front fairing is fiberglass, and I really do hate the idea of a fake patina. The rest of the bike is just raw metal with the paint removed. I painted the fairing silver first, didn't like it so sprayed it black. In theory I could just start "sanding" with a high grit steel wool and see what it looks like.