This may seem really lame, but I have spent over a half an hour trying to get my gear shifter back on. Any suggestion? It slides in an out, if I am not mistaken that is normal, but I don't want to push too hard. How do you hold it in place so you can put enough pressure to get it to slide on? Help!!!!

Did you remove the screw that clamps the shifter? If I recall correctly there is a groove in the shaft that the screw sits in to keep the shifter in place should the screw start to loosen, the shifter wont slip on unless the screw is removed.

Just pulled my shifter off to check, the screw has got to be out to get it off or on. Mine slipped right on, if the screw is not the problem maybe one of the splines on the shaft is a little buggered up?

chainsaw...
it sounds like your shifter shaft is sliding in and out? thats not normal.
that happened to me, and i think it is a fairly common problem. there is a clip inside the engine that is supposed to keep the shaft 'out'.. but if it falls off the shaft slides in an out.
the fix is to get a plastic spacer and slide over the shaft before you put the shift lever back on and it will keep the shaft from sliding in.

there are some pictures of the fix on this site somewhere that i used to fix mine. went to Checker autoparts and they had the plastic spacer in the 'generic parts' isle.

and for the shift lever itself.. you have to take the screw all the way off i believe to get the lever on.. since the screw slides thru a groove in the shaft.

Chainsaw.. this is the post where i had my problem, that sounds like your same problem...

http://www.vn750.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11037

http://www.vn750.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11037

Take the bolt all the way out and wedge a small screwdriver into the slot to open up the hole a little bigger and it should slide right on pull the screwdriver back out and put the bolt in:smiley_th