My old Honda has BBC and I love it. Zone start works but requires extra effort and accelerates wear on the starter rope. BBC does require additional maintenance. I got mine cheap because the owner found it hard to pull and didn't want to spend any money on it. The BBC was clogged with grass. I took the clutch apart and cleaned it, changed the oil and filter and it's still going strong nine years later. Another maintenance item is the lower bearing, if you hear a growl or rumble when the blade is stopped replace it pronto. If that bearing comes apart there will be bits all over the lawn, it is all that holds the disc in place.

Yes, the Super Bagger mulches fine. It is the same deck used on the 2007 Lawn-Boy 22271 Commercial and the current Toro 22156 Commercial w/Honda engine. It performs fine in all three modes. My version is the LB 22271. I have noticed that it holds the clippings in the housing longer than some others (actually good for re-cutting them) but this can produce a clump at stops/turnarounds. I cut a three-strip wide header all around the mowing area first. This gives the mower time to digest the clippings before coming to a stop/turnaround. I've never had a Super Recycler so I can't say if one would do the same thing on my yard. I can say that the Honda engine runs quieter and smoother than any non-OHC mower engine, and it helps make mowing a little more enjoyable.

I had a rear-discharge Honda that had a discharge chute available. I got one and used it a few times - it was the best discharging I've seen. Because it was mounted higher than a regular side discharge, it threw the grass out over a wider area with no clumping at all. You may be able to get one of those chutes and find a way to mount it on your mower. Otherwise, just mulch at the maximum deck height and go back and bag up the clippings. After that you should be able to lower the deck one notch at a time and bag or mulch normally. You should look into a new blade for that mower once you fix the blade clutch cable.

Drive control cable may need adjusting and/or the drive sector of each rear wheel may need cleaning and lube. Find the clamp on the handle that holds the engine/blade control and drive control cable housings. Loosen it and push or pull the drive cable housing - I never can remember which way it goes. What you want is about 1" of free play on the sliding handle that controls the drive. If that works and you get the proper drive control but it still squeals, it may be simply the rear wheels squeaking from lack of grease at the axle bolts/wheel hubs. The drive sectors should be cleaned and greased yearly, including the hubs, wheel gears and ratcheting drive gears. Take off and do one wheel at a time so if you forget how the washers/spacers go back you can look at the other wheel assembly. Use mineral spirits and a toothbrush to clean with. The ends of the axle have a hole for injecting cleaner and grease into the drive gear assemblies. Try to clean grit out of the hole with a toothpick or pipe cleaner, then inject some kind of solvent spray with the straw on the nozzle. I like to use the spray White Lithium Grease which contains a solvent and leaves the grease behind when it evaporates. After a few years of use, I also take a hand drill with a 1/8" bit and slowly drill a hole in the trans housing at a corner. The bit pulls the plastic cuttings out as you go, keeping them out of the trans. Then I fill it with Sten's #00 grease in the quart squeeze bottle with pointed spout. You could also use the spray grease with the straw in the nozzle. I finish this by putting a short self-tapping hex-head in the hole.