Hey guys, just got my new (to me) 1990 GS500. And as you probably guessed it need a little love... Or a lot of love. One of the things that I need to repair is the clutch shifter rod, looks like the original one broke and the he previous owner tried to put various gear shift levers but from different bikes and ended up just stripping the rod. My question is, is this a difficult job and where would I find instructions on how to replace this shifter rod.

To clarify, you need the shift shaft?  The rod that the shift lever attaches to?


When I hear "clutch shifter rod" it makes me think of the clutch pushrod, which is an internal part.

The clutch is not related to shifting at all, at least mechanically.


Ive never had the transmission apart so I can't say how difficult the job is.  I'm sure the shaft is accessed from the opposite side and pulls all the way out.
You'll likely need a new shift-shaft seal.
If you do it all yourself it's probably a job <$50.  Looks like the shift shafts themselves are on eBay for ~$25.

Yes, that is correct. It's the Rod that the lever attaches to and you push or pull wit your foot to change the gears.

Ouch.  That's a big job, I believe as in split the case and tranny out.

Any way to "clean up" the splines to see if you can get a "bite" on a shift lever?  At any cost, avoid the "weld-on" shifter.  See it all the time as kind of the nuclear option.  Pictures might be helpful.

I think I have to change the rod. The previous owner tried the weld thing and like you said it made it worse so I may as well change the entire rod and also the lever. I just wish there was some type of tutorial.

It's been many years since I've been inside a case and looked at a primary drive.....but I think you can remove the Shift Shaft by pulling the clutch basket, IIRC it's behind the basket.

Ok thank you, I will try this. I just wanna use my new (to me) bike.