I´m having my 02 R1 clutch replaced as I write this and it also has 15,000 miles. I opted for the Barnett spring conversion kit that only costs 100-125 dollars. You should definitely get this spring conversion mod as well as a new mechanic. They shouldn´ be trying to screw you out of that much money. I live in insanely expensive san diego and I´m not even getting charged that much for the mod. Question your mechanic, man...hey...it´s your bike.