Friends, I am a 57 year old man happily married to a 1980 bmw. She is reliable, she is proven, she is resposonsible and loyal, and she is, weeeeeeel, a 1980 BMW. Of late, I have been contmplating a --ahem-- 'relationship' on the weekends, with a Kawasaki, either a 2008,o9,or10. Here is my dillemma. They all look and sound GREAT compared to what I have at home. Every time I settle on one, the next on is prettier, but more expensive. There are a lot of new and new/used 08 09 modelds out there under 10K. Questions: Is the often mentioned Heat problem significant in the 08-09? ABS optional or a must, in your opinion? 2010 has ABS Traction control, and high-zoot braking. Have you tried it? Needed? 2010 Has the new bodywork dialed out the heat problem to any degree? Mileage: What kind of mileage do you get on any of these bkes, when ridden in anmore sedate style? Are the planned mapping improvemts 15-20 REAL, or is this what you could get by driving gently? Many thanks for your comments. Please dont tell my Beemer.