Rocco 0 your before and after are mixed up, the before should be the after ... yea you can fix it any time. Yea ...
Cunn1780 I'll give my left arm for that look, easy.
I will leave it as is. And honestly, I did this to one bike but I will leave yours be.
http://picasaweb.google.com/srinath.the.man/SavageChopperBuild#Ratting out is not a wilful act. Ratting out happens by itself due to negligence, carelessness etc, yours or other peoples.
If it were to get messed up, and you dont fix it cos its working fine, yes that is fine, spending money, effort and time to rat it is counter productive.
Mine came to me with a broken/bent fork a bent wheel, a bent handlebar and a smashed tank and no carb. Sakara's carb went on it, a raked out FE was made and fitted and drag bars and whatever.
I have a good clean dark green rear fender, but nothing else matched and I only got 1 side cover. I hacked it up and did a silver powdercoat on it and fitted silver parts all around on it. Mine was ratted by someone else and I got it for 150 bucks.
Your $1100 beauty will be worth 1100 as is next year, and almost at any point in its life, it will be worth 1000 if its maintained well. AKA, oil, gas, spark plugs, tires, valve adjustments etc. Rat it and the more you rat, the less its worth. Spend 200 on paint, and do flat black, yes, its now worth 700. Spend 300 and paint the motor flat black, its worth 500. So on and so on ...
I'd really ride and maintain and let it be.
Cool.
Srinath.