oldmxracer
Well-known member
I only have a one car garage so My fix was to recess it in the floor !
Motorcycle Tools
- Thread starter PartsGuy27
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I only have a one car garage so My fix was to recess it in the floor !
bwringer
Well-known member
I work on a lot of old Suzukis with shim-over-bucket valves.
They run very small valve clearances - .03 - .08mm, and the clearances tend to decrease over the miles. If you neglect this, the bike gets harder and harder to start and eventually will burn a valve.
Note that this is mm, not inches; one very common mistake is to mix up units; one thousandth of an inch is .025mm. So a .003" feeler is .076mm.
Anyway, one tool that is still surprisingly difficult to find is a decent quality set of metric feeler gauges that go down to .03mm (which is damn near foil-thin) and are NOT crapped up with inch approximations. Basically, metric only with no inch markings.
So anyway, one essential of any motorcycle garage where you work on stuff that revs is the tools and materials needed to check and set valve clearances. You can get everything you need for far less than the cost of paying a dealer, and you'll learn a lot.
Also, it's very difficult to find a dealer or shop that will actually perform a valve check properly without shirking large parts of doing a proper job; there are many, many tales of people who mark a few valve cover bolts, only to find that they haven't been touched.
Or they'll leave valves alone that are sitting at the bottom end of the spec. Valve clearances on most bikes tend to decrease over the miles, so it's good practice to go ahead and change out shims on tight valves in order to get the clearances into the upper part of the range.
They run very small valve clearances - .03 - .08mm, and the clearances tend to decrease over the miles. If you neglect this, the bike gets harder and harder to start and eventually will burn a valve.
Note that this is mm, not inches; one very common mistake is to mix up units; one thousandth of an inch is .025mm. So a .003" feeler is .076mm.
Anyway, one tool that is still surprisingly difficult to find is a decent quality set of metric feeler gauges that go down to .03mm (which is damn near foil-thin) and are NOT crapped up with inch approximations. Basically, metric only with no inch markings.
So anyway, one essential of any motorcycle garage where you work on stuff that revs is the tools and materials needed to check and set valve clearances. You can get everything you need for far less than the cost of paying a dealer, and you'll learn a lot.
Also, it's very difficult to find a dealer or shop that will actually perform a valve check properly without shirking large parts of doing a proper job; there are many, many tales of people who mark a few valve cover bolts, only to find that they haven't been touched.
Or they'll leave valves alone that are sitting at the bottom end of the spec. Valve clearances on most bikes tend to decrease over the miles, so it's good practice to go ahead and change out shims on tight valves in order to get the clearances into the upper part of the range.
fang123
Well-known member
Mike.ASC
Well-known member
A few specific motorcyle tools that I have and like are the motion pro axle socket. Next up is the DID KM 500 R chain cutter and rivet tool. Its for 520 to 532 chains and the most durable ive owned thus far. Another motion pro product I use is the chain alignment tool. Fairly simple and cheap but works. I would love a laser one but I cant justify it. Next up are my pit bull stands. Very sturdy and durable. A cheap homemade tool that i find useful is a wooden dowel rod slightly undersized compared to the axles. Wrestling a tire in place, while aligning brakes and wheel spacers is a pita. For rear tires, I insert it first into the brake caliper hole while on the slider, through the wheel spacer and hub on the non drive side, and finally through the drive side hub and spacer. I then use my axle to push out the dowel and aligning everything easily.
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Where did you purchase the DID chain tool from ?
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Mike.ASC
Well-known member
Thanks for the reply
TalonFE
Well-known member
A Stockton chain tool set. It's a solid piece of kit that will handle any chain pitch you're likely to encounter. Easy to operate, with a variety of inserts to break the chain, press on side plates and peen rivets if it's an endless chain or with a master-link. Comes in a case too.....you can order from Cycle Gear, on sale all the time.
https://www.cyclegear.com/accessories/stockton-chain-breaker-and-rivet-tool-kit
https://www.cyclegear.com/accessories/stockton-chain-breaker-and-rivet-tool-kit
disston
Well-known member
I own and maintain a 1975 BMW r90/6, I have a drawer full of special tools for this. Maybe a $1000 worth, maybe more. I do have the Motion Pro piston pin removal tool.
ptgarcia
Well-known member
Spoke ****** torque wrench.
DFB
Well-known member
Spoke ****** torque wrench.
Thats quite the tool
DFB
Well-known member
Coincidental...
