Ted (connie_rider) hit my target perfectly.
For me, "no harm, no foul" with the pictures. Having grown up around auto mechanics and in bike shops, I like a good picture as much as the next guy. Regarding the newbie status...that is true for this site, but I can only wish I were young enough to really be a newbie. I've been riding since 1968, on too many brands to list
I have already bought a Back-A-line back brace to try to improve my classic, lousy 'merican posture. But I believe a more complaint tire is also a good thing to look into. Adding a back rest to the Russell seat is an interesting thought, that I hadn't come up with.
I don't have highway pegs installed, as my experience with them on other bikes (BMW R75, BMW R1200, Harley Tour Glide, Honda Valkyrie) didn't make much of a difference. A lot of that may be because they don't really allow me to stretch out all that much (34" inseam). The stock peg position combined with the Russell seat puts my feet pretty much where they ought to be (can raise up from the seat and stand balanced without holding onto the bars).
I lowered the pressure to 36 at the recommendation of Dan at Traxxion. He explained that the high pressure Kawasaki was specifying was to try to compensate for the...umm..."manly" size of the C14. That and the "too stiff" front springs that come stock are the reason that the front tires chew off like they were made of eraser rubber. Agreed, the lower pressure will likely make for some amount of uneven wear and shorter life, but isn't really an unreasonable number. I don't have a copy, but believe that Kawasaki lowered the recommended pressure to 39 in the newer models. The PR4 GTs that are on the bike have 3K on them at 36 PSI, and have only begun to flat spot in the center, so at my speed, mileage doesn't seem to be a big worry.
Thanks all for your input. As a group, we have an amazing amount of knowledge...and it is wonderful that folks are willing to take their time to share.
Kevin