Shift lever removal questions

[hellbertos]

Hi All-- OK, I am a bit perplexed on this one so I thought I'd pop in and see if any of you guys can enlighten me.

The shift lever on my 01 YZ125 was getting sloppy and finally got to the point that I couldn't tighten it down enough to be snug on the shift shaft (strangely, I only lost first gear but that was enough). I figured it was time to change it out as well as check the shift shaft to make sure it wasn't stripped out.

When I set off removing the shift lever, I had an absolute bear of a time getting the thing off. I can't remember the last time I took off a shift lever (its been quite a while), but I don't recall it being that difficult. A little jostling and all, but this was like extraction. I couldn't see what was holding it up or understand why it would be so difficult to remove.

My questions are: A)Is that normal?? B)If not, should I be worried that the shift shaft could have been deformed by over-tightening, by the removal process or by something else unknown to me (no I didn't gouge it or hammer on it, but I did have to use quite a bit of force to get the damn lever off)) ?? C) I noticed there was a lot of grease used during installation; much more than I think I'd have used. Normal? D) Lastly, the shift shaft has a very small amount of play in the direction of its axis. Normal? Or, is it a yellow flag??

Thanks for any input you all can pass along. I still can't believe it was that much of a hassle to get a damn shift lever off... sheeeeesh!

 

[crkid33]

i too have a 01 yz 125. first, yes they are a little tuff to get off of the shift shaft. my bike has goin through three so far this season. they were all aluminum. buy a steel shifter. they will last alot longer.

 

[hellbertos]

Thanks crkid. I thought about a steel shift lever but I am a bit worried about it chewing up the shift shaft. Have you (or anyone else out there) ever had an issue w/ that?

 

[crkid33]

its a yamaha thing i guess. i know alot of people who have had there shifter strip out. everyone of them had a yamaha 125 or 250 2t, put it this way in one race 3 people had shifter problems, they were all 125 yamaha's. they all got steel ones and it has solved that problem. no mine has not affected the shifter shaft.

 

[stumanarama]

I don't see any reason why a yz125 would be more likely to strip shifters than any other bike(perhaps its operator error?). And personally, I would steer clear of a steel shift lever unless you enjoy replacing shift shafts.

 

[crkid33]

well you would think its a yamaha thing when on the same day 3 yz shifter's stripped out. i talked to my local shop and they said they sell more shifters to yamaha. i dont know just i hear of alot of yamaha's do that. i dont think its an operator error :whoa:

 

[hellbertos]

I searched this forum and found a few entries from YZ owners who experienced this. Probably a coincidence, but a weird one.

My Q's were aimed more at the difficulty in removal. Still wonder if anyone has any theories on that and the other Q's posted.

Thanks!

 

[crkid33]

i will look into it tommorrow. i will talk to a yamaha technition and the questions you want answerd.

 

[hellbertos]

Thanks crkid! Mostly I am baffled that it would be such a procedure to remove the dang shift lever which makes me wonder if something is amiss w/ my shift shaft...

 

[cr125 2006]

I remember have a similar problem with the gear shifter on my yz 80 the grooves on the shaft had worn down completly would not come off the shaft at all it must just be a design flaw on yamaha's.

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

Not too familiar with Yamaha's here. I do know that paying close attention to keeping the bolt snug will eliminate wiggle, and therefore the longevity of the teeth. If it won't tighten up enough anymore on the shaft, perhaps the aluminum has "stretched" a little. I fixed this before by carefully removing some "inside-the-clamp-area" material with a hacksaw blade or thin file.

 

[Ol'89r]

My Q's were aimed more at the difficulty in removal. Still wonder if anyone has any theories on that !

Obvious question... Did you take the pinch bolt all of the way out of the shifter or only loosen it? Some shift shafts have a groove that the bolt sits in. Shifter won't come off without removing the bolt entirely. Not sure about your YZ.

If the shifter still won't come off, use a puller like a battery cable puller to remove it.

When you feel your shifter starting to get loose, do what 2strokes said and remove some material from the inside of the clamping area so it clamps down tighter.

 

[hellbertos]

Thanks for all the feedback. I did remove the pinch bolt. Additionally, I had to carefully pry open the gap before I could get any movement from it. It took a good 20 minutes of tapping on it, lightly prying at it and working it w/ my hands before I could get it to SLOWLY slide off the shaft. Brutal!!

Reminder on question 4 (for anyone who has some knowledge to share): THere is a very small amount of play in the shift shaft back and forth along its axis. Problem??

Thanks again guys for all the input. I am still baffled by this...

 

[cr125 2006]

Yeah I had the same prob with mine even when I filed it down I could never get it completly snug.

 

[2-Strokes 4-ever]

Yeah I had the same prob with mine even when I filed it down I could never get it completly snug.

Or........ perhaps not enough threads on the bolt? (bottoming out at the non-threaded shaft and giving a false sense of "tight"?) I would think the issue may be something very small and simple.

 

[cr125 2006]

It doesn't matter the bike is long gone :) .