Originally Posted by TNC

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.