Gear shift pivot post - removal Euro 550

HiAll

Euro 550 (secas) have a rear-set style gear change arrangement and an pivot -post that looks like it's a press fit in the sprocket cover.
Mine is worn and sloppy - has anyone replaced this? Thinking of heat and a drift but worried about cracking the cover..

Cheers

 

Part 16 here..

https://www.cmsnl.com/yamaha-xj550-1981-4v8-europe-214v8-300e1_model38080/partslist/0023.html

mine doesn't appear to have the circlip part 17 though

 

i removed one on the cafe racer , to set the footpegs further back, that stub is well stuck in there .
yes i used heat as much as i dare , then pressed it out with a vice.
they are all sloppy though, maybe a bush ,made up ,and a smaller stub, may make it less sloppy

 

I initially though the lever was the main culprit so I drilled it out to 14mm and fitted a 12mm ID bush but it's still sloppy
so the post needs renewing too. I have a sprocket cover with a better post from an XJ600 which would fit bar the fact the post is
in a different position and sets the lever back a further 2" roughly.

 

I was wrong. After failing to press it out with heat and in the vice I scraped away ALL the grot, donned my +3 specs and could just make out the small recessed circlip. I think one solution would be to reverse the post. I'll let y'all know if this works.

 

Final outcome:

i) I drilled and bushed the lever to 12mm
ii) I pressed out the old post using Bensalf's vice and socket method (easy when you get all the circlips off!)
iii) I enlarges the circlip recess on the inside of the post to take a decent, robust 10mm circlip (post is 12mm)
iv) I pressed the post back in with the old worn end in the sprocket cover and added some bearing fit (probably not needed as enough consistent 12mm 'meat'
was still there on the 'worn' end to keep it snug).
v) Refitted lever with lots of grease - gear change linkage now seems much tauter.

MOT next month hopefully.