You probably also need to plan a proper medical insurance and medevac insurance too, as your own insurance here may or may not cover you while you are there.
I barely feel the shifting to any gear on my '14A. When stationary, shifting to 1st was almost imperceptible. Shifting to other gears while moving was the smoothest comparing to all other bikes I own, and I don't have HD.
I ran all my under-the-hood wires inside these thermal sleeving that can stand 1200 degree F:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004GNJD0A?cache=e2ebf06e12fed26b7ce4c601c35b24c5&pi=SX200_QL40&qid=1413683205&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1