Brad, I read your question to Sebastian on increasing the Gross Weight. As the Manufacturer, you are allowed to set all Specifications on an Experimental, this includes stuff like Vh (max continuous). If you want to set your Gross Weight to 1,450, it's up to you. I believe the Upgraded XL will easily handle the load, it gets down to performance.

As for being a Private Pilot and not needing to worry about flying as a Sport Pilot, let me tell you a story. 2 years ago I went from being a Private Pilot to a Sport Pilot in about an hour after a visit to my new Cardiologist. An accidental discovery of an ascending aortic anyuerism not only saved my life, but put an end to Private Pilot for the foreseeable future. I was released to fly as a Sport Pilot by my Cardiologist about a year after the surgery.

If you set the Gross Weight over 1320 and have any number of medical issues, you could lose your Medical and not have an airplane to fly until you resolve the issue with FAA Aeromedical. I am currently pursuing a Special Issuance Medical, 7 months so far. In the interim, I can fly as a Sport Pilot. I used to think Sport Pilot was for old guys in their 60's. Shit happens.

Brad, sounds like you have it sorted out. Just wanted to make sure you were considering things that had never crossed my mind.