the shift lever is digging into the engine cover. So when I wiggled the shifter it moves in and out enough to contact the engine cover. Should I be worried?

 

Yeah, fix it.

If it is the shifter wiggling figure out how to tighten the shifter up. If it isn't clamped tight enough, tighten the clamp bolt. If there is no gap in the shifter to allow tightening it up, take off the shifter and hack saw the gap a bit bigger.

If it is only the play in the shaft, but the shifter is tight on the splines, bend the shifter out. It got bent in some time in a tip over or something.

 

Mine wiggles so bad I've been hitting neutral, way too often, when upshifting. I've done the removal trick but I've crashed too many times and the lever is toast. My shift shaft is fine, much to my relief.
BTW, don't order the IMS KLX250R/300R lever if not going stock...it hits the case because it's not long enough (maybe mine was mislabeled, IDK).
I'm going stock because the soft lever has definitely saved the shift shaft.
I'm also planning on making a copy of Dan888's case saver.

 

I bought an MSR shift lever (about $25) and it seems to work pretty well - other than the one time it slipped off the spline from a light fall - with the bolt still inside...
http://www.bikebandit.com/aftermarke...lever?m=148849

Never tried it, but heard an aftermarket shift lever for a Honda XR650L (not sure about specific years) works and is a bit longer, which is good for people with larger feet.

 

Hey Tacoma660,

I am not quite on topic but relevant - two posters mentioned things to consider that I have fresh experience with:
Maximus mentions the soft shift lever saving his shifter shaft...
rgmr mentions the aftermarket shifter for a Honda 650L as a longer option...

I believe they are both right. I used the MSR shifter for the 650L (93-up) part #07-0707 and it extends forward about 3/4" farther than the stock lever, making it much easier to get my size 10-1/2 boots under to shift.
HOWEVER, in a recent crash that I would consider mild (much milder than other past "get offs"), I sheared the shifter shaft off at the engine case, just beyond the oil seal in the case. The MSR shift lever did not bent or tweak a bit. After calling for an expensive 4x4 tow off of Umtanum Ridge (near Ellensburg, WA), I will be repairing the bike and reinstalling the factory shift lever and deal with it potentially bending, but hopefully not breaking the shifter shaft again!

My $0.02!

Blessings,
TC

 

You would want the lever to be the weak spot. Easy to fix, and cheaper too. You may want to look into an aluminum shift lever. This will bend before breaking the shaft. Maybe keep an extra lever in your bag for on the trail if this happens again while out in the woods.

 

Aluminum is a good choice if it is the type that will snap instead of transferring all the impact energy to the shaft. However, mild steel like the MSR XR650L model is made of is also a great choice because it will almost be guaranteed to bend before damaging the shift shaft. A lot of people hear the word "steel" and envision a stiff, indestructible component, and that's not what you want. Also some of those stiff, alloy, billet aluminum versions are not that great because they are too stiff. The thing I like about the mild steel versions is that they will usually bend, but then you can usually bend it back into a usable shape to at least get you back to camp, your vehicle, or home.

 

I figured aluminum lever would be better cuz everyone I know that had them hated the fact that they bent so easy. Then broke after bending back. So it seemed to me they were softer than the steel ones. But either way, you got my point. Whatever one is weaker, that would be the better choice here....

 

Does MSR offer different levers for the same bikes?

Every crash is different so every result is different but I sheared the shifter shaft off with the MSR xr650L lever (part # in my sig.). The crash also bent the shift return springs pin upward so that energy had to come through upward motion of the MSR lever.
The lever was not even tweaked at all.
I was thinking the softest lever for my case, wanting a longer lever, might be a STOCK xr650L shift lever???

Anyone tried that?

Thanks!

TC

 

That MSR lever many of us are using from the XR is the same mild steel unit. In fact most of us have had to tweak it a tiny bit to clear the case or for other ergonomic considerations, and it bends pretty easily. The fact that it didn't bend is just the luck of the draw in how it got hit. You know the story of a tornado driving a cheesy broomstick through a solid wooden wall. Sometimes no matter how malleable a shift lever might be, it can be struck in a way that will still break the shaft.