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specialty tools what are they?

4K views 26 replies 19 participants last post by  MikeB 
#1 ·
trying to come up with a list of specialty tools that i would use. so what do you guys have and recommend? i have a tire machine, chain riveting/breaker tool, hoist, hex axle sockets.

on my list so far i have a fork seal driver set for 33-54mm forks.

i have most of all the basic tools my wrench set SUCKS, but i have all sockets, wrenches, torks, inverted tork, allen wrenches, and etc.

I'm looking at the tools that you will only use 1 time but you have them just incase. so what do you guys got.
 
#3 ·
See if you can get a service manual for your bike and check out the special tools that are listed. There should be a generic version of just about every tool. A few would be model specific. You could do a checklist of what you think you would really use....even once.

I'd go for all the tools needed for valve work, and go from there.

I have a torque wrench...that's about as exotic as it gets in my garage.
 
#4 · (Edited)
The "drive on" Bike Lift serves me well!
However, it is a gathering spot for everything when I use it as a work table for anything other than the Bikes, though ;)


I need More Room! That is my suggestion...
When I was planning my polebarn, I was told to build it three times the size you think you`ll need...
IT`S FULL!!
I built it 50X16, 5 times the original plan of 10X10 :D


Lets RIDE
Wrench later
 
#8 ·
Most all have been mentioned.. Spark Plug Gauge, Multimeter. A Torque Wrench has been mentioned but is worth mentioning again - that will take all the guesswork out of how many "grunts" you use when aping on fasteners.
 
#9 ·
Along with the common variety of hand and power tools every man should have, my specialty tools are: beer cooler, sandwich maker, and Band-Aids.
The one in the middle helps with many other jobs and is a great multi-tasker, however they are high maintenance. And don't forget, you need a habit of keeping everything organized and in good condition... to be PC, shovel-ready.
 
#10 ·
Multimeter but thats a standard homeowner tool. Owning Hondas shouldn't require specialty tools. >:) The only time I done front fork seals I used the old seal upside down to lightly tap in the new ones. Properly
calibrated torque wrenches are a must.
 
#11 ·
When I replaced the steering bearings I wanted to be sure I could properly torque them. Honda sells a tool for this, but I made my own.



Another one that came in handy was the slide hammer and bearing puller kit from Harbor Freight when I replaced the wheel bearings front and rear.

Feeler gauges for adjusting the valves. My valves also needed a very tiny wrench that I actually made using a small flat piece of metal. However, I think I may get one of the valve/tappet wrench sets for the next time.

I also bought a tool that I needed to remove the swing arm and to properly torque the it when I put it back on.
 
#12 ·
You got there before me -- the steering head bearing nut socket is one special tool that everyone "needs" at some point but no one has. Your solution is a good one, but I have to confess that I have routinely used big channel lock pliers -- and even on occasion (blush) a drift and hammer.

Hey, I never said I was a mechanical engineer.:grin2:
 
#16 ·
Keeping it simple, the dedicated oil filter/oil plug wrench.

I wish I had one the first time I did an oil change on my VLX.
None of the filter removal wrenches at the local auto shops would fit in the restricted space and I had to resort to the good ol' hammer-a-screwdriver-through-the-filter technique because the previous owner must have screwed it on with an impact driver.:evil:
 

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#20 ·
Speaking of tools, I had a rear tire flat today. I have metric wrenches, but nothing big enough to remove the rear wheel. I'd need a large torque wrench with socket? In one month I'm out almost $400 at a dealership for a new tire installed and today a flat fixed on same rear tire.

There will be no more tire work at dealerships for me. I'll learn to do it myself.
 
#22 ·
The most-special tool I had in my Shadow arsenal was a 6-point box end wrench for the rear wheel nut (31-mm?). It took a very long time to find one that wasn't 12-point.

Doubled as a hammer!
 
#24 ·
Sounds like you want to set up a full scale motorcycle workshop. Mose of the specialty tools will be used so seldom. But you may want to add a battery jumper pack, some jumper cables, a spark tester , and carb sync gauges, unless you have fuel injection. A 12volt test light is a quick wiring tracer also. An air compressor and power tools can speed a job.
 
#26 ·
I've managed to do most of the maintenance on my bike with a basic socket set, wrench set, screwdrivers, torque wrenches (inch lbs and foot lbs), and hex set. Anything beyond that really depends on how much maintenance you want to do yourself. If you plan on bleeding your brakes you'll likely need a vacuum bleeding kit. You'll need a jack of some sort to service your forks and check your steering head bearings. A carburetor synchronization tool if you are going to remove and clean the carbs.... if the 07's have carbs. The only real specialty tool I had to buy directly from Honda was for my spark plugs. Two of the four were at a funky angle, and a regular spark plug socket just wouldn't fit.
 
#27 ·
I agree that basic tools will do almost everything you need to do for regular maintenance and service. Usually the plug wrench supplied in the OEM tool kit is the best (or only) one for accessing spark plugs at weird angles -- don't you have one?

Also: while I favor the Mityvac method brakes can be bled the old-fashioned way by squeezing at the lever while opening the bleed screw, although it's easier if you have a friend to help; and carb synch can be done with a homemade manometer -- plans using just a length of vinyl tubing filled with ATF or something similar are all over the interwebs and that's what I have used for years. I actually prefer this type of manometer because it is much more sensitive and thus more accurate than mercury stacks or the ones with steel balls. I use it for the throttle bodies on my fuel-injected Wee-Strom as well.
 
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