Hello Pfrmfr,
glad you got home safe, you can always replace things you own (although rebuilding the Laptop can be a pain
).
Yes those sleeping policemen are a pain, I generally roll off the throttle before hitting the front edge of one which helps settle the bike and offsets the throttle blip when dropping off the back edge.
You have been over here during some strange weather for us - I have not known it this warm for a while on this side of the pond. If you ride ATGATT it can be a pain - more speed helps cool you down
I live in Derbyshire with many hills and steep inclines - and understand that you do feel the weight much more in these conditions
Don't make any quick decisions just yet - do some rides back home and caulk it down to experience - not all rides aboard will be like this.