AberdeenBikers

Hi there its stitch again looking for advise(sorry out of my depth ) prob stupid questions, what is the best basics do you kind folk suggest for basic bike maintenance (estimate around £100 to spend just now) ?Understand that it should be sprockets/paddock stand/screw drivers. I have a garage with no water and no electric supply away from my home address . Is there any specific brand or would halfords own be just as good (money is a bit tight with crimbo/security of bike... etc)? Where is best place to go? Is there more preferred over others?

I hope I could get over this period of uselessness, and is normal for a novice (non of my family are bikers so on my own)! Don`t like relying on other people as I think i`m bugging everyone, sorry if this is the case. Ordered a copy of a haynes manual for my make/model - so I persume that is a step in the right direction.

As you'll see when you come round i have a Halford "Professional" Tool case and that's it. Good value tools, that do the job of maintaining a bike and come with a lifetime guarantee

Wait till the January sales and you might even get it half price or similar (circa £90)

With yer ZZR it comes with a centre stand so don't bother with a paddock stand just now.

Typically a good socket set is essential, but you don't need all the sockets.

8mm to 16mm will cover just about everything.

Check the manual for sizes on the rear wheel spindle and either buy the sockets to match (remember you will need to drivers to fit the sockets) or buy two good quality large adjustables.

3-in-1 oil and WD40 + a good selection of rags

Screwdriver set. small and large flat and cross blades. 4 in total should do ya.

A set of long nose pliers and normal pliers.

Wire brush.


That is just my first pass, but a good starter for ten. In terms of brand, if you are just doing the occasional work Halfords will do fine. Check out ebay as well for good quality second hand kit.

Now the difficult question:
How ham fisted are you? If you are a gorilla with all the deterity of an ape you will need a torque wrench to prevent overtightening bolts.
If you have a good feel for how tight is enough then you should be able to manage without one.
Generally on bikes engine casings are relatively soft and very easy to crack with over tightening. However if you are just talking basic maintenance there should be no need to muck about with casing bolts.

Internet Dropping out . Be doing basic maintenance and cleaning Zathos to be honest (plug/oil filter/leads etc replace, chain cleaning) think anything internally in engine is beyond my limits. Then again all ways willing to learn new things

stitch82 wrote:Internet Dropping out . Be doing basic maintenance and cleaning Zathos to be honest (plug/oil filter/leads etc replace, chain cleaning) think anything internally in engine is beyond my limits. Then again all ways willing to learn new things

You might want to check the socket set contains the right size plug socket (unless you already have one).

Okey doke everyone thanks. Prob nip to halfords the night if get time and have a look, keep you all posted

Hammer, minimum 4 pound. Also some brute farce and ignorance can be useful......

I'd recommend Gibs tools on King STD.They have everything you'll ever need.
Also only buy the tools you require for each job as you need them and gradually build up your toolkit over time.

Cheers, Ali.

I personally don't think buyin expensive tools is needed for basic motorcycle maintenance , I've never spent alot on tools and very few tools I've bought have failed on me , I've bought universal pliers and screwdrivers from asda and I can't complain about the price or quality

Top Ginger Tip: Make sure you have ALL the tools you need to do the job before you start the job if you are working on your only means of transport

Gingerpose wrote:Top Ginger Tip: Make sure you have ALL the tools you need to do the job before you start the job if you are working on your only means of transport

I hear that fella.......

steve wrote:I personally don't think buyin expensive tools is needed for basic motorcycle maintenance , I've never spent alot on tools and very few tools I've bought have failed on me , I've bought universal pliers and screwdrivers from asda and I can't complain about the price or quality

erm,

your experiences and mine differ, the most frustrated I've ever been, has been with slightly complex jobs and stubborn fixings and cheap tools.
Nut doesn't want to come off, tool starts to give, leverage is lost and then the nut gets rounded off . . .
Cue 100 quid repair bill caused by 2 quid spanner.

now, I agree that spending more than the bike is worth on tools is silly.

But crap tools = bodge jobs.

