Complete garage tools for 6th gen?

Hey folks,

I'm new here (first post), previously owned a '94 Yamaha Seca II and a 2000 Triumph Sprint RS, and just recently settled on a beautiful deal of a 2002 ABS model, with only 8,000 miles on her, as my new ride. Anyway, I know this isn't the place for introductions, so I'll move on. But I just wanted to say that I'm happy to join your ranks.

Now, on to the questions. I did zero of my own maintenance on the previous two bikes. This time around, I'm committed to doing all of it myself. I got the factory service manual. Is it worth picking up the Haynes as well?

And the bigger issue -- I don't really know where to start with the tools required. Being an '02, the bike came with a pretty complete (though cheap-seeming) under-seat tool set. (I've heard that the '07s and up got rid of this.) What I'm talking here are the tools required to do basically anything/everything, in my home garage, that I would normally have to go to a dealer for.

I already picked up a torque wrench (1/2 + 3/4 hybrid). But what else? If possible, I'd like to buy a nice set of sockets etc. that will last me a long time. But even there, I don't know where to begin. Are all the bolts on the bike all metric? What kind of extenders will I need?

And assuming I'm going to be doing my own valve adjustment at 16K, what will I need for that job?

I'm interested in hearing about must-haves, as well as tools that'll just make things easier.

I know this is really broad, but I'm absolutely green at the mechanical stuff and could use some good advice from the seasoned guys out there.

Thanks for your time,
Franklin

 

You are "green" with mechanical stuff but you are going to attempt a valve check on a VTEC motor? Those are some pretty high ambitions that could eventually cause you lots of headache. I would advise to skip the 16k valve check unless you start seeing performance issues. Many people will tell you that the 16k valve check is a waste of time and/or money. I have yet to meet anyone that had out of spec valves that early on and I know several members who are close to or over 100k miles with no valve check whatsoever. My advise would be to put the money toward a tire changer (NoMar or Cycle Hill brand) , a good multimeter, a chain pressing tool, and a power bleeder for the brakes and clutch. I've managed fine with my 2 torque wrenches and a complete Husky toolset from Home Depot. It came with sockets, screwdrivers, and wrenches and it cost me less than $100 a few years ago. A good oil filter wrench is also handy but not really needed once you get your existing filter off since those filters can be hand tightened. If your bike doesn't have a centerstand go ahead and pick one up or get a set of stands to raise the front and rear wheels. There are many cool members of this site so if you need help just post up and someone will be willing to give you a hand or possibly loan you a specific tool that you may need so check here before buying a tool that you may only end up using once or twice.

P.S. those linked brakes should also be fun for a newb to work on too LOL!!


Rollin

 

Hey Rollin,

Thanks for the reply. I have a pretty good head for mechanics in general, and I'm a tinkerer with other things, but it's true that I've never worked on a motorcycle before - never even done an oil change. Maybe it's too ambitious of me.

I like putting my mind to new things, though, and I actually see it being kind of fun to tear the engine down and figure things out.

I appreciate your advice. The bike does have a center stand, so no problem there. Just any socket/wrench set will do? Doesn't matter if it's metric or not?

-Franklin

 

Just checked into the items you recommended, and the power bleeder and multimeter definitely seem like good investments.

For mounting tires, though, $600+ seems like a lot for a rig. How many tire changes would I have to do to break even on that? Do shops offer a discount on mounting tires if you remove the wheel yourself and bring it in?

-Franklin

 

Torque wrench(check), good set of sockets(mostly 10-18mm) for most maint. Front axle nut take a larger socket. A 4x lug wrench (can address the frn axle nut), a decent set of allen/hex wrenches/keys both metric and standard, a chain break/press/rivet tool, honda (not loc-tite) high temp med strength red thread lock, a giant cressent wrench, 2 tire irons (motion pro 16"), tire balance stand (HF), bead beeaker(hf), look online for a VFR adapter...(good luck), fork seal driver, several ratchet extenders, oil cap wrench, funel(s) used oil recepticle, used coolant recepticle, misc wrenches. Maybe keep a roll of electrical tape around. Since you bought an 02, look into a vfrness wire harness to correct a pre 05 rectifier issue.

All this will get you through most maint.

Not sure you want to tackle a valve job tho.

 

Don't forget a BIG hammer as well ound:
All good advise here :thumbsup:

 

Tire changes where I live cost between $30 and $50 per wheel. If you wait until Christmas time you can get the Cycle Hill changer for around $450 shipped or you can look into the Wikco tire changer on Ebay for around the same price now. I've also made a few bucks on the side changing tires for friends/aquaintances so I've been able to recoup some of the money. The good thing is that they are always in high demand so if you ever put it on Craigslist it will sell quickly for a good price. I have two bikes so it made more sense to me to buy it but the real reason was to get satisfaction of doing the job myself and to avoid driving 20+ miles each way to have them changed.

Rollin

 

Won't argue too much with Rollin and Bitterpil. Both are worthy of your attention.

I see no need for you to run out right now and buy a whole pile of tools right away. I would personally start out with one of those fairly good quality 150 or so piece sets that have wrenches, sockets, ratchets and so on in them. Make sure they are imperial and metric. These are alwasy going on sale one place or another, But choose your brand with thought. ANd as you add to this set later as needed, stick with the same brand unless there is a good reason to change.

