Tools

I've just picked myself up cheap a smokey old Yamaha XS250 and I feel it's
time to get myself some decent tools for working on it. I think the way to
go is to buy good quality tools piece by piece (I'm a student so budget
applies). I'm wondering what brands are good but affordable and where is the
best place to go (I'm in the Eastern/Inner Eastern suburbs of Melbourne).

Also what are the essentials of ones home motorcycle workshop. If you had to
list them in order of necessity, what would the list look like?

Thanks for any responses,

Shane.

 

Socket set, ring spanners, screwdriver set, torque wrench, oil filter tool /
spanner, allen keys. Kingchrome, Stanley, Sidcrome all good brands. Check
Auto One, super cheap auto's, Mitre 10 etc.

A way to save money is to buy just the sockets / ring spanners you need in a
good quality brand, ie 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19mm are the standard Japanese
sizes. I use a combination allen key set made for push bikes, that slips
into my tool pouch.

Cheers

 

I bought a set of Diamond brand spanners from Fair Dinkum Bargains (same
as Crazy Clarkes etc etc) 10 years ago and they are still going strong,
and a good fit on nuts/bolts. They're combination spanners (ring one
end, open jawed the other). I notice that SuperCheap Auto have some
very nice looking spanners as well. I dont think price makes too much
difference with spanners, but make sure you dont skimp on your allen key
set. Cheap ones twist and will wreck the socket of the allen head bolt.
Get a ball end set too, you wont regret it.

Also dont get a cheap torque wrench, I broke a head bolt on my KR-1
using a $40 Trader Lous micrometer adjust torque wrench. They just
arent suited to the low torque settings typically found on motorcycles.
Get yourself a Warren and Brown (I'm still saving for mine...)

Hmmm, order of importance, well here's what I'd consider to be the bare
essential items for the budget conscious motorcyclist home mechanic so
its hard to rank them.

* Spark plug spanner (preferably as part of a decent quality socket set)

* Combination spanners, 8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,22,24mm

* Good quality #2 Phillips head screwdriver (mines a CK and its bloody
superb)

* Decent straight bladed screwdriver

* Good quality socket set, 1/2 inch drive, preferably including both
common size spark plug sockets. (I cant remember the brand of mine, but
it didnt cost the earth, came in a moulded plastic case and it is good.
On the cheaper ones the rachet tends to be a pain in the arse as well
as the sockets being a poor fit)

* Pliers, both long nose and normal

* Good quality shifter (for those times when you've got a 12mm bolt with
a 12mm nut on it and you cant use your socket, i.e. emergency only[1])

* Toolbox to keep it all in so you dont lose spanners etc. I've got a 3
drawer one from FDB's (now known as The Warehouse) which cost $70. Get
some non slip rubber mat from an Auto Pro type shop and cut it to fit in
the drawers so your tools dont chip the paint off and get coated in it.

Get yourself to a SuperCheap Auto (if you have those in Victoria?) and
just check the tools out. Have a look at the quality of finish, stuff
like is the jaw on the shifter all loose and wobbly when you adjust it,
do the drawers flex and jam on the toolbox etc etc. If you dont have a
SuperCheap, Repco brand tools are quite good too, if somewhat expensive.
Also Kingchrome are respectable, but from what I've been told by
mechanics, keep away from Snap On. The quality is unquestionable, but
not good enough to justify the huge price.

Cheap is not necessarily nasty. Quite often it is, but dont discount
tools just because they're cheap.

Cheers,
Ash

[1] Ok, also for when you're feeling lazy and cant be bothered finding
the right spanner ;-)

 

Someone let Shane Byron at shanebyron@*NOSPAM*ozemail.com.au loose on
an internet connection and the result was:

