Tool Check- So you got the bike home! Yay! Finally! Whew, what a good lookin' bike it is! Already you can feel the dudes on your block wanting to be you, and all your past girlfriends are now giving you a second look. Bitchin!
But, you open up your toolbox, and a moth flies out. No tools! Here is a list of the most essential motorcycle repair tools out there, in order from most to least commonly used. You don't need to get them all at once! Start going to yard sales and flea markets and pick up some used tools. Many of my hand tools are American made and are 50 years old, or more. Some of my electronics are Chinese made and only last a year or so. You make your priorities as they come.
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A good bench
A workspace is absolutely indispensable. You need a nice open area so you can keep things organized and not clutter up your brain. I made a workbench in about 2 hours just using cheapo 2x4's, and 4x4's for the legs. It is commonly felt that your workbench should be about as high as the point where the tips of your fingers lie when your arms are straight down at your sides. I started out with an 8ft bench, and quickly it extended 4 more feet, and now I am thinking about even more room. Things do tend to clutter.
Socket set
By far the most important. Doesn't need to be anything fancy, if you have a Japanese or British bike you will need a metric set, American bikes will often need a Standard and a Metric set. 1/4 and 3/8 drive are essential, also a good idea to get a 1/2 drive for bigger bolts and nuts, plus a breaker bar. Swivel heads are good to have, as well as bolt extractors. Brands such as Craftsman usually will have a lifetime free replacement warranty, always a perk. I personally don't use those "one size fits all" socket invention things, despite what the infomercials say.
Screwdrivers
I have many different sizes of Phillips and Straight screwdrivers. Some are for prying/scraping/pushing, and some are only for manipulation of screws. If you are working on an older bike you may come into contact with some stripped out, rusted, banged up screw heads. This means you often only have ONE CHANCE to remove the screw because it is so badly degraded. This is why well-fitting screwdrivers are important, and why you need many of them. I used to get cheapo ones, now I only purchase high quality American made screwdrivers, with the exception of JIS screwdrivers. A Japanese Industrial Standard screwdriver is a Phillips screwdriver which is specifically made to seat more snugly into Japanese screws, many of which are slightly different from American screws. You should look into it, and have at least one on hand. I also have screwdrivers of many varying lengths, from 2 inches up to 20 inches. Included in this section is an impact driver. I had NO IDEA how vital this was until I got myself one. It is a tool with many different heads you can attach to it, mine has phillips and straight heads. You hit it with a hammer and as it impacts, it rotates a little bit. Absolutely unequaled for stuck screw extraction, I love it.
Wrenches
Even though sockets and ratchets are the way of the future, wrenches are still important. I mostly work on Japanese bikes so I have a Craftsman wrench set from 8mm-21mm. I also have an adjustable wrench, which some mechanics eschew, but I use it all the time. A good quality adjustable wrench will be just as effective as a proper-sized wrench at gripping a nut or bolt head.
Also, Allen wrenches are used frequently on motorcycles. Get a good set of these too.
Also, Allen wrenches are used frequently on motorcycles. Get a good set of these too.
Razor blades
I buy them in 100 pack.
Pliers
I have 5 different pliers and I use them all. First, is a standard set of beefy pliers. Next, needle nose pliers. Cutting pliers too. Finally I have two 18 inch long pliers, one tapers off into a needle nose, the other does the same but it is bent at a 90 degree angle. These last two are great for grabbing things which are deeply recessed amongst other parts. Also, the longer handles are great for increased gripping leverage. Included in here should be a good set of channel-locks.
Vice Grips
Two different types, a regular vice grip, and a needle-nose vice grip. I use them both all the time. They are especially good at clamping off fuel lines when you go to remove a gas tank.
Battery Charger
You can get a little 2A 12V trickle charger to start out with, nothing wrong with that. With a bigger one at least a 6A, you will find you can do a lot more, including using electrolysis to clean out a rusty gas tank. Whatever one you start off with, you will need a charger before too long.
Brute tools
Sometimes, you just need to show that motorcycle who is boss. I have a number of brute tools for this job. First, my mallets. I have a ball-peen hammer and a beater, basically a big heavy hammer. Also a rubber mallet for more delicate persuasion. I have a large tire tongue for prying out stuck parts, a breaker bar, and various cold chisels.
Bench vice
I have two, one that is lined with wood for holding slightly more delicate pieces, and one that is just metal. Also a couple of c-clamps.
Electrical tools
There are a couple important electrical tools. First is a decent multimeter. These can be had for as little as $5 on ebay. Cheapo is definitely fine, so long as you can test volts AC/DC, and ohms, that's basically all you need, no need to go crazy. Digital is better than analog.
Digital touchless thermometer. These are great for charting the warming of your exhaust pipes to see if you have an underperforming cylinder. Also cheap like $10 delivered from China.
