Guys I'm back to Toronto in one piece, lol. Here's a summary of my trip:
I'm lucky I got rain gear: Wetskins rain suit from CdnTire, oxford rain seal boot cover, and a pair of plastic gloves from dollar store. A kid at the rest stop called me Spongebob, but I think I look more like big bird. Ran into torrential downpour on my way back near Belleville, visibility dropped so quickly I had to turn on my hazard lights, lucky the truck from behind saw me and slowed down. I took at least 10 stops from Montreal to Toronto due to heavy rain.
Catskills + Lake Placid area got some nice roads. Even the parts where they have "Rough Road" signs are still good surface in my standards.
To my surprise, the Airbnb I rented a cabin at the very top of a mountain, it is literally the last house at the end of the mountain road. The last 1km of road is all gravel/pot hole, and I seriously thought I couldn't make it to the top. The host who also owns a R1200GS said it's amazing that I made it with a CBR250 haha
Had to eat alot of gas station food to make up for loss time, as a foodie it is something I couldn't get used to
US Harley riders rarely wave back
Luggage management is something I need to learn. With only a tank bag, small backpack and a small-mid sized saddle bag (plus an extra helmet for this trip), I had little room to move things around. I kept all my valuables in my backpack but at the end the weight really put a strain on my shoulders. The extra helmet also kept falling off and hitting my exhaust and I wasted alot of time stopping and securing it.
Overall I had a lot of fun, it is also a test of endurance as I've never done so much mileage in such a short period. I think next time I will need better touring gear for sure, and/or a bigger bike