Gear lever - cant change up, rubbing on stator coil cover

[KTMAndy]

I'm just getting used to the idiocincracies of my new ec 250. So far the stand spring landed me in casualty, the clocks won't work, it died on first ride out!

The clocks I'm told is a battery, easy enough fixed, I'll take them off when I regain my composure and patience.

The engine died, after checking the carb, fuel filter, brand new spark plug, as I put the ht lead plug back on for the 5th time, the ht cap fell off in my hand... Fastened it back on screwed it on firmly...

Bike started!! Result!.....

Went to change up into 2nd gear... Nothing, won't click up, pulled bike over, reached down with my hand.. Clicks up easily into neutral...

Set off again, wont click into 2nd..

Stopped the bike, wheeled it into the garage, put the side stand down, closed the door and walked away! F#?|<|ng bike!!'

Had a cup of tea, walked back down to the garage, and found that the gear lever rubs under the stator coil cover, making it impossible to change up!



There is about 20mm of play in the lever, rendering it in operational! As by nature these bike get dropped a lot, I'm guessing it's bent in.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is there a stronger lever? Is it adjustable?

Currently I'm desperately wanting to love the bike, but everything feels like its been made as cheep as possible. Im scared to drop it, or get it wet!

Help would be appreciated, suggestions, reassurance, or should I have stuck with Orange!

[pscook]

If there is play in the lever, it might just need a good nipping up on the pinch bolt. Tighten the pinch bolt until the free play is gone and give that a try.

[stainlesscycle]

that's an aftermarket shifter. i had one did the same thing. switched to oem, no problems.

[Mazikeen]

find an oem shifter and get it on order, in the short term, take the shifter off, bend it in a vise to get it out where you can use it, take some aluminum foil, fold over to 2 ply, wrap it around your shifter splines with the seam to the rear close to alignment with the pinch seam of your shifter, tap a wedge in the pinch seam of your shifter to spread just enough to place over the shift shaft splines without balling up the foil, tighten pinch bolt, ride around the yard and enjoy for a bit, knowing there is a bandaid and not head out 35 miles in the bush.

[noobi]

My 125 is living proof that they are not made cheaply. Maybe they didn't have the most R&D spent on them, but cheap and nasty? Not at all. Some things could be better, the tacho and shroud mounting springs to mind straight away.

The shifters are prone to bending at the best of times, which can cause it to bind up on the stator cover, this is only exacerbated by the cover being so close. The earlier tachos, not sure what year your bike is, were especially prone to letting water in and crapping out, most people take them off and use a sealed hour meter, I think mine lasted 60 hours before it seized on a single memory setting.
The OEM shifters are a pretty solid piece, and are priced well compared to other brands OEM shifters. I haven't come across an aftermarket shifter that works well with any brand, KTM, kawi, suzi, they all work themselves loose.
Like was suggested earlier, just bend the one you have until it clears the cover, preferably not while on the bike, you might tweak the shift shaft.

[ditezz]

Its probably slid on the shaft.There is supposed to be a circlip on the end of the shaft.Loosen the the gear lever and slide it out till its touches the circlip & presto ,fixed.You may have lost the circlip.Its a standard clip you can buy easily.If you loosen the gear lever and slide it towards the motor you will see the groove in the shaft that the circlip fits into.

[andoman]

A little off topic, but speaking of "orange:" They have the worst design I have ever seen.
The shifter (and kick-starter) sit on a tapered spline with a bolt on the end of the shaft to keep it squeezed on. If the bolt gets the slightest bit loose, then the lever slides down the taper and its instantly loose. If the rider doesn't notice right away, the working back and forth eats the tapered splines off the shaft. Many a rider of orange has replaced the shaft along with his shifter just because of a loose bolt.
Its common practice on that color bike to put red lock-tite on the splines and on the bolt. Then whack the shifter on the shaft with a hammer 'cuz the torque of the bolt wont seat the lever tight enough up the taper.
Then, forgetting to use a torch before taking the off the bolt in the future results in a snapped off bolt head and the headache of extracting the bolt shank...

Back on topic:
Mazikeen's suggestion is brilliant.

[rosco]

I don't think I've ever owned a bike that I didn't bend the shifter on it. Its usually just a matter of taking a crescent wrench or some other means of leverage and bending it back. I usually don't take the lever off for this unless it is going to take some serious force to bend it back.