Whacky idea for Mechanically challenged

[babuski]

Narcissus...you and Revlis have strange minds.....someday I will join you folks in the tear-apart club. Kind of like a final exam....a few years down the road....

Now, what kind of torque wrench should I get and what other "special" tools will I need? Since I will not be paying a tutor....I could splurge on a few tools.

 

[Narcissus]

Craftsman is the best way to go. You'll notice a 20-250 torque wrench next to my hump on the wall in the pic, above my metric Allen T-wrench set.

 

[CoolBUSA5454]

Might wanna buy the special socket set needed to take apart the bike, that's my next tool purchase. I saw a set on Ebay for like 75 bucks, not bad.

 

[Johnnycheese]

Craftsman is the best way to go. You'll notice a 20-250 torque wrench next to my hump on the wall in the pic, above my metric Allen T-wrench set.

Hate to say this but my Uncle does calibration for a living and guess what.
I threw YES threw away all my crafstman torque wrenchs due to how far off they get quickly.
do yourself a favor and get a snap-on well worth the money

 

[babuski]

Narc....I must have some hope of becoming mechanically gifted as the first thing I bought after I got the busa home was a set of allyn wrenches with T-handlebars.....indisposibable for busa owners...they make fairing removal much easier.\

Cheese...agreed. Some craftsman stuff is good but I've heard some is crap. Do the Snap on trucks sell to non-mechanical types and where do you find one of these trucks? Do you call em up and they'll come to your house?

Dumb question of the New Year....is the function of a torque wrench to make sure you get the nuts tight enough or to not tighten too much? I tightened my oil drain nut without a torque wrench last oil change and so far no leaks....but getting those metal washer/gasket things off to put a new one on was a major pain....

 

[Narcissus]

Oh, NOW you tell me.

Or maybe you already did and I just wasn't listening.

Well, their other stuff is pretty good, at least. Maybe I can sell the torque on eBay and get a Snap-On sometime.

 

[tbonebusa]

babuski...just go by any auto/truck/bike shop close to you and ask the techs for the numbers of the snap-on or mac drivers...or try the yellow pages. The only thing you need to know is that these guys have protected territories, so get the right one. I prefer mac, but you won't get a bad tool off either truck.

Good wrenchin'!!

 

[stkr00]

Dumb question of the New Year....is the function of a torque wrench to make sure you get the nuts tight enough or to not tighten too much? I tightened my oil drain nut without a torque wrench last oil change and so far no leaks....but getting those metal washer/gasket things off to put a new one on was a major pain....

A torque wrench's purpose is to allow you to tighten a fastener to the PROPER torque (tightness). Torque is defined as the force applied at a given distance from the center of rotation (radius). The radius is set by the length of the torque wrench handle.

Whenever you use a torque wrench, try to use one where the torque value required falls within 1/4 to 7/8 of the scale. Make sure you are using the right scale also. The scales can be ft-lbf (foot pounds force), or in-lbf (inch pounds force). 12 in-lbf = 1 ft-lbf. Allthough the bike is metric, you shouldn't need a metric torque wrench. Metric is N-M (Newton-Meters) I think.

You may need an in-lbf for smaller fasteners, and a ft-lbf for larger fasteners.

There are three types of toque wrenchs:
<ul>Dial: Adial torque wrench displays the torque reading on a dial/gage face mounted on the arm of the wrench. [/list]
<ul>Click: A clicker type has a micrometer style setting for the torque value you desire, and when that torque is reached, the wrench clicks to let you know, but you have to pay attention, because it is not so much heard, as it is felt in your hand.[/list]
<ul>Delflection: This is an older style that uses a sping bar that deflects when you're tightening, and has a pointer on a scale. Try to avoid these if you can. They're good for crude work, not precision mechanical. [/list]

I used to teach a class in the Navy called "General Maintenance Tools and Their Uses", plus "Diesel Engine Operation/Maintenance". The tools class is the type of information you need first, then the hands on stuff.

I hope I'm not insulting your intelligence, I'm just trying to give you enough information so you can purchase the right tools.

Good Luck!

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[babuski]

Stkr00.....thank you so much. No you were not insulting my intelligence.....I was good at physics and remembered that force across a radius is torque....we all learn it as a kid when we try to turn a revolving door from the center....didn't work well.

I guess I will look for the dial or the click type as the deflection type seems to be the old fashion way of doing things.

Again thanks for the explanation....now I know what to look for.

And....I have a Suzuki Manual and it list things in n-m and ft-lbs.

So this will be helpful....thanks

 

[dezzy7]

Great idea.... though I'm a chilton's kind of guy. I figure starting next fall I build a sport cruiser for two -up riding... I think its gonna be a great experience! After that maybe I'll tear the busa down ......naaaaawwww I'll leave it to the pros!

 

[Revlis]

Crafstman Torque wrenches no Good?

Dude, Thats stuff the board needs to know.

Babuski, I know where you are at when it comes to tearing down the bike, the best advice I have seen here was find a salvaged bike, rip into it, rebuild it, and develop your skills that way. But I have a paper service manual and it really is pretty simple once you get over the initial apprehension. Just make certain you have a clean workspace, the right tools, the manual, and about double the time a professional mechanic would take for the same job. Which leads to the decision is your time more or less expensive than your mechanics time? Will you enjoy wrenching on your ride? Finally, do you have the mechanical inclination and confidence to safely work on your bike?
My point is that a lot of folks here would be better served from a financial and "headache" point of view by letting the pro's take care of their rides. Minor things like chain adjustments, oil changes, and general maintainence are things we can all do with little worry, beyond that you should really consider the time/effort/money factor of digging too deeply into your ride. When I do the math turns out I will usually save money by taking the Busa to the shop rather than futzing with it at home. Just a thought is all. I still do my own basic maintainence because I like to get Lilah nekid every now and then, it's good to get a feel for it and really understand all the underpinnings, and yeah it's fun.

