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I just picked up a '68 CL350 that was brought over from Japan (probably in boxes). It has a great deal of trouble getting into and staying in first gear...After reading a bit and eyeballing the shifter, it seems the issue is the excessive slack in the linkage connecting the shift lever to the shift shaft. The lever is being physically stopped by the footpeg, which I believe is preventing it from going all the way into lower gears. I find this to be somewhat hilarious.
It seems the preferred solution is to replace the lever/linkage setup with a lever that attaches directly to the shift shaft. Just so I don't wind up with a useless part from eBay, which shift lever should I buy?
It all depends on what you want. The original linkage is the multi part one like in my picture. they used to be hard to find, not so much any more. The single lever works if cost is your issue or you just want something to work.
If the foot peg is getting in the way, there are two scenarios. One, the foot peg or the shift lever is the wrong one. Two, one o the other of the peg or the lever is bent. this is quite common actually as these bikes were often taken out to the back 40 after their initial street life was over.
If the Shifter and pegs are correct and not bent, then you are probably looking at something inside the case not engaging completely.
The shifter lever will move up/down an inch or two before even meeting the resistance of trying to turn the shift shaft. It's just slop in the linkage (so far).
Those linkages do wear badly over time. The neatest solution is to get a new shift rod and heim joints and weld up teh holes in teh levers and re-drill them.
An alternative is to buy almost any Honda shift lever from that era and it will probably work. You could probably use the shift shaft link and modify that and weld on a steel lever from almost any bike or fabricate a new lever to weld to that short link.
The bushings seem to be the worn part, so adjusting the length of the rod will only solve the problem in one direction. Welding is also out for me.
I'm of the mind that a shift lever directly attached to the shaft is simply a better design. Less moving parts, more direct feel...If originality is of no concern to me, what are the downsides?
Are some shifters better than others for this? I read the CB 360 lever works...
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