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Gear selector is loose .... how to keep it from slipping??


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Hey gang,

I've a '91 VFR. The gear selector has been slipping on the spline. The pinch bolt is at maximum tightness and I don't want to strip it. I've removed the selector, cleaned both the selector and the spline for best contact. Replaced and tightened yet the selector still slips.

Aside from buying a new selector, any suggestions to ensure the pinch bolt does it's job?

One suggestion I did get was foil tape on the spline to increase the diameter of the spline.

Any other ideas / solutions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

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Sounds like it's possible that at some point in its life the lever was replaced with one that's not correct.  Whatever the reason - wear, incorrect part, etc, it will be far cheaper and easier to replace it than deal with the shaft if the splines round off.   Placing foil around the shaft is just a band aid that in the long run will probably cause more problems than it solves.  YMMV

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Thanks Cogswell.

The part has been discontinued by Honda. I've been checking classifieds and such.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks again,

Mike

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Heres a trick I have done a few times in my 61 years of working on and riding these 2 wheeled machines. Remove the shifter from the shaft, remove the pinch bolt, put the shifter in a good vise with the slot of the shifter where the bolt goes thru in a position where you can get a thin cut off wheel or a thin file into the slot.  Remove a few thousands of the inside material so the pinch bolt can squeeze it to the shaft tighter than before. Good idea to replace the bolt with a new one as well. I have done this mainly on dirt bikes back thru the years. They get beat on really bad in desert racing and endures, not so much with street bikes unless they have been run and used in a loose condition. The price is right!!!!!!!!!! Good Luck, Renzo

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Motorenzo,

Thanks. I'll see if I need to resort to that. I'm currently trying to track down a new unit.

 

I've fired off details to bike-parts-honda.com

 

Has anyone dealt with this online organization??

 

Thanks again Motorenzo.

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The steel shaft splines are less likely to have worn out than the softer aluminium clamp. 

 

You could use use a little JB Weld to build the clamp back up. Basically grease the splines on the shaft so the JB doesn’t stick to them and apply a thin layer to the inside of the clamp. 

 

I also like Motorenzo’s suggestion! 

 

Stray

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Thanks Stray.

Not having used JB Weld before, I'm assuming it will adhere to the aluminum and once on the steel shaft it will take the shape of the splines and harden.

Considering I don't have a workshop, the JB might be the simpler option.

(Still looking for a replacement part.)

Thanks again,

Mike

 

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The original shifter is steel. 

If yours is aluminum, installing the original will fix the issue assuming that the shaft splines aren’t stripped. 

 

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15 hours ago, Stray said:

The steel shaft splines are less likely to have worn out than the softer aluminium clamp. 

 

You could use use a little JB Weld to build the clamp back up. Basically grease the splines on the shaft so the JB doesn’t stick to them and apply a thin layer to the inside of the clamp. 

 

I also like Motorenzo’s suggestion! 

 

Stray

 

JB Weld is epoxy, you mix a bit of 2 different goos up good, apply, and it hardens to shape in a while.

I have used some but not a lot, but this sounds like a good possibility.

Clean the inside of the clamp / shift lever where the JB Weld will contact it, so it will stick.

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I would take Motorenzo's suggestion and widen that slot a bit.

Should fix the issue.

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On 7/21/2018 at 8:29 PM, bmv said:

Motorenzo,

Thanks. I'll see if I need to resort to that. I'm currently trying to track down a new unit.

 

I've fired off details to bike-parts-honda.com

 

Has anyone dealt with this online organization??

 

Thanks again Motorenzo.

 

I've used bike-parts-honda.com before. Good guys to deal with.  They found me a NOS front fender for my CBR900RR when even CSMNL.com didnt have one.  Fast shipping to and responds quickly to emails.  Can't go wrong with them...

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Shift levers from other Hondas will fit--and it's only the steel ones that seem to wear out like that.  I bought a bunch of second-hand alloy ones off eBay a few years ago, and I think the closest was from the 5th gen VFR, actually:

 

1385932777_2016-05-2317_18_17x.thumb.jpg.39cd07df98af6d92672f3c8cc0d21cf1.jpg

 

Ciao,

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Hey there JZH,

 

That was a great idea. Little did I know the part was discontinued. The 5th Gens look like a good fit.

 

I have one on the way, 3rg Gen, from MotoMatic here on the forum. 👍

 

I might start looking for other parts and components. I'm not planning on selling my bike anytime soon. (although, if I came upon a lightly used FJR for a reasonable price ... )

 

Thanks for the picture comparing the two.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

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