KDXRIDER.NET

Team,

I have recently acquired an OEM new gear lever for this bike - as a lot of play was evident in the previous lever that was on the bike.

I put this new lever on and still the same play is evident.

The shaft teeth stilll appear unworn and in good condition.

I cannot wiggle the shaft at all.

PLease help me resolve this wonkiness in my gear shifting.

Should I change shift shaft or should i simply red locktite the lever to the shaft?

Byte

You need to get down and really eyeball what is going on before trying to come up with solutions. What you perceive as play on the lever may actually be that the shaft is moving with the lever and it is not the lever at all...

Thanks Indawoods.

I actually bought a brand new OEM gear lever and bolted it on tight - still same wonkiness.

I get down on my knees and move the lever with my hand. the shaft does not move.

Byte

If the shift lever bolt is tighened and there's play between the shift lever and the shaft, then remove some material in the slot of the lever so that by tightening it, the splined opening can be pulled tighter.

I hope that makes sense...

yes i understand - thanks ski.

so - do u think the shift shaft is ok?

is this a common ailment for these models?

Byte

I have never done anything to mine.. been on there for years with no play whatsoever....

I can only think that the Aussie version has a different sized shaft and that the lever is for an American bike. Or some such combination. You might be able to check part #'s for US vs Aussie bike parts and see if there's a difference.

I have not had a problem with the KDX, but my son races quads and we have had problems with after market shifters not staying tight. You might want to check into Industrial Loctite 609 or 620. It is for mounting bearing on shafts and is designed to fill very small gaps in mating surfaces. This is NOT the thread Loctite, you usually have to get it from and industrial supply company. I clean the mating surfaces well with brake cleaner and them fill the splines with the Loctite 609 and immediately install the shift lever and tighten to spec. Let the compound cure completely before riding or moving the lever around.

Not the perfect solution, but has proven to work pretty well for me. As Skipro3 said be sure there is enough gap in the split part of the lever so the bolt can pull it down tight. I have seen where a ding would push the metal up into the slot and prevent it from clamping tight also. You should be able to clamp it down tight without anything to fill in the splines. The Loctite just helps fill in the areas where the splines are not touching so you have more mating surface and helps it stay tight.

yes- will do that.

BTW how can you tell if the shaft spline is worn?

How high should hte spline teeth be?

I do nto see any uneven wear.

I will confirm part numbers for Oz/US.


Byte

Thansk Dewey.

I will look into the industrial compound.

FWIW - the old stock lever looks like it had been there for 100 years with obvious wear pattern. So, I replaced this lever with a brand new lever OEM but the same play is observed.

THoughts?

Dewey wrote:I have not had a problem with the KDX, but my son races quads and we have had problems with after market shifters not staying tight. You might want to check into Industrial Loctite 609 or 620. It is for mounting bearing on shafts and is designed to fill very small gaps in mating surfaces. This is NOT the thread Loctite, you usually have to get it from and industrial supply company. I clean the mating surfaces well with brake cleaner and them fill the splines with the Loctite 609 and immediately install the shift lever and tighten to spec. Let the compound cure completely before riding or moving the lever around.

Not the perfect solution, but has proven to work pretty well for me. As Skipro3 said be sure there is enough gap in the split part of the lever so the bolt can pull it down tight. I have seen where a ding would push the metal up into the slot and prevent it from clamping tight also. You should be able to clamp it down tight without anything to fill in the splines. The Loctite just helps fill in the areas where the splines are not touching so you have more mating surface and helps it stay tight.

If Loctitie 620 or 609 Industrial Strength was used and then the lever had to be removed at a later date - how woudl the lever be removed wiht it being stuck in there?

Also, it has just been observed that 1mm daylight gap exists (all around shaft) between the shaft spline teeth and the sheath internal thread of the brand new OEM gear shift lever - with the lever bolt tightened to spec.

There is no wear in the spline teeth and no free movement in the shaft.

How much (mm) meat/metal should I remove to increase the clamping gap of this lever so that the lever can be clamped tighter?

Byte

Well, that's gonna just be an experiment. I'd start off in small increments removing the metal to make for a larger gap.

It sure doesn't sound like you have the right lever for your shaft though. I'm suspecting that the R version is different than a US version and this may be one of those parts that are different. Not that you can't "fix" and make it work. You just want to be sure the # of splines to the number of teeth are matching before clamping down on it good and tight.
Jerry

thanks jerry

those of you who use the loctite - how do u remove the lever if required after being cemented on?

Byte

I agree with Skipro3, it sounds like you have the wrong lever. 1 mm is a huge gap in mating surfaces. Does your old lever have this much gap?

As far as the loctite compound goes I use the 609 and you can apply some moderate heat with a heat gun to soften the compound. However the 620 is the high heat version so that may not work as well. I use the 609 and it hasn't been a problem with removing. Caution - do not over heat the shaft!

Dang, I can't concentrate with Skipro's avatar!

Thanks Dewey.

Can you or anyone give me the part # for th egear lever both the R version and other version for 220?

Jerry - I want your avatar!

BYte

Hey guys...after riding this weekend I notice my shift lever was flopping around too. Shaft looks tight (did I just say that?).

Shift lever bolt was tighened pretty good. I guess I need to remove it and try the "shave a little metal from the mating surfaces" fix. I tried loosening the bolt that holds it on but couldn't get the lever to slide off the shaft. So I stopped there. Do I need to just need to try and yank it harder (did I just say that too?) or do I need to totally remove the bolt and get a screwdriver in there and pry it open? Make sense? I don't want to goof the lever up if it is salvagable....thx

I'm pretty sure you have to remove the bolt completely. There is a groove in the shaft the bolt passes through. I doubt you'll need to pry it open wider. Maybe a bit if it is banged up.

Yes you should have to remove that bolt completely. If you do not want to buy a new lever or trust loc tite glue to get you around in the woods you can tack weld yours to the shaft and grind the weld off next time you crash it up. Last week I got a IMS lever for less than 30 bucks that bolted on real tight and looks good too. I also like the way the end folds over better than the stock one.

skipro3 wrote:Well, that's gonna just be an experiment. I'd start off in small increments removing the metal to make for a larger gap.

It sure doesn't sound like you have the right lever for your shaft though. I'm suspecting that the R version is different than a US version and this may be one of those parts that are different. Not that you can't "fix" and make it work. You just want to be sure the # of splines to the number of teeth are matching before clamping down on it good and tight.
Jerry

I have the US imported version bike and purchased/imported the OEM lever from USA.

I have not yet closed this gap but need to.

Byte