i have missed a few shifts, and i figured it was just because i was new to the bike.
but i just noticed that my shifter lever slides horizontally by about 1.5 inches.
you can hold it and slide it in and out of the case.
i think my missed shifts are because it had slid in and wasn't in the spot it was on the last shift.

i assume this is not good... but how not good is this? and is there an easy fix?
as far as i know, the prior owner never had the case apart for anything.

You may have lost the circlip on the shaft. You can use a hose clamp to hold the shaft in place - gently pull the shaft out of the case, then put the clamp on the shaft right up against the crankcase. If /when you have to replace the stator, you can replace the circlip then.

You may want to remove the shift lever and put a big washer between the case and the hose clamp to minimize wear to the case. Ride on!

thanks for the suggestions....

ok.. i over-stated the side play.. i measured it and its about 3/4 inch in/out.
judging by the wear on the shaft, it has been doing this for some time.

i pulled the shifter out to its maximum and used a hose clamp as suggested to hold it in place... my washer i bought was to small, so i'll get another washer thats a little bigger and redo it later. i assume that pulled out is the 'normal' position and that its sliding 'in' because of the missing circlip.. correct?

where is this circlip that must have come off? i looked at the exploded view in the manual on PDF i got from somewhere and can't really tell what holds this shaft in place.

i looks like the shaft goes over to the right side of the engine and is connected to ?? what ?? i can't tell from the picture.:confused:
is the circlip or whatever it is that holds this shaft in place on the right side of the engine? can i not get to those parts without removing the engine?

this is the first thing i've found wrong with the bike. i'm bummed :(

i pulled the shifter out to its maximum and used a hose clamp as suggested to hold it in place... my washer i bought was to small, so i'll get another washer thats a little bigger and redo it later. i assume that pulled out is the 'normal' position and that its sliding 'in' because of the missing circlip.. correct?

where is this circlip that must have come off? i looked at the exploded view in the manual on PDF i got from somewhere and can't really tell what holds this shaft in place.

this is the first thing i've found wrong with the bike. i'm bummed :(

Let me start with the last statement first - don't be bummed!! There will be other things that will go wrong with your bike, and you just did your first repair!! Congrats!! And the Forum will be here when tougher challenges arise!

Secondly, there are two circlips that hold the shaft in place - one sits on the shaft just inside the left engine cover and keeps the shaft from going out too far (like yours was doing); another one sits on the shaft up against the left side of the engine block and keeps the shaft from driving into all the bits that allow your shifter to work. These are very tiny circlips and they can pop off more easily than one would like. But the near-term fix is the same - hose clamp. Keeps the shaft from going too far in either direction.:hitanykey

ok, i'll try not to be so bummed :smiley_th


i measured from the end of the shaft to where the shaft goes into the engine case... its a tad more than 1.5inches...

so can somebody else measure theirs so i can determine if mine is at its normal extension? or is the normal extension when i push it in...

although i guess it doesn't really matter much since i can't fix it without yanking the engine apart.. but i would feel better if i know that the hose clamp is holding it out to its 'normal' position.

ok, i'll try not to be so bummed :smiley_th


i measured from the end of the shaft to where the shaft goes into the engine case... its a tad more than 1.5inches...

so can somebody else measure theirs so i can determine if mine is at its normal extension? or is the normal extension when i push it in...

although i guess it doesn't really matter much since i can't fix it without yanking the engine apart.. but i would feel better if i know that the hose clamp is holding it out to its 'normal' position.

Electrum --

The shaft should have 1/8 inch of play. You can use a hose clamp or washers, or a spacer. I used 1 plastic spacer and 1 washer but the hose clamp is also a good approach. Here is a link to photos of how I did mine to reduce from about 1 inch to 1/8 inch: (Lance328 supplied the instructions!)

http://s652.photobucket.com/albums/uu241/tourmax/Shift%20Lever%20Fix/

* mark the shaft prior to removal so you can reinstall exactly where it was
* spread open the spline on the pedal with a big screw driver so it won't push the shaft into the engine case
* it may take several attempts because the play changes slightly each time you tighten everything down.

Keep us posted on your progress! :beerchug:

i was just laying in bed last night thinking i should use a spacer like that instead of just the hose clamp....
my project for tonight !

thanks for the pictures. :lockd:

i was just laying in bed last night thinking i should use a spacer like that instead of just the hose clamp....
my project for tonight !

thanks for the pictures. :lockd:

Glad it helped!

Let us know how it goes. :beerchug:

went to checker auto parts and got some plastic spacers... i think the same ones in the pictures above... used the longer of the 2 in the package along with a washer with a 1/2inch hole. put the washer and spacers on the shaft and the shift lever now has nearly no side play.

the plastic spacer was a tight fit and i couldn't just slide it on without the shaft getting pushed back into the case... so i used some picture hanging wire and wrapped it around the groove on the shaft, ran it thru the spacer and held onto wire to hold the shaft out while i pushed the spacer onto the shaft.

seems to work fine now. i guess the 'normal' position of the shaft is the current 'out' position since it seems a lot easier now to find the shifter with my toe.
:smiley_th

went to checker auto parts and got some plastic spacers... i think the same ones in the pictures above... used the longer of the 2 in the package along with a washer with a 1/2inch hole. put the washer and spacers on the shaft and the shift lever now has nearly no side play.

the plastic spacer was a tight fit and i couldn't just slide it on without the shaft getting pushed back into the case... so i used some picture hanging wire and wrapped it around the groove on the shaft, ran it thru the spacer and held onto wire to hold the shaft out while i pushed the spacer onto the shaft.
seems to work fine now. i guess the 'normal' position of the shaft is the current 'out' position since it seems a lot easier now to find the shifter with my toe.
:smiley_th

Picture wire is a great tip! For me, this mod made for smoother down shifting. The shaft had so much play that the edge of the shifter pedal was actually scratching the frame. Reving the engine with the clutch level pulled in just as you shfit also helps with smoother easier down shifts.

Good job Electrum! :beerchug:

I certainly do not want to imply that I do things half a**, but, I fixed the problem by splitting garden hose washers and slipping them on the shaft. Three went behind the cable for the side stand switch, two on the shaft between the cable and the shift lever. Works fine, and does not scrape anything up.

Cheap and effective, sounds good to me.