Guy come in the shop yesterday for an inspection sticker on Kawa...Z6 ? Anyhow said he had a second machine that had leaking fork seals and was looking for someone to do his seal replacements as he didn't like the quote the dealership gave him
I watched the video on that today
And then the one where a guy made his own from scrap material
seang81
Well-known member
What brand and model is the slide hammer kit with red box?
fang123
Well-known member
I'm pretty sure it's Tusk. I'll look next time I'm at the garage.
seang81
Well-known member
Thanks!
alfazer
Well-known member
Stahwille adjustable C spanner is great for adjusting a rear spring.
Morgan carbtune for balancing carbs. http://carbtune.co.uk/
Morgan carbtune for balancing carbs. http://carbtune.co.uk/
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Bagherra
Well-known member
oldmxracer
Well-known member
bwringer
Well-known member
Agreed. The Carbtune is the bee's knees and the arthropod's ankles for synchronizing carbs and throttle bodies. No farting around with hazardous materials, and the stainless steel rods are so much more consistent and easier to read.
I've wondered how possible that would be to do and then move my welding table on top of it and align it in the middle of the shop and park the motorcycles around it against the walls more or less. Possibly have a second pit next to it with another lift table and use it for projects that require a but more than 2 x 7 working space.
ttpete
Well-known member
I get a lot of use out of a Milwaukee 12 volt pistol grip driver that uses 1/4" hex tooling. It's handy for dealing with bodywork and smaller fasteners. I use mostly Allen and Torx bits depending on which bike I'm working on. I also have a 12volt hex drive impact when it's needed. One of the previous pics of a bike on a lift shows a scissors type jack that's almost a must to have for wheel and tire work. Ducatis require a big socket for the rear wheel and a big torque wrench for replacement.
Bikes with 320 mm front brake rotors require that pads be retracted to remove the calipers from the rotors, and I have a small pad spreader to do this.
If you have compressed air, an air operated vacuum bleeder makes life easier for brakes and clutch when changing fluids.
Bikes with 320 mm front brake rotors require that pads be retracted to remove the calipers from the rotors, and I have a small pad spreader to do this.
If you have compressed air, an air operated vacuum bleeder makes life easier for brakes and clutch when changing fluids.
oldmxracer
Well-known member
CruzTOOLS sliding T handles ! Had them for many Years unfortunately it looks like They are no longer made but something kind of close.
http://www.cruztools.com/thandles.html
ttpete
Well-known member
CruzTOOLS sliding T handles ! Had them for many Years unfortunately it looks like They are no longer made but something kind of close.
http://www.cruztools.com/thandles.html
Try Tusk. I think that's where I got mine.
Bagherra
Well-known member
http://www.marcparnes.com/
By the way, some decent tire spoons too.. I use the balancer a lot for my stuff, even with a electronic Wheel balancer setup for Motorcycles.
By the way, some decent tire spoons too.. I use the balancer a lot for my stuff, even with a electronic Wheel balancer setup for Motorcycles.
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Here2Learn
Well-known member
huge tire irons
JIS drivers (Vessel Impacta)
t-handles if you have a dirt bike
lots of Scott blue paper towels
**** ton of oils and chemicals
best thing to buy is the service manuals!!
JIS drivers (Vessel Impacta)
t-handles if you have a dirt bike
lots of Scott blue paper towels
**** ton of oils and chemicals
best thing to buy is the service manuals!!
Bagherra
Well-known member
I gotta get some of those JIS screwdrivers....
As with everyone else
JIS compatible (Vessel)
Short pry bars
Tire spoons
Multimeter!!!
1/4 torque wrench
Spoke wrench
Motorcycle jack or lift
Ratchet straps
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JIS compatible (Vessel)
Short pry bars
Tire spoons
Multimeter!!!
1/4 torque wrench
Spoke wrench
Motorcycle jack or lift
Ratchet straps
Sent from my LG-G710 using The Garage Journal mobile app
I just got my set of KOWA T handles in after reading this thread. Wow, they are stout! I do a lot of wrenching on old Honda 3 wheelers and I had no idea they were the OEM for most honda tools. They will definitely come in handy dealing with those 30+ year old JIS (I never knew they weren't phillips) screws.
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Bagherra
Well-known member
What JIS screwdrivers are you guys using?
seang81
Well-known member
I usually reach for these
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ptgarcia
Well-known member
Vessel screwdrivers for me.
For my road tool kit I carry this spark plug socket. Doubles as the axle tool for wheel/tire related repairs, too.
