A word of advice, dont bend it. Its white metal, which is very porous and runs a risk of cracking when heated. Just make sure you have it on the splines at the right level so you dont rub it on the stator cover during the upshift, or upshifts will be a total pain. If you leave it where it should be, with the bolt in its groove on the spline, you will still have plenty to grab with your riding boots. Honestly when its installed right, it feels no different than the shifter when its installed on the dirtbikes, which worked well for me since I came from them to the quads, and always had a problem with the stock warrior shifter especially when wearing riding boots. Just put it on where it belongs and get a few rides in with it there. You'll get use to it, and it will become normal feeling.