+1 for halford tools. I have a socket set i bought from halfords over 10 years ago and it's still going strong. Even when i've had to hammer sockets onto uncooperative nuts/bolts its survived .

airwave wrote:

steve wrote:I personally don't think buyin expensive tools is needed for basic motorcycle maintenance , I've never spent alot on tools and very few tools I've bought have failed on me , I've bought universal pliers and screwdrivers from asda and I can't complain about the price or quality

erm,

your experiences and mine differ, the most frustrated I've ever been, has been with slightly complex jobs and stubborn fixings and cheap tools.
Nut doesn't want to come off, tool starts to give, leverage is lost and then the nut gets rounded off . . .
Cue 100 quid repair bill caused by 2 quid spanner.

now, I agree that spending more than the bike is worth on tools is silly.

But crap tools = bodge jobs.

A bad workman always blames his tools , maybe it's not your tools that make you bodge jobs

I changed my starter motor today , all I needed to complete the job was a 4mm , 5mm an 6mm Allen keys , a 8mm an 10mm spanner an my 50p asda pliers , completed the job with no hassles in 4 hours , I doubt more expensive tools would have helped me do the job better or any quicker

Clearly plenty tool snobs on this forum

I got a budget 1/2" socket set for my birthday which I still have and use. I've only had to replace the ratchet handle and 14mm socket so far with Halfords Pro stuff.

I've supplemented it over the years with some Allen key sockets and some larger sized sockets for axles etc.

To be honest there is only about 20% of the tools that are in the original kit that I have needed to use so I guess that if you know the socket sizes that your bike uses then you could buy those exact socket sizes and a quality ratchet handle and extension bar for price of a complete budget kit with loads of stuff you will never use.

If your bike still has its original kit then the tool sizes in there should give you an idea of the sizes that your bike uses.

Big Kneed Al (master of the emergency stop & "stand up" comedian).

steve wrote:

airwave wrote:

steve wrote:I personally don't think buyin expensive tools is needed for basic motorcycle maintenance , I've never spent alot on tools and very few tools I've bought have failed on me , I've bought universal pliers and screwdrivers from asda and I can't complain about the price or quality

erm,

your experiences and mine differ, the most frustrated I've ever been, has been with slightly complex jobs and stubborn fixings and cheap tools.
Nut doesn't want to come off, tool starts to give, leverage is lost and then the nut gets rounded off . . .
Cue 100 quid repair bill caused by 2 quid spanner.

now, I agree that spending more than the bike is worth on tools is silly.

But crap tools = bodge jobs.

A bad workman always blames his tools , maybe it's not your tools that make you bodge jobs

I changed my starter motor today , all I needed to complete the job was a 4mm , 5mm an 6mm Allen keys , a 8mm an 10mm spanner an my 50p asda pliers , completed the job with no hassles in 4 hours , I doubt more expensive tools would have helped me do the job better or any quicker

Clearly plenty tool snobs on this forum

Dunno,

I've got a fair collection built up over time of some pretty decent tools,

don't really go for "Name" tools, tend to go fur quality rather than "Name"

MT "after" work done . .

Roy is right.

Cheap tools are not made to the same tolerance, or from the same materials as more the expensive gear. You might be lucky and get a decent set, but I've also seen the result of a cheap socket set (not mine btw) ripping up bolt heads, cracking etc, particularly when you get to the smaller (and thus weaker) sizes.

Putting stuff together is one thing. Taking it apart after a few years when it's corroded and very tight may well need a slightly better tool to avoid that oh f*ck moment. Especially if the tool kit is well used and therefore worn.

No need to buy Snap-On unless your a professional, but I wouldn't go for the real budget stuff. As Roy says, it could end up costing you as lot more for the sake of a few quid.

Thanks every one managed to get a half decent set from B&Q(Torq) decent price for the amount

stitch82 wrote:Thanks every one managed to get a half decent set from B&Q(Torq) decent price for the amount

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on this matter , glad you got yourself sorted out tho dude

steve wrote:A bad workman always blames his tools , maybe it's not your tools that make you bodge jobs

I changed my starter motor today , all I needed to complete the job was a 4mm , 5mm an 6mm Allen keys , a 8mm an 10mm spanner an my 50p asda pliers , completed the job with no hassles in 4 hours , I doubt more expensive tools would have helped me do the job better or any quicker

Clearly plenty tool snobs on this forum

I'll happily admit to being a tool snob! I've spent far too much time fixing things (and myself) after cheap tools went wrong. Work tools are all Beta, get seriously abused and take it time after time. Personal tools are mostly Halfords - I've only ever managed to break one socket - and my favourite tool is brute farce and ignorance!