For my road tool kit I carry this spark plug socket. Doubles as the axle tool for wheel/tire related repairs, too.
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I use Vessel Megadora and have been for years.
Hozan and Sunflag are a couple other choices (Hozan are the same as Vessel "Eco Value" line)
old_smokey
Well-known member
I'm also working on bikes in a small single car garage - 11x20 ish give or take. I have three complete bikes in here, plus two projects, tools, a bench, a full size stove for heating cases for bearings and paint, and a pile of other ****. So a full size lift would have been a major challenge. I found this one at princess auto, by Red Rock. It easily supports my XR650L (330lbs) and I've heard it's more than adequate for full size sport touring bikes. I'd never put a touring bike on it though. It has a removable extension for longer bikes. Pneumatic or manual lift. but the best part is that it folds up totally flat and stands vertical, like an ironing board, so storage is super easy. It takes up less space than a drill press when folded.
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jgbnm
Member
Motion Pro titanium wrench set (8,10,12,13). Super light and I just keep them in my gear bag or in a pack for trips (dirt bike/dual sport). Stupid expensive and I'd never buy them, but they sure are light. I won them in a raffle...
https://www.motionpro.com/product/08-0478
https://www.motionpro.com/product/08-0478
bwringer
Well-known member
It's always killed me how lovely yet stupid expensive these things are.
And they want another $46 for the 14mm...
Hmm, the 8-10-12-14 set is a different part number:
https://www.motionpro.com/product/08-0466
Man, I really like these stupid things, though.
K&L supposedly distributes a titanium wrench set but it doesn't seem to actually be for sale anywhere.
Aerostich stopped selling Titanium Tar Arns a while back; these were undoubtedly the swankiest, highest-tech, space-ageiest way to rassle rubber ever invented. I always wanted a set, but never achieved the necessary ratio of "silly money".
There was a Japanese company a while back that made a set of lightweight wrenches that were steel, but sort of skeletonized -- "Lightwrench" or something like that. Very cool, and I did my damndest to find a set, but never could locate the things actually for sale.
Edit:
Found it: Asahi Lightool. Only set I can find is open end; I might actually buy some if I could find combo style.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003B338G6/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Edit edit:
Oooh, puuuurrrrrdy:
https://global.rakuten.com/en/store/i-tools/item/359267/
So is Rakuten legit? $38.70 for the set seems decent, but the $25-ish shipping gives me pause.
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Leaflessshadetree
Well-known member
I have the complete hydraulic lift. It has been OK, but the control pedal has acted funny a couple times. I was glad I drove over to Indiana and picked it up. I called first and they said they had them in stock. When I got there they told me they were out but expecting more the next week. Seemed a little sketchy so I started to leave. Funny but they "found one" in the warehouse. When they were loading it up I watched the fork truck operator get one off a stack, they had plenty in stock.
When I tried to get the pedal replaced I stumbled on some articles that suggested there might be some questionable business practices going on.
I also got a motorcycle jack (Pitbull brand). I use it more than I ever used the table lift.
I also have the HF tire changer. It works OK but I've spent more on "extras" rim protectors, tire irons etc. Knowing what I do now I'd spend a little more on something a little better. A sturdy stand would be almost as useful for bike tires.
Bagherra
Well-known member
I'm also working on bikes in a small single car garage - 11x20 ish give or take. I have three complete bikes in here, plus two projects, tools, a bench, a full size stove for heating cases for bearings and paint, and a pile of other ****. So a full size lift would have been a major challenge. I found this one at princess auto, by Red Rock. It easily supports my XR650L (330lbs) and I've heard it's more than adequate for full size sport touring bikes. I'd never put a touring bike on it though. It has a removable extension for longer bikes. Pneumatic or manual lift. but the best part is that it folds up totally flat and stands vertical, like an ironing board, so storage is super easy. It takes up less space than a drill press when folded.
How's that lift for engine removal? Seems kinda narrow...
old_smokey
Well-known member
The base looks real narrow here I admit. But I’ve had no problems. It doesn’t rock or feel like it’s going to fall. If I was really worried, the legs are hollow steel pipe. I can extend their width but sliding a pipe through them.
The platform is absolutely narrow, which is the entire point. It’s a trade off. I loose some working surface but gain the ability to store the lift, and also have room to walk around it in my little shop
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The platform is absolutely narrow, which is the entire point. It’s a trade off. I loose some working surface but gain the ability to store the lift, and also have room to walk around it in my little shop
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk