Shade Tree Secrets 24

SHADE TREE SECRETS 24

FAVORITE MOTORCYCLE TOOLS

STEVE ANDERSON

Stuck! That’s the most frustrating thing that can happen when you're working on a bike. You were getting along fine. Then you encounter the screw that won't come loose, the electrical problem you can’t diagnose, the tire that won’t pop into place. Or worse, you may be literally stuck, on the road or trail without the tools you need to roll again.

The one positive aspect of being stuck is that you learn something overcoming it. It may be a tool or procedure that pulls you over the hurdle, or it may simply be the knowledge of what to carry in an emergency tool kit.

Cycle World's editors have had time to accumulate those learning experiences. Among the six of us, we’ve been involved with bikes for one hundred and fourteen years, and have owned bikes made by most companies from AJS to Yamaha. What with all those years and all those bikes, we’ve gathered certain tools that make repair work easier, that make it possible to pass those stuck points. Some of these tools can be conveniently carried on a bike for roadside or ofi'-road emergency repairs. Others are shop tools that we couldn't live without after first using them. And a few are home fabrications made from bits that can be found around the garage. What follows isn’t an all inclusive list of motorcycle tools; instead, these are our favorite tools that aren’t particularly well known, and a few common tools that are so good they’re worth mentioning anyway.

THREE-SIDED SCRAPER

A three-sided scraper is a machinist tool that finds more uses the longer it’s in a toolbox. It’s perfect for deburring drilled holes, or enlarging holes drilled in plastic fenders or number plates. It can be used to clean gasket surfaces, or smooth nicks. Three-sided scrapers can’t be found in every hardware store, but they're available mail order for $3.99

from U.S. General Corp., 100 Commercial Street, Plainview, N.Y., 11803.

TIRE IRONS

Most motorcycle tire irons look much the same. They're short steel forgings, tapered at one end with a slight hook at the other. The 8 in. Dowidat tire irons don’t break from that pattern, but they sure work better than any others we’ve used. Their good performance comes from the details of their shape: The straight end has a long gradual taper, becoming thin at the tip, and the hooked end is perfectly shaped to slide under the tire bead. The source for the Dowidats is the Wurth Fastener Corp. (3 Pearl Court, Allendale, N.J. 07401, phone (201) 825-2710) which will accept dealer orders for the irons. Suggested price is around $4.50 apiece. Not everyone changes tires often enough to do the job with finesse. For those among us that approach a tire change with trepidation, 6-8 in. long tire irons may not be adequate, no matter how finely shaped. That’s why the Moto-Race tire irons are made. They’re well shaped, but their most important aracteristic is their 15 in. length. It's brute force versus the tire, and the tire will concede and go on the rim. Available from dealers through Moto-Race, P.O.

Box 861, Wilbraham, Mass. 01095, phone (413) 7346211. About $10 retail.

VISE-GRIP PLIERS

If an emergency tool kit were to consist of only one tool, a 5 in. Vise-Grip would be it. We’ve used these compound leverage locking pliers to hold broken throttle cables on twist grips, to replace missing shifters, to loosen hopelessly buggered Phillips head screws, to... you have the idea. This is the indispensable emergency tool. The 5 in. version is the easiest to carry on a bike, just clamp it onto a frame bracket or skid plate.

DUCT TAPE

There’s nothing more versatile. It can hold anything from shattered throttle housings to tattered leathers, and about a million other things that we haven’t yet had to use it for. A strip of duct tape placed sticky side up on the bench is convenient for holding related parts together when you’re stripping an engine, and you can write reference notes on the back if you're not reassembling the bits immediately. About $5 a roll at motorcycle dealerships and hardware stores.

