The hard shifting, finding the right gear, might just need adjusting. Hard to move, could be a few different things. You could disconnect the shift rod and see if the problem is in the shifter between the seats or the engine side of it. You should be able to move the lever on the engine by hand and the shifter should be very easy to move when not connected. As for the revs, there is a limiter on these. There isn't a tach on it so it's hard to say it's too high. They max out at 55mph so if you can get going faster than that, I might be concerned. I own one too and thought they rev too high before they start going if that's what he is saying. Later discovered it's a good thing.