 

[babuski]

Once again Revilicious your counsel is wise.
Given that
I have little time
I travel 70,000 miles per year
I am stressed....

....The pros will be doing most of the stuff. Its just some of you guys have had some bad experiences from mechanics and I'd like to avoid that. One way to avoid it is to know ones bike. And to really know it, you must work on it, even if its just basic maintenance.

Will I be syncronizing the throttlebody? Doubtful...but I'd like to be able to change my filters, spark plugs, fluids....etc...If I could learn to do all that, I'd be happy for now.

Now if I could just snap my fingers and turn my black and grey into an all Black like yours....It might help pass the next 60 days in Chicago.

 

[Revlis]

Heh, you could allways hit that grey with a sharpie!  Not promising any results though...

As for my counsel being wise....  I dunno... I am pretty sure I am full of sh^t, but occasionally I have a good thought.  

Good luck.  If your just itching to do something to your bike, Get everything you need to change the Oil and Filter, then get a set of Metric T-Handle Hex Keys, a low shop stool, and a rear race stand.  Then instead of just pealing off the plastics required for the oil change, pull them all off, everything.  Doing so will really give you an opportunity to get to know your bike, and how she looks fully undressed.  It's not too challenging but it gave me a good feel for how she is all put together, not to mention provides the perfect opportunity to check all your bolts, nuts, screws, etc...



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[babuski]

A sharpie on my buseee! I'd do it but its 8 f**king degrees in Chicago....the ink would freeze.

And Rev...you are not full of sh**.......but your avatar has to go! That eye is giving me seizures...! And its now January so your new Delta Tau Chi pledge name should now be
Revinator...!

 

[Revlis]

Heh, I like my spooky Eye...After all I have to keep an eye on things...

 

[Mikey D]

Dumb question of the New Year....is the function of a torque wrench to make sure you get the nuts tight enough or to not tighten too much?   I tightened my oil drain nut without a torque wrench last oil change and so far no leaks....but getting those metal washer/gasket things off to put a new one on was a major pain....

A torque wrench's purpose is to allow you to tighten a fastener to the PROPER torque (tightness).  Torque is defined as the force applied at a given distance from the center of rotation (radius).  The radius is set by the length of the torque wrench handle.  

Whenever you use a torque wrench, try to use one where the torque value required falls within 1/4 to 7/8 of the scale.  Make sure you are using the right scale also.  The scales can be ft-lbf (foot pounds force), or in-lbf (inch pounds force).  12 in-lbf = 1 ft-lbf.  Allthough the bike is metric, you shouldn't need a metric torque wrench.  Metric is N-M (Newton-Meters) I think.

You may need an in-lbf for smaller fasteners, and a ft-lbf for larger fasteners.  

There are three types of toque wrenchs:
<ul>Dial:  Adial torque wrench displays the torque reading on a dial/gage face mounted on the arm of the wrench.  [/list]
<ul>Click:  A clicker type has a micrometer style setting for the torque value you desire, and when that torque is reached, the wrench clicks to let you know, but you have to pay attention, because it is not so much heard, as it is felt in your hand.[/list]
<ul>Delflection:  This is an older style that uses a sping bar that deflects when you're tightening, and has a pointer on a scale.  Try to avoid these if you can.  They're good for crude work, not precision mechanical. [/list]

I used to teach a class in the Navy called "General Maintenance Tools and Their Uses", plus "Diesel Engine Operation/Maintenance".  The tools class is the type of information you need first, then the hands on stuff.

I hope I'm not insulting your intelligence, I'm just trying to give you enough information so you can purchase the right tools.

Good Luck!

Stker is right on the money, I would add one comment...

The beam type or deflection torque wrenches do have their place.  They are definately less accurate that a click type but are necessary for some types of jobs.  (ie. setting the drag torque on a rear end pinion gear)

He is definately correct in reccomending a click type for the busa.  Most of the fasteners thread into aluminum so you may want to get a 3/8" drive torque wrench.  They usually max out around 75 ft/lbs.  Also, most torque wrenches will be calibrated in english and metric so no worries there.


One last rookie tip (I teach Auto shop)...

Whenever you disassemble anything, (if possible) try to put the bolt back into the threaded hole after removing the part.  You won't lose any fasteners, you won't have any "extra" and it makes figuring out where everything goes much easier.


Good luck!

 

[stkr00]

Thanks for the kind words Mikey D.

Didn't really want to get into all that running and breakaway torque stuff. Especially when using nylon self locking fasteners. We used to used them and had to document everything on QA forms when I was on Submarines.

 

[stkr00]

What about slugging wrenchs and calculating torque based on the degrees of rotation past the mating surfaces touching?

Or when using an offset extension while using a torque wrench?

Now that is when it gets REALLY fun.

 

[babuski]

Mating surfaces....you guys are crazy.

anyways thanks for the advice. I feel much more educated now.

 

[BLU88]

wife just bought me a rolln toolbox ..now all i have to do is fill it with tools and then i will start tryn to wrench on my own bike ...dealers a just to expensive ...have not found any performance shops here in louisville ky....wish i could . one nice thing about the dealer i do use is it is a smaller dealer and he lets me use his trailer whenever i need it , since i dont have one....thats cool.