HOMEMADE ENGINE STANDS

Engines weren't designed to rest steadily on benches as various nuts and bolts are removed from them. They flop around instead, and engine disassembly seems to require one more hand than available to hold the engine in place. We’ve come up with two low cost solutions. For large engines, a scrap piece of plywood combined with a few lengths of steel strap from the hardware store can be used to make a quick engine stand. The strap steel is drilled to take engine mount bolts at one end, bent into shape, and then drilled to take wood screws at the other end. Two or three of these straps screwed down to the plywood and bolted to the engine will hold it in place. For single cylinder engines, an even simpler stand works well. Two lengths of 2 by 4 combined with two shorter lengths of 4 by 4 can be made into a rectangular box the engine can rest in on the bench. And, when the engine is turned on its side, the hollow center of the box provides room for the crankshaft ends projecting from the cases.

TURKEY BASTER

Why a turkey baster? you ask. It’s a great tool for setting fork oil levels. Dirt bike fork oil quantity is usually specified as an oil level down from the top of the fork tube, and changes in this level can be used to tune the progressiveness of the fork springing. The easiest way to set the oil level is to slightly overfill the forks with oil, insert a turkey baster to the level desired, and then use it to suck up the excess oil. If the desired oil level is below 7 in. or so, it may be necessary to slip a piece of tubing over the baster tip to act as an extension. A piece of tape placed the correct distance from the end of the baster allows the baster to easily be inserted to the right depth. Most supermarkets carry turkey basters which cost less than $2.

VOLT-OHM-MILLI AMP METER

This is the all purpose electrical troubleshooting tool. A volt-ohm-milliamp meter (VOM or multi-meter for short) measures electrical potential (in volts), electrical resistance (in ohms), and electrical current (in milliamps). The prices of VOMs range from under $12 to hundreds of dollars for highly accurate digital models. This is another case where more money doesn't translate to better performance, at least in the motorcycle repair context. With motorcycles, the VOM is used to answer relatively crude questions. Is the voltage in this wire 12 volts or is it nothing? Does this coil allow current to flow, or is a broken wire causing infinite resistance? For questions of this sort, one of the least expensive VOMs available from Radio Shack is completely adequate. Buy it for $10.95, buy the service manual for your motorcycle, and you can diagnose your bike’s electrical problems.

SCREWDRIVER WITH INTERCHANGEABLE BITS

The first attempt to remove a screw using the tools in an average motorcycle tool kit demonstrates the need for an alternative. The problem is that a collection of practical screwdrivers is too bulky for a motorcycle tool kit. The solution is a screwdriver with interchangeable tips. SnapOn makes one with the spare bits stored in the handle, but our favorite is the 4-in-1 screwdriver made by 4-InOne Screwdrivers, Inc. The entire blade of this screwdriver is reversible, with one end holding a double ended Phillips bit, which is itself reversible, and the other end holding another reversible bit for two sizes of slotted screws. Available through motorcycle dealers from Graydon Ltd., 15935 innesota, Paramount, Calif. 0723, phone (213)531142. Suggested retail about $7.

REMA TIRE PATCH KIT

The Rema patch kit is our favorite for tube-type tires for two reasons. First, it comes in a small plastic box, so that after a tube has been fixed, there’s a place to put the remaining patches and glue. The second reason we like the Rema kit is the glue that comes with it. Unlike rubber glues in some other patch kits, the Rema glue holds a patch on an inner tube even if a second puncture causes the tube to heat up. The Rema patch kit comes in two sizes, the larger size is more appropriate for motorcycle use, and the smaller more available. If you have trouble finding either, try a bicycle shop or have a dealer order the $4 kits from Flanders Company.

TRUCK TIRE BOOTS

A couple of these 89-cent items can always be found with our other tire patching supplies when our off-road rides really take us a long way from roads, service stations, and a waiting truck. They’re just 3 in. diameter rubber-rein forced-with-fabric patches, available at truck stops or automotive supply stores. Used with the glue from the Rema patch kit, they can fix large tears in inner tubes, or even repair a big gouge in a tire side wall.

