Lou,
I know this is an older thread, but I'm in exactly this position.
My 83's tranny just packed up last week after 3 years of babying the tranny to extend its life. I haven't had second gear in a while, now last week I can't get 1st, second does it's usual slip, and I have 3, 4, and 5. Pulling away in third? Nah.
I bumped into a local rider that has a 1300 with less than 30k on it out of a wrecked 2nd gen for $400. My mechanic estimates $1000 in labor and materials,
versus $2500 estimated to fix the 1200.
Thanks for posting this.
Clay