I learned in my own RV-9A that there's a lot more to it than just being IFR current in a legal airplane... some of my experience is at
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=161935.
Friendly words of advice, based on my experience:
* Depending upon what you've got in your panel, there could be a humongous learning curve. I found demonstration videos on youtube, and lots of step by step instructions in the manuals, but nowhere did I find good answers to specific questions on what the avionics were actually doing. Took me about 100 flight hours to get proficient, and from talking to others in the know, that's about right. And I'm not a newbie;
* Even with a simple airframe, the avionics in my -9A are complex enough as to require currency, maybe more than taildragger currency. Or maybe I'm just getting old;
* Always pay close attention to what the avionics are doing. There's lots of ways to get confused, sometimes it's you, sometimes it's the boxes. This is not a slam on the avionics in my plane, it happens even with the software level A avionics in bizjets;
* Work your way up in terms of wind. The RV-9A (with a fixed pitch prop) floats so much that if you increase the approach speed for crosswinds, that just means that you'll float longer in the flare;
* Work your way up in terms of clouds. The -9A, with it's light wing loading and high speed, will take you for a *ride*, even in relatively small cumulus clouds;
* If you fly on autopilot all the time, as I do, make sure that your hand flying skills don't degrade to the point that an autopilot failure is an emergency or worse. I spent the first year with the -9A learning the avionics and autopilot, and then when I went for an IPC, hand flying, it was... choose your own word. First time I ever failed an IPC.
I fly mine at 8 gallons per hour, so I've got 4.5 hours to dry tanks. I plan for two hour legs, so I'm not afraid of big zig zags for weather, even IFR, and besides, you can make quite a detour for only a few gallons at 145 knots. And if you land somewhere and the pumps are broken, you're not stuck if you've still got two hours on board.
Enjoy your IFR!
Ed