SPRING TOOL

Have you ever tried to remove an exhaust pipe spring on a dirt bike or race bike with a pair of needle nose pliers? If you succeeded, did you manage to reinstall the spring with pliers? A spring tool, a bent piece of wire with a hook at one end and a hand hold at the other, eliminates the hassle of spring removal and installation. Spring tools are made by K&N ($1.98 from any motorcycle dealer) and Husqvarna (Husky P/N 1519-847-01, suggested retail $4.34 at Husky dealers). The Husky spring tool, made of thinner, higher strength wire, gets the nod as the superior item because it can engage the hooked end of the spring more easily.

ROWE SPOKE WRENCH

This handy tool has stepped slots that fit six different size spoke nipples. It's a useful addition to an off-road tool kit because of its universal application and compact size. It’s also thicker than other spoke wrenches, and that makes it less likely to round off spoke nipples. It the local motorcycle dealer doesn’t stock the Rowe spoke wrench, it’s available from several distributors including Flanders Co. and Rocky Cycle. Suggested retail is $3.50.

T-HANDLE SCREWDRIVERS

The Phillips head screws that hold covers on most Japanese engines sometimes seem to have been chosen to be tamperproof. A normal screwdriver often strips the Phillips slots, leaving the would-be mechanic to resort to impact drivers, Vise-Grips, chisels, or drills. There's a secret to this task that professional mechanics have been using for years: Thandle screwdrivers. The Thandle allows the mechanic to push hard on the screwdriver as he turns it. This keeps the screwdriver tip from slipping out of the Phillips slot, and a Phillips screw can be loosened without agony. In addition, once the screw is loosened, the T-handle makes it easy to spin the screw out. The rest of this secret is where to find T-handle screwdrivers. Wheelsport Distributing sells number 2 and 3 Phillips T-handled drivers. These are $4.50 and $5.95 respectively, and would have to be ordered through a motorcycle dealer. Another source is Kowa Seiki Co. (137 E. Savrona Way, Carson, Calif. 90746). For about $4, Kowa Seiki offers a number 2 Phillips, and charges about $5 for the number 3.

IMPACT DRIVER

Even T-handled screwdrivers don't guarantee that every Phillips screw on a motorcycle can be removed without problems. When the Phillips screw starts to strip, but before it’s completely gone, an impact driver should be brought out of the tool box. An impact driver looks like a fat bodied screwdriver with an internal cam and ramp mechanism that translates hammer blows to rotary motion. While almost every tool company makes an impact driver our favorite is one of the least expensive. It’s the Taiwanese-made Vessel impact driver that many motorcycle dealerships stock. Why do we like it? It has a particularly stiff internal spring so the driver can be pressed hard against a screw without losing rotary travel. This makes the most of the hammer blow.

HERO ELECTRIC TERMINALS KIT

This is another professional mechanic’s secret. The Hero terminals kit is a bright yellow box that contains a good crimping and wire stripping tool along with an assortment of the exact same terminals that are used on Japanese bike wiring harnesses. It even includes the parts to make up four and six wire gang plugs. And perhaps the best part is that the kit can be ordered from any Kawasaki or Honda dealer as a regular Kawasaki or Honda part. From Kawasaki, the Hero terminal kit is part number T96000-012 and sells for $58.50. The same kit at Honda carries part number 07962-0010000 and a suggested retail of $35.32.

X-ACTO KNIVES

These are great for the usual opening and cutting tasks that happen in the shop, but they are also good for trimming plastic parts and aluminum bits, and they can open holes and clean parts. Many types and sizes of blades and handles are available, but a set of two, one large handle with a rounded blade, and one skinny handle with a pointed blade, can cover most any task. The small knife costs about $1, the large one about $2.

CONTINUITY TESTER/STATIC TIMING LIGHT

This is just a light bulb with two wires attached.The free end of the wires terminate in alligator clips. Connect one clip to what should be a hot wire and the other to ground to check for current, or attach the wires across the points on a battery/coil ignition to check static timing. Continuity testers can be bought for a few dollars at automotive supply shops, or you can make one from an instrument light from a trashed speedo or tach or even use an old flashlight bulb and socket.

