Wilsons Sandbox

Last weekend while riding near San Jacinto,CA my 1 yr. old A13 with 9000 mi. on the odometer died a horrible death. Details from the dealer have been slow in coming but it seems there was an internal failure of some kind that took the rest of the motor with it - cases,crankshaft,pretty much everything. I would imagine that this will come as a surprise to many of you because this does not seem to be something that happens to these motors,or at least not that I have ever heard in the year that I have been part of this list. The bike has been used in a spirited way on and off road but not abused. Also,it has been maintained at a very high level from mi. zero. I was hoping never to have to take it to a dealer,but its sitting at one now awaiting authorization from Kawasaki to go ahead with warranty repairs (incredibly,this happened 3 days before the expiration date of the warranty). Luckily,I have documented everything I have done to the bike,all oil changes (every 800 mi),valve adjustments, balancer chain adjustment,etc.,its a pretty extensive record. Hopefully this will all work out OK and I'll eventually get my bike back. I can't help but feel though that I might be in for a lengthly campaign. Although the KLR has been everything I expected and much more,I can't help but feel a little let down by what has happened and I have to admit while at the dealer tonight I took a long look at the XR-650 and though about what it would take to modify it for acceptable road use. Bob Conklin Laguna Beach,CA