One update on this Kawasaki engine: The air filter is in a bad location. It is low on the back right next to the bagger. I've been using a bagger. After each use I have been vacuuming around the filter, then blowing it out from the inside with compressed air. A scary amount of dirt is coming out. Kaw does not put a foam pre-filter on their unit. Kohler does. I have added a foam pre-filter. It helped a lot. Saturday I was at a large auction. There were about 15 Zero-Turns for sale. 5 of them had this engine. I checked the air filters. Every one of them was incredibly dirty.
I'm thinking I might go with a bit of a snorkel set up to get it up higher with a K&N filter. It's 2" semi-rigid hose. Shouldn't be that hard to come up with an alternative.
Other than that this thing has been great so far. But, I don't like tempting fate with all that dirt.