SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum - View Single Post - Need tools

embee · 22-08-05, 11:15 AM

Aaaah, tools!!!!

It's actually quite a nice situation to be in starting from scratch building up a tool kit.

The golden rule, and don't break it, is get only good quality tools. Good quality will be nice to use, will not damage the thing you're working on, and genuinely will last a lifetime. I've got spanners which I have inherited and must be over 50yrs old and are superb pieces of kit. Poor quality tools will not last and you'll end up buying twice.

You don't need to spend a fortune, and to begin with you don't need a huge arsenal of stuff.

Essential is a good socket set.
Get ones which have six sided sockets and preferably the type that drive on the flats (flanks) of the nuts rather than the corners. Different manufacturers call it different things, but they are basically the same pronciple.
The overall size of the square drive for the sockets comes in various sizes, 1/4" at the small end, really big stuff can be 1" square.
A nice size for a start is a 3/8" drive. Something like Teng is a nice mid range make, or Facom, Britool, Beta, Gedore and others. Probably the easiest choice is Halford's Professional range, decent stuff and good value.
I have a Teng 3839 set like here, and can recommend it.
http://diytools.com/store/detail.asp?ProductID=55693

Spanners, get a "combination" set, ring at one end and open at the other. The ring should have just a small angled offset to be really useful (for access reasons). You can get sets which leave out the really uncommon sizes (16mm etc) so you get value for money.
Look here,
http://www.primetools.co.uk/system/index.html
go to p.4 of the "special offers" and see either
the Britool set XBRJM10SPB
or the Facom set 3XF40.JE9PB2 (useful as it has smaller sizes).

This is probably the best value for money torque wrench I have seen
http://www.paintain.co.uk/Automo/Sockets/torqw01.htm
It covers a useful range and while they aren't brilliantly accurate, they are acceptable quality cionsidering DIY use, and are sufficiently accurate for most purposes.
If you can afford more, the Halfords one came out well in a "Ride" test of torque wrenches.

Screwdrivers - probably easiest to get individual ones, most importantly be aware that there are 2 basically different types of "cross" drive, there's the type known as "cross-head" or "Phillips", which is what most Jap bikes use, and there's the "Pozidrive" (and "Supadrive" variants) types. The drivers don't work in the wrong screws, you'll just mangle the head, so get the right type.
Pozidrive variant screws have a little star stamped in the head between the cross recess, Phillips variants don't. A lot of wood-screws are Pozidrive.

Most common you'll need on a Jap bike is a no.2 Phillips (that's a middle size one).

22-08-05, 11:15 AM	#7
embee Member Mega Poster Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 2,801	Aaaah, tools!!!! It's actually quite a nice situation to be in starting from scratch building up a tool kit. The golden rule, and don't break it, is get only good quality tools. Good quality will be nice to use, will not damage the thing you're working on, and genuinely will last a lifetime. I've got spanners which I have inherited and must be over 50yrs old and are superb pieces of kit. Poor quality tools will not last and you'll end up buying twice. You don't need to spend a fortune, and to begin with you don't need a huge arsenal of stuff. Essential is a good socket set. Get ones which have six sided sockets and preferably the type that drive on the flats (flanks) of the nuts rather than the corners. Different manufacturers call it different things, but they are basically the same pronciple. The overall size of the square drive for the sockets comes in various sizes, 1/4" at the small end, really big stuff can be 1" square. A nice size for a start is a 3/8" drive. Something like Teng is a nice mid range make, or Facom, Britool, Beta, Gedore and others. Probably the easiest choice is Halford's Professional range, decent stuff and good value. I have a Teng 3839 set like here, and can recommend it. http://diytools.com/store/detail.asp?ProductID=55693 Spanners, get a "combination" set, ring at one end and open at the other. The ring should have just a small angled offset to be really useful (for access reasons). You can get sets which leave out the really uncommon sizes (16mm etc) so you get value for money. Look here, http://www.primetools.co.uk/system/index.html go to p.4 of the "special offers" and see either the Britool set XBRJM10SPB or the Facom set 3XF40.JE9PB2 (useful as it has smaller sizes). This is probably the best value for money torque wrench I have seen http://www.paintain.co.uk/Automo/Sockets/torqw01.htm It covers a useful range and while they aren't brilliantly accurate, they are acceptable quality cionsidering DIY use, and are sufficiently accurate for most purposes. If you can afford more, the Halfords one came out well in a "Ride" test of torque wrenches. Screwdrivers - probably easiest to get individual ones, most importantly be aware that there are 2 basically different types of "cross" drive, there's the type known as "cross-head" or "Phillips", which is what most Jap bikes use, and there's the "Pozidrive" (and "Supadrive" variants) types. The drivers don't work in the wrong screws, you'll just mangle the head, so get the right type. Pozidrive variant screws have a little star stamped in the head between the cross recess, Phillips variants don't. A lot of wood-screws are Pozidrive. Most common you'll need on a Jap bike is a no.2 Phillips (that's a middle size one).