Bryon, thanks for the nice compliments. My empty weight is 848# as a tailwheel. Was 838# in the tricycle gear. As far as speed difference, I did not see any noticeable change in my speeds. I would have thought that the bigger tires and no wheel pants would have made a difference. Maybe that nose wheel out front had enough drag that it made up for the difference in the bigger tires on the mains. It is a docile tailwheel and I am loving it. Would not change back to nose gear. The paint is Poly Fiber Aerothane. Hope that answered your questions?
Thanks again,
Bruce