As far as the 79 in a 77 frame the mods are the same. The differences in the years you already took care of, you got the VM carbs.
If you tear into the tranny to inspect for worn parts the ovedrive 5th gear is good idea.
Run a 17/32 sprockets.
The spoke wheels are lighter than mags. Improves the unsprung weight, improves handling.
Use an 11 mm bore brake master cylinder with a single disc brake up front. Using a lighter disc brake rotor helps the unsprung weight.
If you do the forks, either the Minton Mods or emulators you will need good shocks for the rear.
Do your own wiring harness. You can eliminate a bunch of the crap they put on stock. Run just what you need. Convert as many of the lights to LED's as you can. Saves current draw on the battery so the charging system can do a better job of keeping the battery charged.
Adding a volt meter to help keep track of the electrics is a good thing.
Mod the right side cover to add an oil cooler, maybe an extra oil filter.
Thats a few thing to consider as well as the other things others mentioned.
Leo