I have discovered that there were two versions of the gear shift lever. One with splines where it mounts on the shaft and one that is smooth. My smooth version moved on the shaft and kept it in 4th gear all the way home until I could figure out what the hell was going on.
I have heard that the smooth style was to avoid accidental breakage of transmission parts. The lever is supposed to give way before the interior parts do in theory.
I guess I'd rather have a splined lever like every other bike I've ever been on. Am I going to regret that somehow? I've got Andrews gears and an upgraded trap door. What were the weak parts? Were guys hammering on these back in the day?
Z