Mostly positives about the bike, but it is lacking the suspension for the trip at hand....
Modifications
15 May - Happy trail panniers installed. Bloody expensive - around the $800 USD for these and the mounts.
24 June - New rear tire $180 USD
15 July - Installed a tool tube in the carpark of HomeDepot. About $25 USD
Repairs & servicing
800 miles store service
825 miles lost a manifold bolt
7300 miles - quick service & oil change before heading into Mexico
Crashes & spills
Dropped 4 times while parking in the US - with the damn cheap arse factory suspension, the bike sits upright with the full load!
Road edge cave in sends me off the side in the middle of nowhere Baja with a full load pinning my leg. Damn lucky that nothing was broken.