Thanks for the compliments, now that im looking at this it looks like the front of the fender needs to come down a bit or hug the wheel a little more. Here are all 4 fenders on my bike so far posted in order of installation
you can see the gap on the full stock fender and the bobbed stock fender. The front end feels much stiffer now that im running a fender AND fork brace.
#1 is cool looking but non functional, has large gap, i also bobbed it too short in the rear
#2 is functional, has large gap, makes the front look larger which is the opposite im looking to achieve with the 18" front rim.
#3 looks cool but not functional, attached to the fork brace and not the fork lowers, it actually helped throw even more water around my bike and onto my legs in the rain.
#4 functional and good fitment - still can bob for more aggressive look.
edit: i can run multiple fenders, duh. ill modify another one so i have a full fender and short option.