IMHO...get a good screwdriver set, any old socket set will do (better is
better but cheapies can be good enough), and a decent set (gedore / snap on
/ ABW) of ring / open end spanners...
you will probably need something like,
phillips no2 (standard and stubby) and no3 drivers,
flatblade big, medium and long/skinny, (most of a screwdriver set anyway)
8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17mm 3/8 drive sockets, (most of a socket set anyway)(1/4
is too small, 1/2 can be too big)
8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17mm (and whatever size the axle nuts are) ring / open
enders, (most of a metric spanner set)
a good 10" shifter
an impact driver if the bike has screws holding its clutch cover etc
on...and a hammer to hit it with
with this lot you should be able to reduce it to a pile of parts in a
weekend

in order of neccessity;
the 10" shifter...with this you can change the oil and adjust the chain
a phillips screwdriver
a manual
some mechanical aptitude

supercheap and the like have reasonable tools at cheap prices...a
screwdriver set with black tips is usually a good indication of acceptable
quality
cheap socket sets will definately wear out and break before a good one...but
how much are you really going to use it?...there is sod all difference
between a $50 and a $100 spanner/socket set...there is a great deal of
difference between a $50 and a $500 set

 

While agreeing with what RM and lemmiwinks have written, I'll
add...

There'll probably be some "out of the ordinary" tools specific to
your bike that you'll bump into at the most inconvenient moment -
my Monster needs a 32mm deep socket for one end of the crank, and
an (I think) 36mm socket for the clutch nut. It also needs a 10mm
allen key to do the oil change, which is a little larger than
many "sets" go up to. (these are sort of half way between
"regular tools", and the "special tools" called for in the manual
- I've made a "cam pully nut spanner" for the Monster by grinding
away large chunks of a 17mm socket, and I got a "head bolt
torquing tool" made by getting a socket welded onto a 15 mm
spanner in just the right orientation - both were described in
the Haines Manual)

3/8" drive sockets are in general much easier to fit into the
tight spaces around a bike than 1/2 inch (I need to remove the
radiator to fit the 1/2 drive sparkplug socket and ratchet onto
the front cylinder, the 3/8 drive set fits without removing
anything), but of course, they tend not to go up to 30+mm
sizes... (I've got a pretty good Kinchrome 1/4 and 3/8 drive set,
and a cheapo 1/2 drive set from a "100 tools for $30" set,
augmented with specific sockets where required). A "breaker bar"
of some sort is handy too - I'm currently using a really cool
telescopic one my flatmate owns when I need one...

An impact wrench - don't try to work on carbs without one of
these - the die cast bodies seem to be specially designed to
sieze the bolts tight enough that you destroy the screwdriver
slots before they'll undo (or you'll crack the casting trying to
apply enough pressure to undo them)...

Allen key t-bars are really nice to use, but cheap ones (like the
set I've got) twist up if you start to lean on them a bit. I've
also found 6 and 8mm socket drive allen key bits to be very handy
(especially since I can put them on the torque wrench), and I'll
grab a 5mm one too if I ever see one.

I'll disagree with lemmiwinks a bit here, I got a cheap torque
wrench (on sale for $40 marked down from $139), then sent it off
with a friend who used to work at Qantas to run it thru their
calibrating machine - it was within a few percent right across
its scale... Of course if you don't have access to free
calibration, a more expensive torque wrench may be a somewhat
better idea...

Some "sacrificial" tools are always handy too - a screwdriver
that you dont mind using as a chisel or a drift, some spanners
that you're happy to hit with a hammer and a blowtorch for those
really stubborn nuts - oh yeah, and a collection of hammers too -
a soft faced one of some sort (I've got a nylon faced one, and I
"inherited" a really nice copper mallet from said frined who used
to work at Qantas when he moved overseas). I end up using my
socket drive extensions as drifts quite often, and always feel
bad about it. I really should get some proper drifts (preferable
brass rod).

Other "essentials" in my book:

some means of supporting the bike - neither of my bikes have
centre stands, so a rear race stand comes in very handy. I also
hav a set of ratchet straps that I can use to hang the front of
the bike up from the rafters in the shed to get the front
wheel/forks out.

a collection of rags.

something to catch the old oil as it comes out (and someway to
store if until you've got enough to take it somewhere for
recycling).

a collection of various types of "pooky" - penetrating oil (like
wd40), anti sieze (to reduce the chance of needing the
penetration oil and impact driver next time), grease (at least
hi-temp and waterproof), loktite, kero &/or wd40 (for cleaning),
silastic, threebond (aka "gasket in a tube"), the chainlube of
your choice, cable lube...

A torch (for when you drop that important washer trying to get
the job finished after the sun has set).

a box of ziplock bags and a marker pen - for bundling up stuff
when you _know_ your not going to remember what they were for.

