How to Address Several Shifting Issues on a Kawasaki Vulcan 750

Welcome to the Checkered Floor Garage. Over the past month, I've been troubleshooting an issue with my VN750 where I've been unable to consistently downshift. The shift lever (and pawl/gear selector) would get stuck in the down position and the shift lever would not return back to the "neutral state". I've learned a lot about this bike during my investigation, so I showcase what I've learned and also what my fix was for this issue in this video.

Here's the thread on VN750.com that I started summarizing my issue and you'll find a lot of great information here.
https://www.vn750.com/threads/help-wi...

Here's the three prior videos I made seeking guidance on this issue.
   • Shifter Pawl/Downshifting Troubleshooting  
   • Part 2 - Troubleshooting a downshift issue...  
   • Part 3 - Troubleshooting a downshift issue...  

Here's the endoscope I bought for this fix:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPS9X4SM?...

Here is the playlist of videos I have made detailing other maintenance & service items on this bike.
   • Kawasaki Vulcan 750 Maintenance & Service  

Patch Notes:
29-Jan-2024: There should be minimal to no in & out play with your shift lever (the piece you operate with your left foot to shift up and down the gears). If the shift lever moves IN (into the bike), there's an easy hack for that: a piece of hose slid over the shaft. All this means is that the outer retainer ring (I call them circlips in this video at ~1min 20sec) is out of place. It's a common thing that can happen if the bike falls over on its left side. If the shift lever moves OUT (away from the bike), then that means the inner retainer ring/"circlip" has fallen off/broke/knocked out of place. The only way to fix this is to pull the stator cover, which requires an engine tilt or removal from the frame.

So in summary, the inner circlip prevents inward movement and the outer clip prevents outward movement. Also keep in mind if the shift lever moves too far inward, it can contact the rotating assembly/crankshaft/balancer shaft, etc. This could damage or otherwise break the shift linkage rod (shown at ~2min 35sec in this video), which is already quite fragile on the Vulcan 750s.

Other helpful links for Vulcan 750 owners:

VN750 Forum
https://www.vn750.com

Vulcan Slang for Newcomers
https://www.vn750.com/threads/vulcan-...

Helpful Vulcan 750 Links and Info:
https://www.vn750.com/threads/popular...

Useful Electrical Info
https://www.vn750.com/threads/popular...

Engine Rebuild Videos
https://www.vn750.com/threads/vn750-e...

Helpful Videos from Other Youtubers
   • Helpful VN750 Videos from other Youtubers