sixds

Member
Mar 25, 2007
779
0
my shifter lever stripped today while riding, i didnt have a spare one around so i just wrapped the shaft in electrical tape and put the shifter back on. should i buy a new shifter lever or is there another way i can keep it on thats a bit better than electrical tape?
 

Bunya

Member
Apr 26, 2007
147
0
Well, if you have a mill and an index you can re-cut the splines. Other than that, I've never found anything that held up for very long. I'd replace it as soon as I could.

Marc -
 

Bunya

Member
Apr 26, 2007
147
0
I've been down that road a few times. I learned my lesson the first time, but I've run into it a few times on used bikes I bought so I'd say it's fairly common. I've probably ran into more kick starters being stripped than gear shifters, but the cause is still the same. If the lever gets even slightly loose on the shaft, the steel will wear the aluminum lever pretty quickly. Because it's a lever, there's a tremendous amount of torque being applied across that connection. Also, because the cross section of the spline teeth is usually triangular in shape, it's much weaker than a square shape would be. So as Indy suggests, be sure to check it regularly for looseness. Don't forget about your kick starter, and pretty much any other splined connection as well. On one bike I bought, the clutch arm was stripped due to the same thing.
 

84cr125

Member
Apr 8, 2007
292
0
temporary fix: weld it on untill your new parts is ordered. make sure you have a grinder so you can remove it so you can change it when your part comes in.
 

rmc_olderthandirt

~SPONSOR~
Apr 18, 2006
1,533
8
I was having that same problem on my '86 YZ-125. I kept trying to tighten down the bolt on the shift lever, finally stripped the bolt out. Then I put a longer bolt (case 8 strength) through wiht a nut on the other side, tightened the heck out of it, made it through another day, but then it slipped again and I ended up having to ride back ~10 miles stuck in third gear.

I finally bought a new after market shift lever for about $15 and solved the problem. I should have done that a long time ago instead of fighting with that stupid thing.

Rod
 

Moose

~SPONSOR~
Sep 16, 2006
1,091
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My shifter is loose as we speak. I kind of like it that way, as I can lift it up a bit without it changing gears. This way my duck feet have a bit of extra space.

I check it regularly, probably won't tighten it until it becomes a problem.
 

adam728

Member
Aug 16, 2004
1,011
0
Moose said:
My shifter is loose as we speak. I kind of like it that way, as I can lift it up a bit without it changing gears. This way my duck feet have a bit of extra space.

I check it regularly, probably won't tighten it until it becomes a problem.

Move it up a spline if you need more room. Don't run it loose. It will strip out, and it will happen when you are 15 miles down the trail and forgot your tools.
 

IndyMX

Crash Test Dummy
~SPONSOR~
Jul 18, 2006
5,548
2
Amo, IN
I make it a habit of only using loctite on bolts that I can't get to easily... Internal Engine bolts and the like...

Just my preference.. It's easy enough to check everything over after washing anyway.

If you develop a good routine for checking things over after a ride, you'll never have any surprises.

Nothing good about having a throttle cable break a mile or more from the truck!
 

Bunya

Member
Apr 26, 2007
147
0
mark808 said:
anyone tried loctite?
Yes, I use it on the kickstarter and it works well. I just haven't had much of a problem with any of my gear shift levers loosening up otherwise I'd use it there too. I also use anti-seize on just about everything else I take apart. Especially if it's a steel bolt going into aluminum, including the spokes, due to galvanic corrosion. It doesn't seem to be as much of a problem on newer bikes so I think they're plating the fasteners to reduce it.
 
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