Oh, and its _really_ handy to have friends you can borrow tools
like rattle guns off (which reminds me, I really must give that
back...)

big

 

About 13 different types of hammers and a couple cold chisels.

Buy the spanners you need as you need them. The local Cash Converters sells
them for $1 each. But make sure you pick the brand name ones. Hint 'Made in
China' is not a brand name, it's not even a spanner.

Theo

 

~
This is absolute truth.
DO NOT SCRIMP on the #2 Phillips (and buy a couple of them in 6" or 8" sizes).

Also; always use a ring-spanner rather than an open-ender if you can.

 

....and trust me on the Winny blues....

Hammo

 

Use a socket before a ring spanner, then an open ender, then a shifter and
then a cold chisel.

Boxer

 

IF you've paid a decent amount for your sockets then this is probably right.
If you've bought your tools anywhere with "Crazy", "Cheap" or any phonetically misspelled word like "E-Z" or
"Supa" in the name then use the ringy first.
I've had plenty of sockets split or smoosh (not to mention exploding ratchet-handles, extensions and
knuckles!), but I've yet to experience even the cheapest ring-spanner fail.
Clem

 

phonetically misspelled word like "E-Z" or

ratchet-handles, extensions and

I use Beta Sockets http://www.beta-tools.com/ in a single hex they are
really great tools, don't remember what they cost.

Boxer

 

In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 5 Nov 2003 14:22:59 +1100

Kinchrome is good value for money. Good tools that won't break thge
bank.

Check www.transquip.com.au I've had good dealings with them. WA
based, but quick delivery.

set of combination (open/ring) spanners, at least 10,11,12,13,14,15,17
with 19 and 22 if required. May need a 2nd 10mm.
Set of sockets, same sizes.
Pair of needlenosed pliers, with decent wirecutters.
small and medium Phillips and flat screwdrivers.
Sparkplug socket or spanner
continuity/voltage tester - two bits of wire soldered to a bulb, but you
can get multimeters for less than 20 bucks these days.
allen keys, at least 4mm, 5mm, 6mm
feeler gauges
10" or 12" shifter
Impact driver
rubber mallet

Those will do the majority of jobs, plus a few things pressed into
service as hammers, drifts, prybars and so on. Also useful to have a
small points file, a small-to-medium half round file, and some emery
paper. Insulation tape, cloth tape.

Nice to have are:
set of fencing/linesman pliers
more spanners.
hide or copper hammer
two longish bits of electrical wire with alligator clips on both ends.
T-bar sockets - 10,12,13,14
T-bar allen keys
torque wrench
hacksaw
electrical connectors and crimper - decent stuff, not the hard plastic
coloured crap you get in car places these days. You can get usable
bullets from Dick Smith, and very nice spades from Radio Spares.

Start to collect Useful Stuff. Old wiring harnesses are good to rat for
repairs and additions. Stalks from broken mirrors make good drifts.
Bits of scrap Alloy make brackets. Never throw a nut or bolt away
unless it's truly stuffed, a nut and bolt collection is a vital
resource.

Get a toolbox and keep the tools in it. Clean them before putting them
away, a greasy tool is bad news when you are late for work. Use a
socket bar to keep the sockets tidy, those plastic case inserts die very
quickly.

Zebee

 

Yea verily and GOD looked upon the adjustable spanner; and HE
saw that it was not real good; useful sometimes but largely
a pain in the arse; and he named it "Nut Fucker" and cast it into
the depths of the ocean.

-----sharks

 

And if you haven't, forget it, just buy ring spanners instead.

ObSimpsons: Seld-M-Burst hydraulic hoses ....

-----sharks

 

Oh man I've got those Winfield blues
*doo du du doo du du doo du du doo du du dooo da doo doooooo* ...

-----sharks

 

There's a tool warehouse type place on Canterbury Rd, Kilsyth. Just a coupla doors down from a car
parts recycler . Always been meaning to have a browse through there. Might have to do that one day
when I'm visiting the folks.

Glitch! Have you had a chance to check that place out?

 

sharkey wrote:

<cough> Isn't "portable lathe" a more polite term for the same thing?

regards,
CrazyCam

 

Those plastic case inserts can last longer if you fill the underside
spaces with that self expanding foam.

 

Last night they had the "Suck-U Bus Lines"! I'll queue for that ride any
day!

Cheers
Goaty

 

What about the vise-grips?