I guess I can consider myself fortunate, as the heat from my 03 ST isn't any more of an issue than any of the previous bikes I have owned, with the possible exception of the RD400. I think my GS 850 was probably the worst in terms of the heat. Any time you have 800-1000cc of engine making something north of 75HP, you can count on some heat being the result of the infernal internal combustion that results from the process. Just my opinion, I had to vent, sorry if it offends anyone.