The lever shown in the picture below is really loose. The bolt is tightened as far as it can go though. It slides from side to side on the shaft and jiggles front to back also. Its not the linkage but the vertical lever that's loose. Something that I need to worry about?

 

Eventually you're going to have to replace it.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...67720277,d.aWw

 

I've seen many of these loose. You can spend a bunch of money on a part called "The Better Lever" ( it does work but it takes a bit of patience to cut the old lever off ). I have removed the pinch bolt from the lever, cleaned the threads and re-installed the bolt with some blue loc-tite and it has tightened up quite nicely. The other potion is to pull the primary and replace the lever with the stock HD part.

 

Yes, you need to worry about it.

Get a wrench on it and remove the bolt, and get a new bolt. Don`t use an unmarked bolt from a hardware store, it must be a grade 8 bolt. Use a hex head bolt instead of an allen head.

See if you can remove the lever from the shaft, I think on some of the newer bikes it may be possible.

If you can remove it, inspect it for spline damage, and inspect the shaft also.

If you can`t remove the shaft:

Put some anti seize compound on the threads and under the head of the bolt, install the bolt and get it tight. Tight. Tight.

Oh, I should mention, get the bolt tight.

Hopefully the lever will then be tight on the shaft.

If that doesn`t work, you will need to remove the inner primary cover to replace the shift lever.

 

If you are lucky you'll only need to replace the shift lever. This is what mine looked like when I removed the shift lever:

I had to replace the shift pawl as well. That is a little more involved as the gearset needs to come out.

 

I got the same problem right now on the new to me bike. the first 3500miles was fine on the 4th day it came loose the bolt was stripped I replaced it with a new and in a couple short rides its loose again. Just ordered a new lever the shaft still looks good so hopfully I only have to pull the side off and replace the one part. but will try to tighten more with out stripping it until the parts get here

 

Make sure you replace all the seals while the inner is off.

 

That cast lever is a paper weight, get a real one. Our lever is stainless steel and the splines are broached to avoid stripping.

http://bakerdrivetrain.com/truss-style-shift-lever

64 bucks to save you head aches down the road.

 

is any one else running a heel shifter? It being my first bike with a heel shifter I was thinking maybe I was hitting the up shift a bit to hard?

 

This is the route that I took, along w/ a new shift pawl (Baker as well). I'm not a fan of doing work twice!!!