Vulcan final drive repair

I need advise from those here in the know. Two days ago, I pulled out
of a parking spot on my 2001 Vulcan 750 with 15,000 miles. No
problems. I had to wait for traffic to clear at the street. When I
let out the clutch, all I heard was grinding in the final drive. There
was no indication of any problem or loud crack. I assume a pinion gear
broke or something like that.
I have some mechanical ability but after reading the Clymers manual,I
decided it was probably more than I can handle or have the proper tools
to tackle.
My question is what should I expect for this type of repair. I went to
Bike Bandit online parts catalog. I'm hoping I may only need the
pinion or gear that broke instead of an entire assembly. I don't want
to spend $800 to $1200 for an entire assembly if only some pinion's
spline stripped.
Any advice from anybody that had this happen would be helpful before I
head off to the repair shop.