VERNIER CALIPERS

A 6 in./150 mm vernier caliper is a basic measuring tool. For $20 to $30 you can have stainless steel calipers with both metric and English scales that are accurate to .002 in. If you use them for nothing except checking bolt diameter and length, they’ll be worth the investment. A good mail order source is U.S. General, 100 Commercial St., Plainview, N.Y. 11803. Catalog available for $1.

WOBBLE DRIVE EXTENSION BAR

A wobble drive extension bar differs from a standard ratchet extension in having crowned sides on the male square drive end. The crowning, acting like a universal joint, allows sockets (or another extension bar) some angular freedom. This makes it easier to use a socket and ratchet combination on nuts or bolts that don't have direct line of sight access, like the nuts holding instruments on some street bikes, or spark plugs tucked too closely to frame tubes. Available from Snap-On, with the price varying from $4 to $17 depending on length and drive size.

FLOOR JACK

Cheapest is best with this item. A floor jack can be used to support the front of a bike for front wheel removal, or it can be helpful positioning a heavy engine so it can be lifted out of a frame. None of these motorcycle uses demands much of an automotive jack rated for 2000 to 3000 lb., so don't be extravagant. The least expensive, flimsiest looking jack from an auto motive shop will be adequate, and should cost under $50.

AIR TOOLS

Air tools represent a major investment; before you can use them, you have to have a source of compressed air. There’s reward for the

expenditure, though. You can use a 3/8 in. butterfly control impact wrench and a pistol type 1/2 in. impact wrench, two of our favorite air tools. The 3/8 in. impact fits comfortably in the palm of the hand, the perfect size for motorcycle use. A butterfly switch on top of the wrench is easily controlled by thumb, determining both direction of rotation and torque output. The 1/2 in. impact is the same bulky tool the mechanic at the local gas station uses to install wheel lug nuts. It's too much tool for most motorcycle work, but it can be a godsend when it comes to loosening the big nuts that hold countershaft sprockets or clutch hubs or flywheel rotors on engine shafts. Brand isn’t critical with impact wrenches, as there are decent ones made by a number of companies. Expect to pay $50 to $100 for the 3/8 in. wrench, and $60 to $120 for the 1/2 in.

VACUUM BRAKE BLEEDER

Brake bleeding is a messy, irritating job when done in the usual way using the master cylinder to purge the brake lines of air. The Mityvac brake bleeder removes at least part of the mess, and certainly makes the task quicker and more pleasant. With the Mityvac system, a hand operated vacuum pump sucks brake fluid through the bleeder port, bringing fresh brake fluid down the hydraulic lines from the master cylinder reservoir. The only problem we’ve encountered with the vacuum bleeder is a tendency to suck around the bleed screw threads. That can be remedied by taking the bleed screw out and reinstalling it with Teflon thread sealing tape wrapped about it. The Mityvac bleeder is available from several sources including Flanders Co. and other motorcycle accessory distributors; the best price for it is found in the J.C. Whitney catalog at $19.79.

PRESSURE CABLE LUBER

This device fits over the ends of a clutch or brake cable, and allows oil from a spray can to be forced through the cable housing. The effect is to both clean grit and dirt from inside the housing and lubricate the cable at the same time. Cable life is prolonged, control effort is reduced, and the cost of the luber is offset by longer lasting cables. Kawasaki distributes pressure cable lubers under part number K56019-021 for a suggested retail of $8.95. Lightweight oil like WD-40 or Bel-Ray 6 in 1 works best for cable lubrication; most chain lubes are too gummy.

SHOP MANUAL

When it comes to value per dollar, owning a shop manual ranks right up there with the Vise-Grips and the $10 voltohm meter. For the cost of a couple of fill-ups, you can know what the head bolts should be torqued at, what the carburetor jets are, and what kind of swing arm pivots your bike has. You can have electrical troubleshooting information such as resistance levels across black box leads or ignition coils.