Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

By Rod Breaker ellolne Workshop Many times a rider wishes he had the tools and equipinent to do the work on his machine at home in his garage, but when he walks into a well equipped shop and sees the ·array of tools that confront him, he suddenly has visions of bankruptcy. It may not occur to him that all these tools are needed by the shop because they work on a number of brands and a great number of models, while the average rider has only one machine to worry about. Of course outfitting the home workshop has a lot to do with how much cash you can layout for tools. The best way is to set a little aside each payday and buy a few tools at a time, This way it won't be missed so much and the woman who shares your fortunes will be less apt to make you sleep in the garage with the tools when she finds out you spent the money for them. You should'concern yourself with essential items first. For instance, an electric grinder with a grindstone and a wire wheel is as handy as a shirt pocket, but it is also expensive. If you feel that you must have one, check the misc. column of your local want ads in the newspaper, sometimes you can pick up some real bargains. Here are a few items that you will find handy to have around and that do not cost an arm and a leg to own. An absolute must if you own a motorcycle is an 'Impact Driver'. This one is sold by Snarron for about eight dollars and it lasts forever. For removing even the most stubborn screws, it cannot be beat. I t will not only take the screwdriver tips shown here, but will accept sockets as well. An example of a service department's special tools. The average rider has no use for a collection such as this. M While some . N I r0- O> ~. c: ..., '" ~ w Z W ...J U I f you have a flywheel magneto on your machine, you will have to have the correct puller to remove it. Shown here are various types of flywheel pullers along with a flywheel holding tool that is aC:justable for different makes. it is available from Rocky Cycle Co. in Redwood City, Calif. for about $4.00. It must be obtained through your dealer as they do not sell retail. For changing tires (if you wish to attempt it yourself) there are any number of tools available; most of those that are included in the tool kit with the machine are sufficient, but you may wish to purchase one like the Yamaha one that has a 23mm wrench on one end, or a set of the Harley-Davidson ones as shown that will work on the most stubborn of tires. For more than routine maintenance, you will probably need special tools such as thes'e fork tools for stripping various forks. Before embarking on any special job. check to see what special tools are needed and whether the cost of the tools will offset the savings of doing it yourself. If you wish to spend a little more to make lIIe job easier, this special tire tool designed by Aragon and distributed by his firm makes tire changing a simple job. One end of the tool is used to remove the tire and the other end for installing it. Used correctly, it is almost impossible to pinch a tube. are universal tools, many are special for certain machines and if you do not own one of these machines, the tool would be useless. Handy gadgets to have are a compression and a tire pressure gauge. While this gauge on the left is a little more elaborate than the normal one found at the local gas station, it is a lot mo re accu rate. Along with the 3/8" drive ratchet, you should Ignoring remakrs about 'hammer mechanics' you should invest in a couple of th~ 'candy-axe' type hammers. There is no need for a steel hammer. A good brass hammer and a plastic-tipped mallet as pictured will do all also pick lengths. up a few extensions of djfferent Get a spark plug sock.et to fit your While a dial indicator is getting into the realm of very expensive tools, it really is the best thing to set 2~stroke ignition timing. Pictured here are the ones for Yamaha and Suzuki, the best thing is to make sure that the one you get is the right one for your machine. particular machine. Some bikes will not accept a socket to remove the plug, so check before you invest the money. that is needed. They are fairly cheap from any tool department in the large department stores. If you have a collection of pneumatic tools like this. you couldn't get along without an air compressor. But while air--driven tools are nice, they are usually beyond the financial scope of the average rider. ~ small compressor is handy to have in your shop if for nothing else than to clean off freshly washed parts. If your machine is made anywhere but in Englancfor the United States, you will need a Proper screwdrivers are a must. You should have a wide variety of both phillips and regul&r, so that you will have the. torrect set of metric wrenches. This set is made by Thorsen and is a good reliable set at a decent price that covers most of the sizes you will need. screwdriver for the job. What ruins most t screw heads as well as the screwdriver is using the wrong size tool. A large variety of pliers is not necessary, but in addition to the regular type, a pair of Channel-Locks can be very useful. Also pick up a set of needle-nose and some side cutters. If you can afford them, a set of inside and outside snap ring pliers is a good investment. For the big four~stroke machines, the timing devices are different and again you should find out what your particular machine needs. Here is a timing degree wheel for a Triumph with various timing and TDC tools for different models. On the late models, these are not necessary as they arE: set up to be timed with a timing light. If you should purchase a timing light, get a good one that uses an external power source. If you have an English machine, you will need Whitworth tools. These are a linle harder to come by. The wrench set if from Wheelsport, an accessory -distributor, while the socket set is similar to those sold by Hap Jones Oist. Co., Rocky Cycle Co., or The Flanders Co. Flanders also has a nice assortment of combination wrenches that are a little more reasonable than Snap-On or Bonney. Essential for timing any engine except where the timing light is used, is one of these things, commonly referred to as a ·bu~zz~box'. One is made by Dunleer in the U.S., the other is Japanese and can be ordered from a Suzuki or Honda dealer. Yamaha also makes on that uses a dial instead of a light and a buzz. Cost: $20.00 approx. EVEL (Continued from page 5) The crowd explodes, 15,000 voices bellowing admiration. A white-leathered figure comes speeding bac k out of the darkness and rolls to a stop at the top of the landing ramp. The helmet comes off aild Eve! Knievel stands over the surging masses with arms outstretched in a gesture of victory for all. A symphony of strobdights punctuates his conquest. Evel Knieve! doesn't sell motorcycle jumps, he ·sells a feeling that only a precious few people can give. The next morning, Eve! visited Long Beach Memorial Hospital to find out that he had dislocated the steel plate in his hip. That afternoon on crutches he supervised the loading of the ramps. At one point, Evel was explaining the reason for the perfection he demands. "If you're racing Friday," he says, "and your bike quits you can always get off and come back next Friday. But if you're going 60 miles an hour and your bike quits when you hit the ramp your nose is going to land right here." He taps the front of the safety ramp with his cane. "You'll never come back." He ponders that for a moment. "Well, maybe in six months, if you're tough." ~ (.)

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