Right I'm either being really thick or something is wrong here.

I bought xtr shifters off of here a few weeks ago, M970 ones brand new, just fitting them and can only get 7 clicks out of the rear one? Thought they were all 9 speed?
On fully releasing the tension, (I,ve pulled on the cable) I should be able to then feed the cable out (as if replacing cable) can't do that either.

Any help gladly received before I go and buy a new one!

sounds like the cables 'snagged up' inside the shifter somwhere – you shoudl be abel to see the end through the feed hole when the tensions fully off.

Just take the shifter apart. Be very careful though, but its not a big deal.

Remove the cable, then look down the hole where it goes in, can you see daylight? Try clicking down again.

Sometimes you can get a cable in without the shifter being in the botom position, it can change up from there but not back down passed where you started. Hope that makes sense.

Have you alligned the mech properly to suit the cable tension?

For a change I managed to take something small and fiddly apart and PUT IT BACK TOGETHER! The new original cable had a kink in it right inside the shifter and was jammed solid in there. After much swearing I got it out with no damage to the rest and it now works fine with a new cable.

Thanks for the advice, not what I expected from a brand new article though.

Do not strip down the shifter …. 7 clicks = 9 gears …… 7 clicks and one gear at each end = 9

Replace the cables

If that doesnt work take to shop

Never mind, you've sorted the problem and learnt something along the way. Oh and they are GREAT shifters!

Thanks for the advice, not what I expected from a brand new article though.

[on soap box] Not being arsey but don't slag off the item just because you had a kink in the cable. This is probably because you shifted the cable without tension at somepoint or did not release the lever before fitting so it allowed the cable to kink. This is not specific to any shimano shifter and I love my XTR's. 🙂 [off soap box]

?? 8 clicks surely ?

All sorted now though.
Just about to buy some new shifters, are XTR much better than XT at the moment ?

I have both and I would say yes to XTR but some don't like the multishift on teh XTR? Also they are expensive – I got my nearly new 🙂

yeah 8 clicks, I've got them on both bikes now, and they do seem better than xt bu they should be at the price. Got mine new and unused off the classifieds here though so had a deal worth putting up with a kinked cable for.