The FXDL has 65k miles, 46k on the RGL, I check the tightness of the shifter arm occasionally, they are always tight and no movement.

 

I installed the Better Lever on my 2011 Utra. I did NOT have to remove the inner primary. The OEM transmission lever will come off. The Better Lever is a nice product. Buy once, cry once.

 

The repair is complete. I am going to list what I did and what I used. Hopefully this will help someone if they need to replace their shift lever. Long and detailed, my apologies for that.

I decided to give the OEM part a try. Baker makes a good one from what I understand, Betterlever has a really nice redesigned arm that is a must for older 5 speeds.
The part number for the OEM shift lever is 33849-97. Price for the arm was $26.12
The part number for the bolt is 856A, its price was $2.99.
Total with tax was $31.95.
The Baker arm is about $100, the Betterlever is $275.

Breaking the fastener loose took some effort, it was very tight. The working room is tight but it is adequate for what you need to do. With the fastener removed the worn arm slid off easily. When you have it to the end of the shaft, tilt the top in and it will lift out. I could see the wear in the splines of the lever.

Sliding the new arm on is where the work is. You have to get the splined hole square with the shifter shaft. I could not get the new lever to go on so I tried a couple of things to spread the gap a little and as a result open the hole slightly. I used a twist drill shank to gauge the hole and compare the old lever to new one while doing this.
I first put a thin piece of aluminum in the slot and used my old bolt to try jack it apart some. That didn’t work.
I tried prying it some with a screw driver, that didn’t work either.
After each of these I tried the shaft and it would not slide on.
Then I took a chisel, clamped the lever in a vise, set the chisel in the gap and tapped the chisel lightly to try to spread it some. I knew it was working by using the drill shank as a gauge. After a couple of taps it didn’t fit, after a couple more the lever slid right on. Orientating the arm to the right angle is a matter of picking the spline you want to use. Easy to get to the right spot.
Put the new fastener in, snug it and torque to 18 to 22 foot pounds. That’s pretty tight. Reinstall your shifter rod and you are done.
In addition to the chisel I used a ball end Allen wrench and a ball end 3/8 drive Allen wrench for the final torque.

So it can be done without removing the inner and outer primary cover and actually it was pretty easy.
I will be more mindful of checking to make sure it is tight in the future, I really think it has been loose for some time.
I did not do a test ride but will in the morning. Shifting with my hand while the bike was on he stand seemed more firm and precise.

 

Boy you would think it would be the right size and slide on. I wonder if the splines on the shaft caused new one not to want to go on. I would have been talking to myself when it wouldn't go on damn. Good job, Miller Time.

 

I don’t think it was a size issue as much as me not being able to get it aligned on the shaft. Spreading the hole just a bit gave me a little more angle to work with. After torquing the fastener it was tight on the shaft.
I probably made it sound more involved than it was.