Englishman, raised in Texas. My father was a medic in the Air Force who did a tour in Korea, and 3 in Nam, stationed with the 101st, or 82nd Airborne alot, so I lived in many places growing up. My bike has just over 37K miles on it, with 11K coming is the past year. I am a rock climbing instructor, and my bikes' bags can hold all my gear, and a rope! I have put M/C Enterprises Deluxe Freeway Pegs on it, and wouldn't recommend them to anyone. The clamp on the heat shield rubs on them, and it took over 2K miles to wear enough so they stopped making noise. Living in Denver, I can ride more than people think; if it hasn't snowed in a week, I can usually get out on my bike. People think I'm nuts, but I love riding.
Cheers!