Torque Wrench Size?

What size torque wrench should I purchase for the VFR adjustments? 3/8" or 1/2"?
Thanks.

 

I use my 3/8" for 90% of things, but I did go out and purchase a 3/8" -> 1/2" adapter.

 

I'm pretty sure all my wrenches are 3/8". If I have to go up to 1/2" it's because that's what's handy and I have an adapter for that.

-Jake

 

I too use a 3/8" wrech with a 1/2 adapter bit and it is sufficient for the majority of my maintanence/repair tasks.

Rollin

 

I do a lot of work on my bikes Oqureshi so I've got one of each,a 3/8" drive with a range of 5 ft/lbs to 75/ft/lbs and a 1/2" drive with a range of 50 ft/lbs to 250 ft/lbs.

Most of the basic maintenance bolt torques on the 6th gen. bikes are in the 10 ft/lbs to 50 ft/lbs range,with one exception being the rear wheel lug nuts which require 80 ft/lbs of torque.

One other notable exception is the staked sprocket carrier nut on the left side of the swing arm. You'll need to remove it to gain access to the rear wheel bearing assembly so you can periodically grease your rear wheel bearings. That nut is held on with Red Loctite and is torqued to 150 ft/lbs.

 

Bear in mind that most click type torque wrenches aren't accurate in the the lower 20% of their range.

I found this out the hard way. Don't ask. :frown:

 

You get what you pay for. Buy a quality tool and it will most likely last a life time. I have a 3/8 inch pound wrench that I use for small things. A 3/8 one that goes from maybe 15 ft # to maybe 75 #s. And I got a nice 1/2 in one that goes up to I believe 250 ft #. I have used them all on my bike. No shameless plugs for tool companies on this post huh.

 

3/8 wrench is definately the first one to get, as that will cover the most tasks you will do. But the 1/2" is what you will need for a couple of things, particuarly the rear lug nuts and rear tire removal and reinstall is a petty frequent task. So start with the 3/8 and down the road, in a couple years if necessary, get a 1/2". Sears has some pretty good sales, but you can't count on it if you need the wrench this weekend.

 

Thanks for all the replies! Very helpful!

 

I'll echo the 3/8" ... the torques on the bike are not high enough that warrant a 1/2" drive for the most part except where described above. A 3/8" ought to do ya just fine.