Motorcycle Repair: Shift Lever weld failure!, uphill slope, shift lever

Question
Help!  I downshifted fast on an uphill slope when traffic backed up, and discovered the shift lever had bent down and fell away!  

I think I was in second or third gear at that point, and limped the last 4 miles back into  down on mostly level ground.

Any suggestion whether I should spot weld the lever back on the shift shaft, or must I go through Honda to get a replacement?  It appears when I got the bike used, a prior owner had welded the shift lever onto the shaft and spray painted it all shiny silver.

HELP!  I am (was) driving a 1983 CM450E Honda with 18,700 miles on it.


Answer
You need to check if there are any splines left on the selector shaft.  If so you may be able to just buy the replacement shifter.  If not, then the repair could be much more expensive if it is to be done properly, as you will need to replace the selector shaft.  If you need to do that anyway, you may want to re-weld that lever on for a temporary solution, while you source the parts needed.  Don't forget that shaft needs to come out from the inside, so any welding done will need to be cleaned off before the shaft can be replaced...

Good luck,  Jan