Keep on working your vision. You are doing great things and many people are learning along with you. Thank you for sharing your project journey with us.
For me, the process of building a bike from scratch has been a learning process that required a lot more than technical knowledge, it's been about developing character.
I've experienced many of your lessons. I took a one year sabbatical in 2008 to build my "ultimate" commuter vehicle. The project turned into 12 vehicle iterations and 4.5 years of sabbatical and is still not done - it never will be. There is a Zen statement, "We are all perfect, and we can all improve". Life is a journey, not a destination. With each iteration, I've had to learn many things.
We, as individuals, with self funded projects must learn to cope with our present level of perfection, while ever striving for the next level.
You are spot on about fit and finish vs. proving out concepts. This has a lot to do with learning humility.
Don't forget options like Todd's Canopies (
Todds Canopies - Home) for your windscreen. You must have a European version of this company - someone who's already done the learning and is making something very close to what you need. I wonder what shipping across the ocean would cost for a canopy the size you need?
Purchasing a monotracer might have been a less expensive starting point, but would you have been able to learn all you have? The way we learn best is often by failure - not a real popular thing in our culture - everyone wants quick "success" - but that doesn't build character.