Tools for a wannabe

[sixpack577]

Do you refer to the spanner/crown socket? I considered that but did not see an advantage to using it on this decorative fastener, ergo, it would not be more protective than this, but understand that it may be required for the lower stem nuts.

No that works fine, but what lower stem nuts are you talking about?

 

[Hayabusa Wannabe]

No that works fine, but what lower stem nuts are you talking about?

Steering stem. Further down the steering requires that castle tool, yes?

 

[sixpack577]

Steering stem. Further down the steering requires that castle tool, yes?

View attachment 1672464

No, those are lock rings, which require spanner wrenches.

 

[Dopey]

For the front axle you can turn the special hex tool with a wrench or socket.
For the tire machine...get the Rabaconda Street Tire Machine.
Yes, it's $600...but let me put it into perspective.
I have their dirt tire changer, and yes you can change sportbike tires on it, as I have done many with it...but it's about the same as any manual tire machine...effort is involved.
For the record, and I say this humbley, at 46 years old, I am still in great shape.
Even though my sixpack screen name is for a 6pack of beer, lol, I still have one too.
I workout several times a week with weights, cables, and various routines, including my 100lb bag.
I'm doing good for an old guy, lol, but...with all that said...the last several tires I have done have really kicked my azz!
Some tires almost jump on the wheel by themselves, while others, they will fight you to no end, it's just how they are.
Now, my knees, back, and joints are tired of aching from fighting tires...and no amount of physical conditioning is going to change that.
I got a friend of mine to help me mount the 2 I just put on my '03 Gsxr1k.
So, Soon I will get the Street Rabaconda.
Yes, still a manual machine, but it takes the physical effort and stress out of getting the tire bead off/on the wheel, by using the long ratcheting arm to do the work for you.
I ramble all of that to make the point of; yes, it's $600, but the dealer is what, 6 to 8 tires mounted and balanced for that much now?
So, if you plan to continue to ride and to do your own work, as you are, given what you've spent lately too, I would highly recommend Not buying a typical manual changer, living to regret spending that much, then wanting something else.
I bought the Dirt Rabaconda a couple years before the Street was released, otherwise I would already have one.
Just some serious thought for where money is personally better spent on certain tools.
My age and old injuries no longer want to deal with certain things if and whenever possible...and aching from a stubborn tire is high on that list.

Knowing how you have a tendency to work on other people's bikes as well I would keep an eye on marketplace for a used tire machine if I was you. I got the one in my shop for 500 bucks and it does have the no scratch attachments on it, when I was looking for one I was thinking real hard about waiting for the rabaconda street to come out as I do really like the way it looks. I've also had a chance to use a couple of the cheap ones you see on ebay and stuff and was really surprised how well it worked and one of them gets multiple tires changed on it almost every day. I know pre covid when I was looking you could get for under 1k delivered for just the tire machine and under 1500 for that and a balancer but I'm sure they're a lot higher now just like everything else but I'm hoping to come across a used set with the balancer at some point.

 

[sixpack577]

Knowing how you have a tendency to work on other people's bikes as well I would keep an eye on marketplace for a used tire machine if I was you. I got the one in my shop for 500 bucks and it does have the no scratch attachments on it, when I was looking for one I was thinking real hard about waiting for the rabaconda street to come out as I do really like the way it looks. I've also had a chance to use a couple of the cheap ones you see on ebay and stuff and was really surprised how well it worked and one of them gets multiple tires changed on it almost every day. I know pre covid when I was looking you could get for under 1k delivered for just the tire machine and under 1500 for that and a balancer but I'm sure they're a lot higher now just like everything else but I'm hoping to come across a used set with the balancer at some point.

I've went back and forth with that idea over the years, and since the Rabaconda Street came out.
An electronic mounting machine is big, heavy, takes up space, and may require 220 or 240, which would be another expense for me to add to my breaker box.
The Rabaconda Street is small, lightweight, has no electronics to fail, and mounts tires as effortlessly as an electronic machine.
As for balancing, I've been using the same Redline Static stand for about 14 years now, and it's always perfect.
I recently got a Snap-On electronic motorcyle tire balancer.
My friends picked it up at a pawn shop cheap because it had no cones or nut, knowing my Dad could make those, which he did.
My Dad figured out how to balance the drum with wheel weights, and made the cones, and lock ring, with custom threads, as the shaft is not an sae, metric, pipe, or other thread size.
So now I have a free working Snap-On balancer.
It checks good against my static balancer too.
I'll keep the static balancer to check that wheels aren't bent, and in case the machine dies.

 

[sixpack577]

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[kim windsor]

100% even for basic stuff like oil drain plugs 1/4 is too small.

Don’t forget the most important torque wrench metric.

 

[Hayabusa Wannabe]

Don’t forget the most important torque wrench metric.

Mine are in inch-lbs and ft-lbs. Imperial units are published for everything so I am unsure if I will ever refer to Nm.

 

[Hayabusa Wannabe]

How do you guys remove plastic bolt caps? Like the ones on the handle bar holder (top steering bracket)?

This seems like a fingernail thing to prevent mars. Perhaps taping up a screwdriver is the most practical way?

It is times like these that I want to invent a specialized tool.

 

[sixpack577]

How do you guys remove plastic bolt caps? Like the ones on the handle bar holder (top steering bracket)?

This seems like a fingernail thing to prevent mars. Perhaps taping up a screwdriver is the most practical way?

It is times like these that I want to invent a specialized tool.

Plastic interior removal tools, like plastic prybars.
But a taped screwdriver, or carefully used knife blade works well too.

 

[sixpack577]

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