With the exception of the oil filter and torque wrench, which there are a fair variety on the market, don't buy any more tools until you come to the point that you need them. Look at the task you are bout to tackle and determine what new tool you need to go out and buy. Is it cheap. No. But it seems so because you are not breaking the bank all at once.

I have the Haynes manual too an do like this book. But the torque settings are all in NM and need to be converted to FP. You Tube has "how to's" all over the place for just about everything you can think of as well. Between that and your service manual, you should be able to get by.

Buy something big recently that was packaged in a big cardboard box? Save and flatten that box to put under your bike when you work on it, and slide it under there when you lube the chain too. Unless you don't care about getting an oily garage floor. I hate oil spots. My 23 year old driveway that I ripped up last year did not have a single oil stain on it. And I had a 71 Pontiac that dripped more oil than I put into it. Think the oil munchkins were having sex deep down inside that thing.

And lastly, yes. Everything on that bike is metric. Mater of fact, everything built almost everywhere is metric except for good ol USA. I think some places still use weightworth measure though.

 

Duck Tape......a real man would not be without at least a few rolls of that stuff around for emergencies.

 

This is all awesome advice. Okay. So first things up are to get a good socket set and an oil filter wrench to keep my torque wrench company in the garage. Then I'll go from there as needed.

Another off-shoot question: I bought the bike with fewer than 8,000 miles, and it has almost 8500 now. But the previous owner had barely ridden it (~200 miles in two years of ownership). He told me that he had the 8,000 mile service done early (when he first bought the bike), but he didn't have a receipt for it.

Given this information, what would you guys check/perform first? I don't even know when the oil was last changed, so I'm definitely going to do that soon (just to be sure). As long as I have the fairings off, should I bleed/replace the clutch fluid too? Brake fluid? The bike is super clean and the tires are brand new. I just don't know about the hidden stuff that might need doing.

What would you want to check or do on an 8,000 mile bike that's probably been sitting for a while?

-Franklin

 

Are the tires "brand new" ? Or new looking. Old rubber especially OEM rubber sucks.
Oil, coolant. If the color of brake and clutch fluid looks like tea, bleed it. Lube yer chain and start riding that bitch.

 

Thanks bitterpil. The tires are not OEM (they're Bridgestone), but they may be close to 2 years old. I'm pretty sure the previous owner replaced them when he first got the bike, which would have been 200 miles and ~2 years before I did. Worth replacing them, just because of their age?

And yes, I intend to ride the hell out of this bitch.

 

Just put gas in her and ride her hard for Christ shake.......:tongue:
8500 miles is not even broken in. ........

 

make sure you call Honda with yo vin# and make sure the recall wire harness was done......good luck....ride safe and welcome-----OH and were are the Freekin pictures MANNNNNNNN ?

 

Start simple and learn the routine maintenace first. Tools.....acquire what you need as you go. Do what you feel comfortable with, but know when its above your head. I have gone so far as removing the carbs on ye ole 94 project, but they are now in a box and about to embark on a journey to Squirrelman for some expert love. :smile:
It was all I could do to keep my grimy hands and philips screwdriver off those bowls.....Probably next time!
Good Luck!

 

Welcome Franklin, now for the serious business,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,where are those damn pictures of your bike? All kidding aside (not really) I grabbed a few items out of the tool box that I have found to be especially handy over the years. The 3/8 drive sockets there that are the hex or allen wrenchs I would find tough to do with out. The little red handled cutters (I picked up from Harbor Freight) are called flush cutters and are outstanding for cutting zip ties (get zip ties) flush and not leaving that rediculously sharp edge that always seems to cut my old man skin when I'm reaching around in tight places. Get one of those dental tool picks, you will be suprised how often it comes in handy. Get some sort of wire stripper/cutter/crimpers. lastly I just tossed in the Husky brand (Home Depot) screw driver. I recently replaced a bunch of old mis-matched screw drivers with a very complete set of these and like them alot. The handles are kind of triangulated (fits the hand well) and have a nice rubbery texture. I do admit to buying some things at Harbor freight (be careful, some it is utter CRAP) ,it most likely won't last a life time but i'm not using it every day to make a living either. Some things have been ok. The flush cutters, sockets, combination wrenches. Their screw drivers were crap. You can get a 20% off coupon in the classifieds of any bike mag, or on their web site.
Ok, where are those pictures?:smile:
John

 

First of all, Welcome to The World! Now go and takes some pics of your new ride and post up a proper introduction. Secondly, if you want to talk shop, the best way to do it is to invite some of locals out for ride (hint, hint) and then once we get to know you better, we'll offer to help you work on your bike (well, maybe). All joking aside, a few of So Cal boys like to hit the local ride spots together and often talk shop and pick each others brains, do some bench racing and basically enjoy the So Cal weather.

When I first joined VFRW I didn't have any of my tools (left them at the old house) and I was kind of "lost" mechanic wise, didn't know of any in the OC being I'm an ex-Valley dude, now that I got my old tool set back, I'm back to wrenching my own vehicles again. Scubalong even joined in to help me once, but I think he was really just after the Pale Ales I bought :smile: I'm actually looking into getting a tire changer myself, with 3 bikes and an average of $25 a wheel (off bike), tire changes can add up real quick, plus there's the hassle of driving to the shop, waiting around for them to finish, etc...I think it'll be money well spent.