Should there be about 1/4" to 1/2" lateral (in and out) movement in my shifter shaft?

After about a 45 min ride on the interstate, I got off and was stopped at a stop light. I looked down and saw my shift lever shaking. I thought the lever was loose but when I grabbed it, I noticed that the shaft had some play in it.

The bike was in neutral so I'm thinking that may have had something to do with it. The transmission works perfectly (clunk, clunk,...)

 

Had the same problem with my king, the stealer just retapped a new bolt and put a new bushing in and I was good to go

 

That doesn't seem right at all.......I don't have any movement with mine at all. Do you have mids or forwards?

 

Mids and I should probably add that I dropped the bike on that side.

It wasn't a free-fall drop. I got off the bike, thought the kick stand was down and it wasn't. I tried to hold it up but I'm not Hercules and it went down.

 

That might be the problem.....Is it sitting square on the splined shaft? I would remove the shifter and see if there is damage to the shaft or the shifter for that matter.

 

I just took a closer look, in the daylight, and noticed that the shift lever is attached to a shaft that goes through the primary and has linkage to a lever on the transmission.

The shaft that goes through primary slides in and out but is limited by the play in the linkage. Nothing is leaking and nothing is bent.

Is this normal?

 

If it slides in and out by a 1/4 - 1/2 inch like what you had said before, no I don't think that is normal. I had mids before and mine didn't do that. Is the shifter located on the splined shaft far enough where the end of the shaft is even with the outer edge of the shifter?

 

I think what is being asked is, does the shaft with the splines move in and out. Not his lever moving on the shaft.
I will have to take a look see at mine. Haven't noticed movement but it might be there.

 

Yes.

Maybe I'll look at my service manual when I get home from work and see what, if anything prevents the shaft from moving.

 

just ran out and checked mine. It moves enough to know it moves. Less then 1/8 inch for me.