[bgraffis]

The splines on my gear shift spindle and shift lever were gnarled when I got my bike. They'd shift but it was pretty tricky and I could see the teeth didn't have much to grab.

I replaced the shift lever as it looked the words and I thought it would be enough. After riding the bike last night, I can tell the spindle needs something too. Shifting down drops the lever way low and I have to take my foot off the peg to pull it back up to shift.

What are my options?

1. How easy is it to find a replacement spindle? I found a couple part number: 24610-286-040 and 24610-286-030? Are these interchangeable?
2. Are there any other options for "repairing" the lever/combination I have (I'm anxious to start riding)? I even considered trying to drill through the lever and spindle to bolt them together.

 

[gs750]

You have to pull the clutch side cover, clutch, oil slinger and pump to replace the shaft. It's really easy to do, no more than a hour or two. You'll need circlip pliers and a special socket to remove the oil slinger nut but you should have those anyway to clean the oil filter. You might have to replace the clutch cover and oil pump gaskets too. Here's a complete shaft on ebay for under $25 - Honda CB350 Shifter Arm Shaft 1971 Honda CB3500SS Shifter Shaft Arm Honda CB | eBay

 

[bgraffis]

gs750 -- That doesn't sound too bad. I'll have a couple other things I'll need to pick up but it sound like they were things I may have needed anyway.

Looking at the one posted on eBay (Honda CB350 Shifter Arm Shaft 1971 Honda CB3500SS Shifter Shaft Arm Honda CB | eBay), it shows it being compatible with a 1971 CB350 Super Sport. Will it also fit my 1973 CL350 Scrambler?

I hit Honda Cb350 Super Sport 350 K3 1971 Usa Gearshift Spindle / Change Pedal - schematic partsfiche to check a 71cb350 and it shows the spindle as being part #24610286030. But it shows (Honda Cl350 Scrambler 350 K5 1973 Usa Shift Drum / Shift Fork - schematic partsfiche) the spindle being 24610286040

Sorry if these are nube questions. Just want to be sure I'm getting the right thing.

 

[66Sprint]

DO NOT drill through and bolt the lever to the shaft......The shaft WILL break at the weakened point....
DO NOT weld them together.....
Drill a 1/8" hole ALONG the shaft, removing half the drilled "meat" from the shaft and half from the lever, and drive a 1/8" roll pin (spring pin) in parallel to the shaft to "key" the lever (and in essence be a large spline.)
Phone if unclear.....540-525-5199....Steve

Either of the two shafts you are looking at will work properly.....

 

[bgraffis]

66Sprint -- Drilling through the lever and the shaft was something I thought of as I drifted off to sleep last night. I took a second (maybe 3) to look at the bike this morning and very quickly realized there was no way I was going to get that done. Thanks for the warning. It confirmed that the idea needed to be trashed.

If those spindles are compatible, I think I'll just order one. Replacement seems like the simplest thing to do with the tools I have on hand. I also looked at this one that claims to be NOS: New Honda Gearshift Spindle CL90 SL90 S90 24610 028 020 24610 028 030 | eBay

DO NOT drill through and bolt the lever to the shaft......The shaft WILL break at the weakened point....
DO NOT weld them together.....
Drill a 1/8" hole ALONG the shaft, removing half the drilled "meat" from the shaft and half from the lever, and drive a 1/8" roll pin (spring pin) in parallel to the shaft to "key" the lever (and in essence be a large spline.)
Phone if unclear.....540-525-5199....Steve

Either of the two shafts you are looking at will work properly.....

 

[66Sprint]

A 90cc engine's shaft is NOT going to work on a 350 engine.....

 

[bgraffis]

A 90cc engine's shaft is NOT going to work on a 350 engine.....

Got it. I'm back to Honda CB350 Shifter Arm Shaft 1971 Honda CB3500SS Shifter Shaft Arm Honda CB | eBay

 

[crazypj]

$14.99 plus postage is pretty cheap to return bike to good working condition.
Even adding in price of gasket and labor it still make bike worth a lot more than bodging some 'fix' that will lower resale

 

[bgraffis]

Absolutely. I went ahead and ordered the spindle.

Two more questions:

1. What is the special socket I'll need to remove the oil slinger nut?
2. I may need to invest in a new shift lever. The one I have may have the teeth a little messed up from my test ride. Any recommendations? Does Emgo make a decent product?

Thanks again!

 

[gs750]

Here's the socket - Honda Oil Filter Clutch Hub Spanner Socket Removal Tool 4 Stroke ATV Dirtbike MX | eBay. Sorry, don't know anything about aftermarket shift levers.

 

[cb350guy]

I had (have?) the same problem - no matter how much I tighten that bolt, it still popped off. I finally broke the bolt clamping that thing on and decided to fix it permanently. I followed Steve's advice:

DO NOT drill through and bolt the lever to the shaft......The shaft WILL break at the weakened point....
DO NOT weld them together.....
Drill a 1/8" hole ALONG the shaft, removing half the drilled "meat" from the shaft and half from the lever, and drive a 1/8" roll pin (spring pin) in parallel to the shaft to "key" the lever (and in essence be a large spline.)

I haven't ridden it yet, but it feels pretty solid, even without a bolt in yet. Here are a couple pics for anyone else who might have this problem:



Ignore the peeling paint-job the PO covered the whole damn bike in spray-paint. I'll probably dremel-off the end of that spring pin.

Also, if you're planning on doing this, get a cobalt drill bit meant for stainless and hardened steel if you don't already have one. I used a 1/8" bit and 1/8" pin and they fit together very nicely with some gentle hits from a ball-peen hammer. I tried drilling in to this with some stuff I already had - a general purpose 1/8" bit, and a dremel bit, but it was just not happening. As soon as I went out and bought the proper bit, it worked very smoothly and relatively quickly with a normal drill.