With full flaps, throttle closed and most forward CG (full header, no passenger, no baggage and no wing fuel), there is not enough elevator authority to reliably flair in landing. It will work with a little power to keep some wind on the tail.

The carb is set up so that the throttle closes completely, the engine will not run with the throttle closed. This provides more drag on landing to save brakes or reduce rollout as necessary. The prop will not stop in the air, even at stall speed.

If I wanted to move the CG forward, which I don’t, I could move the battery (23 lb), behind the seat, or use one of the light weight compact batteries on the firewall.

There are times when more room behind the engine would be nice, but the trade off is a heavier plane, more surface area (parasitic drag). Moving the prop disc forward and adding volume out ahead of the CG cancels out some of your tail volume, reducing stability. I have not flown one with the long mount to see if it is noticeable.

I did not install right side rudder pedals. On trips with a passenger and bags I put the most dense stuff in the right foot well against the firewall. It makes a nice footrest for the pax. Low density stuff like sleeping bags go against the back of the baggage compartment. There is lots of room in the leading edges of the stub wing. Tool kit, tie down kit, canopy cover, air mattress and handheld radio go in there. The plane has  taken two adults, bags and camping gear to Lakeland twice nonstop from Denver.

If I were doing it over I would stick with the short mount.