I can drop the bars, pictured above a bit more and things start to look better. Still...
I thought I'd just build and arrange the cockpit with some traditional bars, just to, well, get it out of the way with and likely satisfy all of yours as well as my thoughts on what it would look like. Made Nitto's B105AA bars in 42cm width (at the drops, tops are 40cm-ish, maybe a hair less, and they max at that 42cm size...) and set the levers up with them. Put the 73° stem at the same angle as the HT in this case--no cheating, and thus, it angles down eeeever so slightly--and dropped the length to 100mm as the B105's have a 95mm reach as opposed to the M151's 76mm reach. The saddle-to-brake-hood drop is right about 2.5" but concessions must be made for setup! Plus, as a non-tourer, I can get away with this much drop, though preferably no more.
This is, of course, the most traditional look. Never mind the missing drivetrain that gives a slightly top-heavy look. Regardless, this looks comfortable with itself.
I'll throw up some pictures "tomorrow" of my progress in paint removal. There was a lot, but the short explanation is that there were no more surprises.
EDIT: I suppose if I am going to allow a 2.5" drop on a traditional setup, it would be fair to see how a 2.5" drop on the 'modern' cockpit setup would work. It is much better/more attractive than the 2" version.
