Welded kick start

I am looking into how to best resolve the issue of my welded kick start lever.

Here's a second angle. Note that the lever is not on straight, it's actually at an angle.
Using a Dremel, hack saw, screw driver, and copper head hammer I was able to free the kick start lever. The weld was cracked and the kick start lever had some play, which was a good sign. I first hit with the Dremel with sandpaper and then Dremel with a metal grinder on it. Too slow to move much. I focused on the weak spot between the split where the screw would go in the kick start lever. I got through it and then used a large screw driver to pry it open further by tapping the screw driver with a hammer. Once it was opened more I focused on grinding the weld on the kick start quadrant / stem. I rounded the edges. I tapped at the quadrant head a bit with a copper headed hammer (softer metal on the hammer) to see if I got movement. IDIOT! I didn't remove the circlip first and therefore ruined the one I had. I couldn't see it beneath the muck, but I should have known better.

There are no teeth left on either kick shaft or lever. I have a spare kick start lever, but need a shaft.

If you watch the slideshow of Day 1 of the engine disassembly you'll see the pictures.

Bottom line is I need a new kickstart shaft aka quadrant, circlip, and possibly an additional shim. Total cost is about $50. I called Gene M. at Scooters O. about this. He told me that new quadrants are designed for GPs and are stronger than the older Li/SX/TV style ones, which are known for cracking if not constantly care for. But the GP one will not fit without removing a millimeter of the chain case with a special tool Gene would loan me.

Here's the advice I received on working through this problem:

"I would hacksaw that shit off and then replace the cam inside the case. Someone welded that on there because the cam was stripped or they had the wrong kickstart. Either way they buggered it up and you get to pay for it.

It's one of the last parts you put togehter when building the motor so you can order the part and keep on building." - Dano

"Hah, when you said welded, you really meant welded! Dang, I thought you meant that the just were really stuck together... Yeah, Dano's right, there isn't much you can do other than cut it off." - P

"Wow...

Anyway, you can grind at the weld, which means you will also grind into the kick start shaft and kick starter. By the time you grind off enough material to pull the kick starter, you'll have eaten into the shaft too. Then when you go to put a new kick starter on, the shaft will be that much shorter, but will probably still work.

But, like others have said, just hack it off and get a new kick start shaft and kick start lever." - Mike C.

"One more thing to note: When you either cut off the kick start or grind off the weld, make sure you take a file or grinder to the cut edge of the shaft and bevel the end. That way it won’t catch on the bushing/bearing and score it when you remove the shaft." - Derek G.