The Honda parts bin is pretty interchangeable. There are a number of bikes that used the 41mm forks like the CB-1, so the triple is not necessary. However I do not believe you can just do forks as the brake caliper mounts won't line up. This particular setup grabs the entire front end of the F2 from forks down, including wheels, rotors, calipers.
The advantages are mostly aesthetic and based on personal preference. I get two rotors up front vs one, which I like
. I get to use 120 size front tires, which gives me a broader selection of sport tires. I get adjustable preload, but really you can do just as well (maybe better) with cartridge emulators in stock forks. Or if you get an F3 (later model) front end, I believe those are 41mm cartridge forks. Some people put F3 fork internals inside F2 forks (mostly the Hawk guys, because they want to keep the F2 front wheel speedo pick up thingy, I think), but that's extra work I'm not willing to put in
