I wish I would have thought of the idea myself. Never tried it but he guarantees it for life. Sort of a long wait but for $160 its worth a try. Instructions say dremel off the old rod and install the new one
http://betterlever.com/better-lever-p-1.html

 

That's a slick looking lever. When mine got so bad I had to take it in to be replaced, I told them I wanted a steel lever, not the stock soft metal one. So far its stayed tight. Spent more than 160 on that job though.

 

Cant say I will NEVER buy one and I know the guy probably has put a lot of time and $$$ into his product,which has a limited market,but I think it is quite expensive.
Next time my Lever goes "loose" Ill probably regret saying that and rush out and order one!!!. Bungo
ps. wonder why Harley never thought of that. Perhaps they did and didnt want the expense of new tooling or whatever.

 

No doubt it will last for life....... after destroying numerous shifter shafts.
Currently, should the arm become loose, the arm itself bears most of the pain. And if you do not like the idea of removing the primary to effect a repair, you certainly will not like doing that and more should the shaft itself require replacement(although that can sometimes be the case anyhow).
I do not recommend loctite on the retaining screw. Never seize is a much better idea. If it seems that the bolt is tightening without effecting a clamp situation, you can always widen the "split", though a new arm is better.
That bolt should be checked every oil change.
Loctite would obviously be your enemy there.

 

Good Morning All!

I'm going to order the non-chrome lever hopefully Mine wont strip out till after riding season. I'll replace mine over winter. If it made in America I'll buy one if not I'll have a friend make me one.

I plan to ride to Alaska and want to make my 05 RG as bomb proof as possible.

Thank a million for posting y'alls sage advise. Y'll have saved me a lot of head aches.

Phillip

 

Has anyone on here used the "Better Lever?" . . .

I would think that if the lever stays tight, even if it deforms the splines on the shaft, it wouldn't become an issue as long as it is kept tight and not alowed to slop around...

When mine became so loose that i couldn't shift, leaving me stuck for a while while i somehow tightened it up with an allen and a larg cresent on the the allen... (scetchy) i used a new screw, and i wrapped the screw with a cut up and rolled up strip of a soda can. The compression of the aluminum spred in the notch on the spline and while there is still slop, it's way better than it was.. at least it shifts!!

I would like to try the better lever when i can afford it, but i would like to know how someone else liked it first....

 

Fixed my shifter by taking the inside one and put it on the outside,it turn the bolt upside down but it works,both shifter good and tight again...

 

Same problem......I noticed that when I pushed or pressed the Shift Lever back in along the Shaft as far as it will go before tightening Screw,that it seemed to get a better "bite" on the splines. As everyone states...it will almost certainly come loose again. When it comes loose to the extent that the Lever almost comes off the end of the splined shaft you will have to stop,loosen the Screw and then push the Lever back in again before tightening up again. If you dont want to do any work until winter, a temporary measure is to fix,with good glue,a *circular Rubber stopper,(like these ones you screw into the floor to stop a door hitting the wall),onto the inside of the casing. The thickness of the Stopper would need to measure the distance between inside of casing and the face of the Lever flange ,here the shaft end is.
If fixed/glued properly,this should stop the Lever from moving off the end of the shaft when it comes loose and minimise any wear to the splines due to the lever rattling about on the end of the shaft. This "gismo" will also help re. safety, as there is nothing worse than the lever coming loose when travelling. I know the Rubber Stopper will wear a bit with gearchanges etc. but again,it is only a temporary measure,which could prevent extreme "looseness" until you are ready to strip the casings down to fix,or fit new Lever.

 

If you don't replace the shifter shaft, there's a good chance you'll be losing your shifter as you go down the road. Ask me how I know. Bite the bullet, replace the shifter shaft.

 

Thanks to whom ever sent me this link. If it is made in America and uses category 8 bolts I'm gonna get one. I'll report my my findings.

http://betterlever.com

Y'all have an awesome weekend!