so we all know about the shift star problem on these bikes, i know im on my third, but has anyone had a real problem with the shift shaft? i just replaced mine today after it had begun stripping shifters quickly and leaving the shifter very wobbly. so basicly, anyone else have problems with that part of the bike?

 

I replaced the pinch bolt on mine with a longer bolt and a nut and it moves a little. I don't shift really hard, so I see no wear on the splines on mine.

 

Noticed that early on. Drilled the threads out of the shifter and did the bolt/nut. With the stock setup I was on the verge of stripping/breaking the shifter bolt and it still wiggled on the shaft.

 

There's really no way for the splines to get stripped out if the shifter is kept tight. The problem occurs when the shifter gets loose, and that produces the wear. If it's not noticed for a while, the damage is done, and it's irreversible.

Mine snugs up fine, but it was a little loose from the factory. I pulled the shifter off and gave it a little tweak with a pair of vice-grips (to close it a little bit). Had to tap it back on, but now the bolt holds it tight. I did hit it with Loc-Tite to insure it stays tight.

When helping a friend with his KLR recently (engine starting issue), I saw his shifter was pretty loose. He hadn't ever noticed it was loose. Fortunately, I caught it before any damage occurred. I added a little Loc-Tite to the screw, and snugged it up tight.

 

i dont want to turn this thread into a he said she said war, but i have to say that statement is a bit strong.

i have been threw quite a few shifters. the first few were bent, easily replaced. the next few (about shifter 4 threw 8 here) stripped out at the splines, the lock bolt was tight when removed. thought is was a bad shifter as it was aftermarket, so i tried stock, thinking the machining would be better. same thing happened, 3 more times. every time, the shifter had more wobble then before.

could the longer bolt and nut trick help or prevent it, i can see it, but if the shifter is already jumping teeth, i say change the shaft with the lever.

again, im not saying "this is how it happens, every time" as im a extreme case and extremely abusive to my bike, but im putting the info out there, if you are stripping out shifters, try replacing the shaft and lever at the same time.

now what thread is complete w/o pics.

the replaced shaft splines. hard to tell in pics but the splines are kinda flat and "rough".


stock shifter, kinda hard to tell the damage, but you can kinda see a line where the bolt recess on the shaft would be.


you can see how flat the splines are on the back side.


now for the easy to see, the driven brand shifter.

 

Resurrecting this old thread...
I got my bike with 40000 km on the odo. The shifter was very wobbly. Got a new OEM one - about $8 here in Thailand, where it's made. Used moly grease on the splines, was wobble-free for a while until the wobble progressively returned, about 12000 km later was as wobbly as when I bought it. Replaced the lever again, again cured for a limited time. I know a guy who bought a new KLX 250 and had about 20000 km on it when I've met him, his shifter was more wobbly than mine ever war, but he didn't seem to notice any problem with it.
I was visiting a Kawasaki dealer in a smallish town here in Thailand and the local mechanic noticed my wobbly shifter and told me he has a miracle cure for it, however I do all my maintenance myself, and have already bought a replacement shift shaft and shifter, so I didn't accept his offer. Unfortunately, his English is worse than my Thai, so I couldn't get the explanation of the miracle cure from him - probably it's the drill the threads out of the shifter and use a longer bolt&locknut?
I did a big rebuild recently and while I was at it, I put a new shift shaft (it's $7 here in Thailand!), surprisingly that's a very simple job. And a new shifter. Used moly grease on the splines, torqued the (new) pinch bolt down to spec, and two days of riding later I can feel just a tiny play between the shifter and the shaft (all new parts, bolt torqued to spec). It's as if by design Kawasaki wants us to replace shifters and shafts every now and then.
I'm gonna get a longer bolt&nut, drill out the hole in the shifter and tighten it with bolt&nut. But I'm wondering if moly grease on the splines is a good idea or not. Maybe if the splines are dry, the shifter and the shaft will interface more tightly? Any suggestions of other chemicals to use on the splines? Been considering to try the medium-strength LocTite.

 

I don't think that using moly on the splines is going to cause a problem. I think that the only method to minimize the wear is to use a longer bolt and nut to allow you to get a tighter pinch. My steel MSR lever started to get loose and after using the bolt/nut combo it's still tight after almost a years worth of abuse. Now I'm waiting for the MSR lever to snap my shift shaft off...

 

I've got 35,000 miles on mine, original shifter and shaft, and a big wobble. The mid-ride crashes and bending back of the shift lever while on the bike, so I don't fall behind probably hasn't helped. The shifter is pinched as closed as can be.
I've been putting off replacing the shaft, but after snapping another clutch cable (still waiting for it, since 11/24 thanks BikeBandit), I've decided to get a little proactive and replace it. I'm just glad it doesn't mean splitting cases. Luckily, I have a 300 bottom end that has one in good shape and can take it out as practice.

 

The shifter isn't pinching totally down on the split, is it? If so, clamping in a vise and cutting the slot wider will allow a tighter pinch. This would be the first thing I look at. I've not had any problem with my 650, have to look at the 250. This kind of thing used to happen on our MX bikes back in the 70s.

The grease on the shaft totally makes sense, that is done on drive shaft splines. The reason is if the splines get dry they can rust/corrode, then the corrosion works as an abrasive grinding the metal on both the shifter shaft and shifter. Greasing it works to prevent corrosion.

One other possibility could be to get some stud/seal (red) LocTite to put on thel shaft/splines to help lock it in place. Removable with minimal heat if needed. I'd use blue on the bolt/nut.

 

Changing that shift shaft is pretty easy, go for it! The only PITA for me was the Phillips head screw, that was in very tight, I almost stripped the head trying to get it off. Replaced it with a new one on reassembly. When I was in there, I noticed that the pin that limits the up/down rotation of the shaft had some deep scratches on it (another member had his bent), I would replace that pin as well. It's # 92150 (bolt, return spring) in Crankcase page of the parts catalog. Maybe replace the spring would make sense as well? After I changed my shift shaft and lever, it mostly shifts ok, but sometimes after upshift the lever hesitates a bit (maybe a second) before returning to it's middle position. It never did it before, I wonder what's going on there?

I had the same reasoning about grease - prevent corrosion. Any excess grease should squeeze out when tightening. I also use grease on the output shaft / front sprocket splines - despite the manual doesn't mention any grease. I've read some discussions where some people recommend grease (I guess waterproof is much more important than whether it contains moly or not), and some people swear by using everything clean and dry.
Drilled out the hole today and put a M6x25 bolt&nut, I only had stainless available, tightened them with as much torque as I'm comfortable to use for stainless, but the split part of the shifter still has a significant gap. No wobble right now, though. I guess it would be better to get some grade 12.9 bolt&nut.
That stud LocTite is the one I was thinking about - I don't have it, though. I think I'll stick with grease.