Motorcyle purchase in California

Before the body of this post, I want to say... Although I wanted to bring my motorcycle from Japan, my export/import agent and I had no luck finding a cargo company that would take a motorcycle from Japan to USA or Canada (or even any country in American continent). So I decided, instead of to take my RTW-ready XT660Z, to find and buy a motorcycle in US. As some might have similar issues bringing your bike to North America from Asian countries, this may help you a little.

I spared about a week stay in SF to buy a motorcycle for the trip and get some parts installed on the bike. I picked California to be the place to buy a motorcycle for the trip for some reasons;
1) I know I can buy a moto or a car in CA as long as I have money and mailing address for DMV registration,
2) I can start my trip without hassle of documentation (temporary importation to US is a lot of work and my 2013 XT660Z didn't make its way to American continent),
3) I can briefly test the motorcycle riding across some states for weak parts and come up with upgrades necessary for the trip.
4) There will be enough time for me to pick up the vehicle title in San Diego after 6-7 state trip in the US, when I visit another good friend of mine in 2-3 weeks (because the title takes about 3 weeks to be mailed to the registered address)

To start with the search of my motorcycle, I have considered a couple of candidate within my budget, 5,000 usd, with a reliability and ease of finding parts on the way....

KLR650 - a cheap and reliable adventure motorcycle with enough off-road capabilities and stock 23L fuel tank, carbureted... no fuel injection, but many people have traveled around Latin America and the world with this motorcycle

CRF250L - a newer design than KLR with a fuel injection, wish it has more engine displacement, good gas mileage close to 40km/l, a small fuel tank but upgradable with aftermarket IMS tank

F650gs - seems to be a good competition with KLR650 aside the price paid for the badge

V-Strom 650 - similar to KLR650 but is lean towards on-road riding than KLR

and more...

I found a 2008 KLR650  at SF Moto with approximately 4,800miles already on the bike with pannier brackets installed. Finding a used moto in a better customs/condition for the trip seemed quite difficult without driving a car and spending unforeseeable time waiting for it to come out in the used motorcycle market. I decided to take this KLR650 as my partner for the trip.

the KLR650(the first day)

Getting ready for 6 state: To get used to the new bike and see what will likely to be wrong in the trip later on. I planned a trip going through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and back to California. To start with the trip, I have brought a several universal accessories from Japan for my partner in the trip while other accessories to be figured out after the purchase of the motorcycle...
- USB/Cigar Lighter Socket: Daytona universal kit which I also use in Japan very reliable

- Wolfman Rocky Mountain Saddlebags: to be tested in the trip but it has a good reputation on the internet
- Smartphone mounting kit: I need this to use my smartphone as a navigation system while being charged

first time working on the KLR 

After installation of the accessories, I took a day trip from my friend's house in San Mateo to Santa Cruz to see how the bike and tires perform in winding roads and open highways.