Spark tester, great for confirming spark. Another super cheap tool that lasts forever:
Digital touchless thermometer. These are great for charting the warming of your exhaust pipes to see if you have an underperforming cylinder. Also cheap like $10 delivered from China.
Spark tester, great for confirming spark. Another super cheap tool that lasts forever:
Included in this section should be all kinds of little electrical parts you will need, such as solderless connectors and eye connectors, snap connectors, etc. Lots of fuses, both blade fuses and glass-tube fuses. Spare bulbs for taillight and blinkers (one or duel filament), and headlight (usually an H4 bulb). Spare wiring, of different gauge widths. Also handy are toggle switches if you want to add some fog lights or something like that. I have a number of 18inch length wires with alligator clips on each end, great for use with electrical diagnostics. I also keep on hand dozens and dozens of spark plugs. Many rolls of electrical tape and shrink wrap.
Power Tools
Every man's favorite! Grunt grunt grunt.
Electric drill, mine is a 18v cordless. I also have an old corded drill, can't beat it for torque.
Angle grinder
Reciprocating saw
Dremel cut-off tool. Mine is actually Black and Decker, awesome tool but I choose to buy Dremel discs for it.
Air compressor. It doesn't have to be a big crazy one, some second hand 1/3hp pancake compressor will actually do pretty much anything you need, with the exception of running air tools, which I actually don't even really use. Great for filling up tires, blowing out dirty/dusty bits, painting etc
Soldering iron
Heat gun
Welder- go for it, hoss!
Electric drill, mine is a 18v cordless. I also have an old corded drill, can't beat it for torque.
Angle grinder
Reciprocating saw
Dremel cut-off tool. Mine is actually Black and Decker, awesome tool but I choose to buy Dremel discs for it.
Air compressor. It doesn't have to be a big crazy one, some second hand 1/3hp pancake compressor will actually do pretty much anything you need, with the exception of running air tools, which I actually don't even really use. Great for filling up tires, blowing out dirty/dusty bits, painting etc
Soldering iron
Heat gun
Welder- go for it, hoss!
Fluids
I keep lots of fluids on hand. Carburetor spray is great for cleaning lots of things, and I buy the cans in half-dozen boxes. Also, PB blaster or WD-40, starting fluid (ether), 10-40 motor oil, 80-90w gear oil, grease, antifreeze/coolant, fork oil, 2-stroke oil, various solvents, epoxy, superglue, RTV gasket goo, brake fluid, a couple gallons of gasoline, battery acid, JB-Welder, fiberglass resin, all have a place in my workshop.
You gotta move all that fluid around, don't ya? I have a vacuum pump for bleeding motorcycle brakes (majorly important!). Also a normal hand pump. A couple of different sized funnels, and a catch pan for catching the drips. It is a good idea to save your laundry detergent bottles for oil changes and dumping out old gas from gas tanks.
You gotta move all that fluid around, don't ya? I have a vacuum pump for bleeding motorcycle brakes (majorly important!). Also a normal hand pump. A couple of different sized funnels, and a catch pan for catching the drips. It is a good idea to save your laundry detergent bottles for oil changes and dumping out old gas from gas tanks.
Painting
There may come a time for you to paint your bike, and some quality tools are a must. First, a decent compressor and a paint gun. The compressor should be at least 5 gallons, although I have done it with a 1-gallon tank, just takes longer. Read reviews online when choosing a paint gun. A power sander and a media blast gun for powder blasting for making it all smooth. I love my Beugler for painting pinstripes, it makes a great result. Obviously, whatever paint you want, plus reducer, and clean up solution, I just use carb cleaner spray.
Books
I like to keep repair manuals on hand, as well as some common books on electrical diagnosis and such.
Motorcycle expendables
In addition to the fuses and bulbs and wires and such already mentioned, bikes do need lots of little bits to be replaced. I keep a bolt bucket of just 10mm bolts, and 2 more of various other sized machine bolts. Another bucket for nuts, and another for washers. These I collect whenever I take a bike apart. Just start keeping them as you work on bikes, and pretty soon you won't have to go to the hardware store anymore. Also you will need various hoses: fuel line is a big one, as well as vacuum line, and coolant hoses. Spare tire valve cores, banjo bolts, inline fuel filters, etc.
Misc
A motorcycle wheel bearing puller is indispensable for getting bearings out. Carburetor synchronizer gauges. Staple gun for attaching seat covers. A welder's torch tip cleaning set for cleaning out carburetor jets. Various jacks and jack stands, I don't find that I would use a motorcycle jack enough to buy one, but if you want to, go for it. Ratchet straps are also good, both for pulling in carburetors on the re-installation, and for attaching to the rafters of your garage to jack the bike up in the air. Lengths of steel to make custom brackets. Screwdriver magnetizer/demagnetizer. Glasses repair kits. TONS OF RAGS AND HANDWASHING SOAP. You'll accumulate this stuff as you go.
