Stuff everyone who works on their bike...

[jackflack44]

Should have? Such as grease, oil, spark plugs, loctite, etc? Putting an order together, and running up to the local motorcycle shop, so just wondering some of the basic things every one should have! :cool:

 

[jackflack44]

General maintenance etc btw :)

EDIT: and tools :cool:

 

[2001Rm125]

Oil, Air filters, Spark Plugs, Oil filter (if 4 stroke), Premix(2stroke)

 

[xx1kx250]

tyre levers

 

[jackflack44]

Good list so far :) I'd like to hear from Fox and Joe, etc :)

 

[badchild]

levers

I always keep a couple of levers (handlebar and foot) spare as well as clutch cables, I know there not maintenance tools but handy to have around none the less

 

[RM85rider123]

One of the most usefull tools you'll probably ever use is a torque wrench. It would'nt hurt to get one. Make sure you have basic maintaince supplies, not to bad to keep a spare top end for your KX either.

 

[jackflack44]

Where can I get a cheap torque wrench?

 

[_JOE_]

Don't go too cheap on the torque wrench. Craftsman is even a bit sketchy but will work on a limited budget.

Supplies? Brake fluid. Waterproof grease. Dielectric grease. All the stuff mentioned earlier. Chain lube. Silicone spray. Brake cleaner. Carb cleaner, preferrably one of those dunk tanks. Brake pads. Coolant. Spare bolts. Simple Green. I'll let ya know if I think of anything else.... :whoa: ;)

 

[jackflack44]

What is Dielectric grease? Wow... Torque wrenches are pricey..

 

[_JOE_]

Dielectric grease is used on electrical connections to seal out water.

I waited until the Craftsman Microtork 3/8 25-250 in lb went on sale for I think 60 bucks. It does most of my light duty stuff at home. I have a Mac 1/2 inch for the heavier stuff but it lives at work and was much pricier.

 

[jackflack44]

Ok, I guess I'll have to keep my eyes open. Thanks! :)

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

You obviously need a set of tools. I recommend avoiding the cheap tools, they can end up costing you dearly. I have always used Craftsman and have been happy with them.

There may be a few special tools you will need for your bike. A spark plug wrench, for example. I bought the MotionPro ratchet spark plug wrench, works great.

I highly recommend a box of misc. nuts and bolts. My bike shop sells a nice little box that contains a bunch of the bolts that I seem to need the most. I generally buy a new box every year or so.

A little rubber cement for gluing gaskets on. You do this when you have a gasket that doesn't want to just sit in place long enough to get all the bolts in. A light amount of rubber cement and the gasket will stay in place. One surface only, you don't want to glue your engine together.

Some cream hand cleaner to get the grease off your hands. Use it to wash your hands outside with the garden hose so you don't make a greasy mess in the bathroom.

Hose clamps of various different sizes.

A good low pressure tire gauge. You don't want to be using a gauge that goes to 100 PSI when you are trying to inflate your tires to 12 PSI.

Anyone with a two stroke should have spare plugs.

When I go out for a riding weekend I take along new tubes for the tires as well as a patch kit. Tire irons are a really good idea to have along otherwise the spare tubes won't be of much use, or worse you will damage the new tubes trying to use screwdrivers.

I will also bring spare clutch/brake levers. I dropped the bike unloading it from the truck one time, snapped the front brake lever off. Then spent half the day driving into town to buy a new one.

If you don't have an oil mixing bottle I would recommend buying one. I recommend one that has a screw on cap so you can keep the bottle clean and not have the oil dripping out all over.

I bring duct tape, electrical tape, safety wire and zip ties where ever I go.

Rod

 

[mas2de]

A cheap but effective torque wrench is an old style and is failry dependable (and semi-accurate. Not precise) as far as I've seen. It is basically a breaker bar* with a piece of steel coming from the hub back to the handle (area) and there, there is a plate with increments of (usually ft.-lb. or in.-lb. If you can find one in metric, get it. Good for foreign bikes etc.)
I'll look for a pic.

*actually a piece of spring steel

A good set of metric wrenches. One end box, the other open. Kobalt has some that aren't too bad. Flex/ratchet wrenches come in handy alot, but they aren't cheap. 7mm - 19mm are the most common ones I believe I use. Although a good Craftsman cresent wrench should fit in the space around any 17 <
S&K has a really good ratchet set (and just generally some good tools) But Husky and Kobalt make some that should work fine.
Good set of screwdrivers, Both Phillips and standard. #1-#3 (If you rebuild your engine and carb you will probably need them all) Craftsman again is good. Look for something with hardened tips (not just dipped in black paint. Husky I believe does that: cheese. They'll work until you get to something stuck pretty good and very important. lol)

Good set of Vise-Grips. Don't go cheap on these. They'll last and you'll use them. I believe Irwin clamps makes some good ones now. (Actually I haven't checked if the teeth are hardened or not. I think they are)

Duct tape. Electrical tape.

Good luck and have fun :ride:

 

[mas2de]

Something good to pry with. Large flathead screwdriver usually works or prybar.


This is the beam torque wrench I was talking about. $25

 

[2001Rm125]

RMC has a really good point...Dont buy cheap tools for mechanic stuff. I got a whole set of chinese tools for christmas about every one of them is either bent or broken craftsman NEVER let me down dont buy cheap tools you will just need to replace them costing u more

 

[helio lucas]

a big hammer!

vinil gloves are a must.
a small flashlight is very handy.
rubber and nylon mallet are exelent.
feeler gauges and a caliper, digital are the way to go.
i try to use a small mirror, but it confuses me :whoa:

a small torch, saw, some files and sandpaper. wd40, impact wrench, a drill, paper roll for cleaning hands and parts, puller for the flywheel.

the list is getting bigger :nod:

 

[sr5bidder]

+1 on NO cheap torque wrench ...not a good Idea!! Dont get one from harbor frieght ..my buddy brought one to me (cause I aways work on his stuff) and I tried it out and for the 5-8 ft lb it scares the crap out of me so I'd rather do the m6x1.0 by hand

I have a 10mm and 12mm kolbalt flex rachet/ open end wrench and I love them to death I want a 8mm, 14mm and a 17mm now
most common sizes for my bikes are 8, 10, 12, 14, 17 and 27mm and I think there a 22mm ...front axle?? and 6mm allen all the other sizes I have see little use