Just for the record, I'm southwest coastal Vic at Portland, picked up the ST in 2011 from previous owner who lived at Hastings.
Bike has only given me two minor problems, one was a fuel flow deficiency which limited me to a max 100 KPH.
Was caused by a split diaphram on the fuel pump, which was repaired with silicone.
The other problem is clutch fade. When in the city with traffic lights, it's not long before I lose clutch lever, which necessitates a ten minute break at the side of the road until I regain some lever. Or switch off the engine at every pause in traffic flow.
Clutch control returns within two minutes of an uninterrupted run. Local Bike shop here has an idea on what the cause is, he will look at it next week.
I recently went on a 'rusty bolt/screw hunt' and replaced them with stainless steel. Purely cosmetic, but it filled in a rainy afternoon....