Lots of firsts today..
first time at the local cycle shop other than the dealer
first time finding a few trails to ride offroad
(the Houston area doesnt have that many)
first ditch crossing
first time to eat it

So, I was riding across what appeared to be a fairly gentle slope (high on my left and low on my right) about 12 mph when the back end came out from under me. The bike came down on the left side and slid about 10 feet. It was over before I knew what happened. I do remember sliding in the grass and dry dirt about 1-2 feet behind my bike. The motor was still running when I reached over to pick it up. Apparently, the clutch was pressed in because I low sided on the left. I killed the motor and looked for damage. I was fine but the clutch lever was bent (I managed to straighten it - mostly) and the gear shift lever might also be damaged. I was able to ride the bike home and go through the gears fine, but it definitely feels like the gear shift lever is in a new position. Any advice? should I take it to the dealer or the local mechanic to have it checked out? Thanks!

 

Nice, now that you got it over with get use to it, if you ride dirt you'll be picking the bike up occasionally. I drop my bike all the time and you'll find the KLX is pretty solid. Yeah, you could bust a lever or gear selector or what ever but more often than not you just fire it up and keep going. If I were you I'd take the lever off the bike and straighten it in a vise. Less strain on the transmission since you're not bending it back while its mounted on the bike. Or just buy a aftermarket lever if you want something nicer. If your bike shifts fine and the lever isn't binding on anything just ride on. I've never actually taken the lever off the bike but I'm sure if you can't get it bent back exactly how you like it you could probably move it a few splines one way or the other to achieve the desired height at the toe portion of the lever. Make sure when you re install it that its not loose on the splines but also don't strip the threads on the lever pinch bolt. Unless you're a total meat head you could probably make it pretty snug with a normal size combination wrench.

Good luck!

 

You have a .... scratch! Ahhhhhhh!
If you want to readj your shifter left-right, I use a big wrench. If you want to readj up-down, you'll have to get the nut out pull it off and rotate it and reinstall.

 

If you're going to ride offroad, look into bypassing the clutch switch and possibly the kickstand switch.

Less stuff preventing the bike from running if you break it, is a good thing.

I don't imagine it's too fun finding neutral with a broken shift lever just so you can start your bike.

 

Also, what about your tires..? Successfully running stock tires offroad requires lots of offroading skill and experience.. Otherwise there's gonna be a lot of scratched up and bent parts... and a "speed dial" set to CareFlite..

 

Might be worthwhile picking up a couple of Brake Saver cables (similar to these:- DRC PRODUCTS -). They are a cable that goes from the brake pedal or shift lever to the frame or skid plate and keep the lever from getting too bent up when you crash. My son bent he shift 90 degrees to the side in one crash once - I very soon after put the saver cables on his bike as well.

Not entirely the main purpose of the cable, but you can see how it worked in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnUomXH93dI The shift lever came right of the splined shaft - bolt was still there etc. It went back on easily. The saver cable may have saved me from walking back through the trail looking for my shift lever...

 

I personally would not recommend disconnecting any safety device, the way I ride I need all the 'safety' I can get.

 

Skill.. where can I buy some of that?

This is my first bike and I definitely have learned that its not the ideal 80/20 commuter that I had in mind. And I'm definitely thinking of purchasing another set of wheels and tires to have the motard setup and make it a bit more commuter worthy than the stock setup. I'm lost on the comment about the tires though. Why would you say that the stock Dunlop's aren't beginner friendly? Are they too aggressive and knobby for offroading as a newbie?

 

Thanks! I'll give it a go.

 

The Original Dunlops would be pretty loosey-goosey off road.

The front tire in particular does not inspire confidence in ruts, sand, gravel, or mud.