I dunno about you, but I find 30 kilos more than "a bit heavier"
I am sure that are some little guys out there for whom it doesn't matter, but I would struggle, plus I don't see what the Lycoming offers that the Rotax doesn't. Why pay and carry less useful load?
People seems to have the assumption that because it's a Lycoming, it's going to be near bullet proof. The reality is that this is a new unproven engine. People though the same for the SkyCatcher: it's a Cessna, it must be tough, that is why it is so heavy compared to other LSAs. Well, it turned out to be AD central with stuff cracking here there and everywhere.
Don't judge a book by its cover!
