Replacing Kawasaki on JD 757

I have a later model 757 and it suffered the famous overheat and engine failure. I was looking into the Honda and Kohler options to replace the Kawasaki, but the Kohler dealer, who also is a Kawasaki dealer, recommended the less expensive Kawasaki, explaining that if proper fuel, Kawasaki 20-50 oil, and consistent blowing off the fins would allow me years of trouble free operation. The plug and play aspect of using the same engine is attractive, as I have the engine off now and need to order the replacement. Any advice appreciated, I just don't want to throw good $ after bad.