Just got off the phone with Gabe at Suzuki America. He told me that he called my local dealer and gave him the part numbers for the NEW bearing/reverse gear fix they are now offering. He said if I have the ecm upgraded he would give me a 5 year warranty on reverse gear breakage. If I DIDNT want the ecm upgraded there would be no 5 year warranty and the only warranty that would apply would be the mfg warranty. When I asked him if reverse would still be covered under my extended warranty, he told me he didnt know, I would have to take that up with the company that handles the extended warranty. (so I assume that is a yes, they would still cover it) SO, there you have it. If you have a reverse gear failure your bike (should) be upgraded to the new bearing style reverse gear. Of course, they are still covering their butts with the ecm upgrade, which I would think is not needed with the bearing fix, but who knows. I really dont forsee me going near deep snow again with my bike anyway, and if I do, its going to be with tracks, not tires. Now, if you were going to be in the snow often with your quad, maybe Id get the ecu upgrade. To each his own.
I plan on going down to the dealer and telling them I want to be notified when the parts come in. I want to see with my own 2 eyes that I get a bearing and not a bushing.

Hope this helps someone.


Geoff