Chris, interesting piece.
We've touched on this before but here's a bit more detail: A mechanic I know was doing a warranty claim on a 900 monster which had broken two barrel / head studs, both subsequently shearing flush with the crankcase mouth after attempts to remove them. The importer insisted they persist with repair so they tried spark erosion on one which took ages and cost a fortune. Only when told the cost did they cave in and come across with a pair of crankcases. You look as though you were enjoying the challenge but was it an economic repair?