Thanks for the photos, it looks like you were doing about what I would do to the bike. Maybe longer shocks in the rear to jack the back end up. With the lazy front geometry you should stay out of trouble with stability no matter how much it's cranked up back there.
Nice fork brace, always a good idea...
Yes, the
SRV250 looks ideal. Oh well, maybe that Lifan will be a decent standard.
This little v-twin engine may be ideal for our purposes...