This may seem dumb; but....

[wyliec]

I have a GS SM5 and removed the shifter and rotated it for more foot space. I then installed the shifter back on to the shaft and tried to install the bolt; but, the bolt just wouldn't catch into the threaded portion of the shifter block. In case you're not familiar with the shifter, you have a splined block at the end that goes over a shaft. The block has a small cutout to allow tightening on to the shaft. The bolt that runs through the block is parallel to the shaft.

I then removed the shifter a few times and installed the bolt with no problem. After about the 4th or 5th try I realized that the shaft was splined at the beginning and then a small section with no splines and then splined again. Keep in mind that the bolt is not run perpendicular to the splines, in case you were thinking that you drive the bolt into the non-splined area. But, the shifter block has to be installed (lined up) so that the bolt does not make contact with the splines.

Has anyone else made the same mistake?

So, if you are going to remove the shifter, don't do what I did.

[BikerDoc]

This seems like a great case in point as to why I elect to let other do it yourselvers have the glory and sit idly by..

[Bob Denman]

Look at all that you taught yourself during this excercise... :thumbup: Those shafts pretty much always have a bare spot where the bolt needs to land so that it'll line up with the threading on the other side...
(First time I took one off it wasn't any prettier... :opps:)

[Dick Wells]

My shifter has been reversed since early Summer. Extended by about double, too. I made my own floor-boards, locating my feet about 18 inches forward, and requiring that I relocate the oil tank outward about an inch-and-a-half, and routing the oil line down and under the floor-board.
Shifting is soooo much better with the extra length, since you have about tripple the pedal travel, and better "feel". Makes finding neutral a snap.
And no, in all those on-off cycles of re-positioning and trial and error, I didn't have an issue with the clamp bolt. Then, again, it's just about identical with all bike shifters in the way it's built, and I've been working on them since about 50+ years ago. I can easily see where hitting those splines would be easy enough, though, and there's always the chance that your shaft and pedal had a little factory miss-fit to help you booger it up.
Lest you think I'm without my share of goofs, you should have been with me for the first few miles of "one up and four down"! Thought I was done forgetting the change; then one day last week, a Mexican lady almost ran over me, up on Boca Chica Ave in Brownsville, . . . twice! Got me so shook, that after the next light, and getting up into 3rd and following along, until traffic started to speed up, I dopped it into 2nd, instead of 4th! Another "Wake up, you old fart", moment.:opps:

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Dick you must post a picture of that......it's a MUST SEEE......MIKE :thumbup:

[coz]

so, you guys have rotated your shifters about 180, so they point forward? could you post pics? i would love to see the shifter/floorboard set-up. is there a trick to removing the shifter arm from the shaft? i took the bolt out but it wouldn't budge, so i left it alone, rather than beat on it andscrew something up.

[Dick Wells]

OK, Mike, here's the thing. I'd love to take a few shots with our digital video, or phone, etc. and post them on here, but I ain't not computer guy, just know enough to do a little gabbing on here. So, if you have the patience to try to walk me through it, I'd sure give it a try. Do it in a PM, or start another thread, I don't care. Just remember, it's going to have to be a "click on this button, or icon, and hit enter, and so on, through each step, and (just maybe) I could get it done. If we fail, I won't blame you guys, it's just the "Old Fart" trying to live outside of his element.
Case in point, I just dragged what I thought was an embarassment smilie over here, and now I can't get rid of the dang thing! Can't move my cursor around to the other side of it, either! Got this tiger by the tail and don't dare to let go. Somebody help me! Please.

Anyway, a shifter that you can't seem to move? Take a screw-driver and drive it into the groove to exspand the jaws, (after you remove the screw, of course). Don't need to get too forceful with things. There's usually room behind the shifter clamp to use a small ball-pean hammer turned sideways, and tap from behind. I've never had one that refused to come loose, and I've never damaged a shifter shaft or casing, either. Remember that short, sharp raps, with a light hammer are key to jarring things loose, compared to long, heavy strokes with a larger hammer. Good luck.
Somebody get this smilie off my compuker!:opps: