My stock shift lever tip was bending by about 15deg. sideways after under 2K miles. Easy enough to straighten in a vise but why need to? I recently purchased an Outlaw Racing/w Folding tip: "Yamaha YZ/WR 250F 01-05 Shift Lever" from Amazon for $17.95 delivered. It not only is Much stronger, but much more attractive as it is a solid cast anodized aluminum silver color with either a Blue or Red spring loaded folding tip, which comes in handy if the bike goes down. Check it out.
-
Hey Everyone! Vote for the Site Favourite BOTM winner for the year of 2022 HERE!
dogonit
There is something to be said in defense of stock shifter lever. By being mild steel it can bend and unbend many times while the aluminum aftermarkets can break. The mild steel oem unit absorbs and dissipates impact energy through deformation while the more rigid aftermarket units either fracture or transmit impact energy to shift shaft and it's associated oil seal and case opening. Which would you rather have to repair trail side?
Of course if you are a motorcross racer with a service rig trackside you can have that sexy aluminum unit replaced in a jiffy but if you are trail riding 50 miles from home you might have to limp home with just a busted portion of shift lever and/or an oil leak. A hose clamp can replace a sheared off portion of lever to give your toe something to work against.
Maybe modern aluminum levers are made of more malleable alloys but my past experience is you get possibly one or teo un-bending attempts then a fatigue failure.
Of course if you are a motorcross racer with a service rig trackside you can have that sexy aluminum unit replaced in a jiffy but if you are trail riding 50 miles from home you might have to limp home with just a busted portion of shift lever and/or an oil leak. A hose clamp can replace a sheared off portion of lever to give your toe something to work against.
Maybe modern aluminum levers are made of more malleable alloys but my past experience is you get possibly one or teo un-bending attempts then a fatigue failure.
The lever is made to be soft and bend. This is a weak spot so your shaft doesn't break. Shift shaft is more likely to break than bend because it's hardened. The lever is suppose to be the weak link for that reason.
My stock shifter has been bent by a rock 10-15 times and bent back. It in no way resembles an unblemished shifter. So glad it's so soft so I can bend it back.
Have a pair of vice grips along can be used should it break out on the trail, no matter what shifter you use.
Have a pair of vice grips along can be used should it break out on the trail, no matter what shifter you use.
Admiral, I like your idea of adding vise grips to my tool bag, good for other jury-rigged repairs like Purples throttle cable other uses in a pinch. Good tip!
Bob nailed it by pointing out that the sacrificial part should be the accessible affordable part, not a shift shaft.
So rather than drawing conclusion that something deserves POS status I view the bendable shifter as another elegantly engineered energy absorption device. Same goes for the stock skid plate. It's rubber mounts and flexible thin guage metal slow down the duration of impact force transmittal resulting in less destructive energy going into rest of bike. Remember the old days before concept of controlled crush was engineered into cars? after a crash maybe the car would be intact but driver dead cause car almost instantly transmitted energy directly to driver. Why do you think your helmet has foam? Not for comfort! All of this whether it be a bendable shifter, rubber mounted skid plate, crushable bumpers and helmet lining all accomplish "energy absortion" through increasing the time duration of impacts. Milliseconds count. Remember your high school claculus!
Now if only some way to make Ricochet offer a rubber mount for their large stiff skidplate and maybe my light bulb filaments , teeth and frame welds will last longer. You can really feel the difference in you hands, teeth and seat of the pants when that big plate takes a blow compared to softer OEM plate's delayed energy transmittal.
Bob nailed it by pointing out that the sacrificial part should be the accessible affordable part, not a shift shaft.
So rather than drawing conclusion that something deserves POS status I view the bendable shifter as another elegantly engineered energy absorption device. Same goes for the stock skid plate. It's rubber mounts and flexible thin guage metal slow down the duration of impact force transmittal resulting in less destructive energy going into rest of bike. Remember the old days before concept of controlled crush was engineered into cars? after a crash maybe the car would be intact but driver dead cause car almost instantly transmitted energy directly to driver. Why do you think your helmet has foam? Not for comfort! All of this whether it be a bendable shifter, rubber mounted skid plate, crushable bumpers and helmet lining all accomplish "energy absortion" through increasing the time duration of impacts. Milliseconds count. Remember your high school claculus!
Now if only some way to make Ricochet offer a rubber mount for their large stiff skidplate and maybe my light bulb filaments , teeth and frame welds will last longer. You can really feel the difference in you hands, teeth and seat of the pants when that big plate takes a blow compared to softer OEM plate's delayed energy transmittal.
Aftermarket folding tip shifters do look much better I must admit. Nothing wrong with bling. MSR does make a steel folding tip line in various lengths.
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
