@ bdbdbd
I agree with you one every point you said.
I just want to add one thing about bavaria and/or the German Reich. With the upcoming national feelings, people really wanted to become a nation (i.e. the failed constitutional convention in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt). And Bavarians actually just felt like being a german tribe and therfore a united German Reich would be just natural.
That Austria didn't join had simply the reason, that nobody knew what should happen to hungary, czech, and all the other "nations" in this empire. The majority of the people wanted to join. Just the Prussian and Austrian goverments couldn't agree about leadership. The triumph in the war against France 1870/71 just gave the final opportunity the found the Reich.
So it was never a question for Bavaria where to go.