1200 DVT Bent Gear Selector

You could try heating it up and gently bending. If it breaks, you’re no worse off.

 

Sorry no idea. I’d be include to use a heat gun and gently increase heat that way

 

I did a Kawasaki one a few years ago, it was what we called shit metal, I got it into a vice, got a piece of round bar to fit over the end after taking the rubber part off, held a gas torch to the bent bit and between two of us as it heated up it moved nice and slowly back into position with a reasonable amount of pressure on the bar, nothing extreme that’s for sure.

Let it cool down naturally and hey presto all was well.

 

Ideally the metal needs to be glowing red hot to avoid cracking whilst bending. Once it is hot enough it should move reasonably easily without too much force. Unfortunately the amount of heat required will no doubt ruin the finish, though I guess it could be painted. I am not sure if it is a casting so it’s possible it may crack or break when straightening, but as Bradders says you’ll be no worse off.

 

And if you need i have a spare in perfect nick.

 

I can do it cold with a small bench vise, and it does not get shaved. It's a question of doing it slowly.

 

I’d be taking this opportunity to buy some Giles levers. There gearchange is quicker and smoother.

I’m sure someone here knows metal better than me, but my understanding of aluminium is once you have applied heat to it, you lose some strength. It might look right but I’d be wondering if it was going to fail at some point.

Is it worth the risk?

 

Heat aluminium to red hot and it'll be a puddle on the floor. I would be tempted to have a go at heating, bending straight and let cool. Repeated attempts at this will further weaken it so try and do it in one hit.

Once cool do a 'Big John* dynamic test' and if it survives that then it's good to go. As @bradders says, what have you got to loose.

(* welding instructor when I was a mech eng. apprentice back in the day, big man who used to stand on our test samples to see if they were up to task) Not suggesting you stand on it but load it as you normally would then apply a bit more pressure.

 

Aluminium and its alloys will melt before they glow red hot! Heat it until it is quite hot but nowhere near red heat and gently apply force it. I find that gentle tapping with a heavy hammer works quite well.

 

This is why they make the off-road bikes with steel arms. Easy to just bend straight. Aluminium, you’ll be lucky to get it back without breaking.

 

I fixed by bent back brake using blow-torch & tubing method way before it glowed red.

 

wise call, would have broken bending back anyway by the looks of things.