A Dirt Bike Gear Shifter can take a fair amount of punishment. Not only does it get kicked down with the weight of your leg when you are frantically coming into a corner a little too hot, but the odd crash will put a lot of force through a gear shifter too.
How to fit a dirt bike gear shifter
As there are literally hundreds of makes, years and models of dirt bikes available it is crucial that you get the right gear lever compatible to your bike. Even the bike model being out by just one year can mean the gear lever will simply not fit, so check twice before you pull the lever out of the packet!
Step 1: Set the height of your gear shifter. Although everyone customises their bike set up to suit themselves, the majority of people will never touch their gear shifter height.
Standard settings place the tip of the shifter to sit as close to level with the foot peg as possible. We have heard of riders who have motocross boots with extra thick soles lift the shifter up a notch, but if you start with setting the lever level you should be pretty close to feeling right.
Step 2: Push the lever onto the gear shaft. Once you are happy with the angle of the shifter you can push it onto the spline. Remove the locking bolt to allow easy application. You will soon know if the lever is the right size as the shifter should be snug all of the way.
Too tight you won’t be able to put it on at all and too loose and the interlocking teeth of the shifter and gear shaft will not hold and the shifter will slip down.
Step 3: Apply locking bolt and tighten. The locking bolt will wither be a pinch bolt set up or a capping bolt which is fastened to the end of the gear selector shaft.
Check your owners’ manual for your bikes torque settings. Once tightened the shifter should have no free play feeling but bear in mind the locking bolt is usually small so be careful not to over tighten them or you may strip the bolt!
Step 4: Check gear lever action and that easy gear selection up and down is achievable. Your lever should not hit on the engine case or bike frame so pay attention to make sure you have the correct lever on or you could wind up stuck in 1st for a weekend!
Step 5: Get out for a ride! That is enough working on your bike for one week, now get out there and get some time in the saddle!
Check out the massive range of dirt bike gear shifters at MXstore:
- Dirt Bike Gear Shifters
- Hammerhead Gear Shifters
- MCS Gear Shifters
- Pro Circuit Gear Shifters
- RHK Gear Shifters
If you have any further questions about gear shifters or fitment of bike parts, don’t hesitate to contact the friendly team at MXstore
