How to straighten a bent gear lever? (heat it up first? or what?), ---possible fix or recipe for snapped of gear lever :-)

[martin_SV]

Hi,
Gear lever bent as per pics. Still rideable but a bit uncomfy ( I do have the rubber, removed for pics). Has anyone attempted to straighten a bend similar to this and if so did you suceed or did the steel pin/ and or alloy lever end snap off?
If its not possible , I'd rather not snap the lever and just cut off the pin and drill/ tap a thread for for a bolt which is what I did for a snapped off brake lever pin on a previous bike. Any ideas?
thanks


http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg3/martinSV1/My%20Silver%20SV650S/bentglever.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg3/martinSV1/My%20Silver%20SV650S/blever2.jpg

[glang]

Hiya, I had exactly the same shape lever after my SV fell over. Its made of steel not alloy so wont snap and I straightened mine perfectly without heat. I held the arm in a vice (with protection) as close as possible to the pin then put a length of strong, close fitting steel pipe over the pin and applied a bit of muscle. It didnt take much and with a bit of care u should be able to get it like new.
Cheers Graham.

[yorkie_chris]

Yeah that bend should come out without heating.

[martin_SV]

thanks, I was encouraged so had a go. Graham, you were referring to an sv I presumed?
Reason is the lever on both my sv's curvy and now pointy were alloy with what I thought was a steel pin ally welded on. In fact it now looks very much like the pin's alloy aswell.
Just made a careful attempt and with only a fairly minor push on the pin, ---it fractured near the weld. :(:(.
No worries as I've drilled the end through and when I get the right sized tap, I'll thread it for the 6mm bolt I have. Was worth a try anyway.

[yorkie_chris]

You can't really weld alloy to steel like that. Just stick a nut and bolt through the lever, then araldite a bit of fuel pipe over the bolt.

[Dangerous Dave]

Yeah that bend should come out without heating.
+ 1

[Heed]

My gear lever snapped alarmingly easily when I tried to bend it without hat. That was the day before I was heading to Olivers Mount for a race weekend. Luckily a drill and a long bolt saved the weekend.

[John Burt]

Me I never bend without using a hat. rather than the bolt solution why not just get an alloy pin and use some of that wonder weld stuff - it works

[en4rab]

If you have a K4+ pointy go crazy and buy the posh aftermarket hayabusa gear lever with the folding tip, it looks miles better than the old one :)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Suzuki-GSX1300-R-Hayabusa-New-Gear-Lever-543790_W0QQitemZ330233214463QQcmdZViewItem?hash=it em330233214463&_trksid=p3911.m14.l1318
Thats the one I bought for my K4 where the gear lever attaches to a seperate lug, not round the footpeg, you can probably find cheaper if you search.
For the earlier bikes where the gear lever goes round the footpeg there are aftermarket levers in the above style listed for the sv specifically on ebay.

[Dicky Ticker]

Def use heat,even heating over the cooker ring will suffice and then gently force back into shape in a vice. Should you not have a vice tapping with a hammer will get it back but make sure it is hot.
I have straightened all levers,hand and foot,like this for years

Bit late in the day but might be useful tp somebody else

[glang]

oooops well sorry about that I must have been lucky then. My lever was from a 2000 curvy SV650S and definitely wasnt aluminium alloy (which can snap like biscuit) and as I said I didnt use heat cos it discolours the metal and Im too lazy to repaint stuff. :smt101