What are your favorite tools?

[Savago]

Dear friends

I believe we all have a few tools in our toolbox that are 'special'. They can be fancy and expensive... or they can be trustworthy and used all the time...

Sometimes they make a tough job so much easier, for being designed for the specific task. Or maybe we inherited them from a long gone relative that taught us how to wrench?

But I feel we all got a few tools that we treasure and keep it in a special place in the garage.

I would like to invite people to share here in this thread which tools you consider special or that you would recommend any valkyrie owner to add it to the toolbox.

My list of 'special' tools are:

a) 14mm/17mm wrench: I know, it doesn't look special at all. But this one is really lighter and better balanced than any other wrench I ever handled. It is kind of recessed and thin, which allows to reach pretty much any nut in any place (plus it is made in the good and old USA).


b) The digisync: I think I was one of the first to order it. This is a specialty tool, designed for our valkyries and built by a forum member that makes a tricky job much easier. Not much else to add to it, really.


c) Torchmeter: I have oversized gorilla hands and no sense at all of torque. I know some of you were blessed with an OEM torquemeter pre-installed between your hands and your brain, but for the regular folks it is a life saver.


d) Multimeter: I can't imagine working in electrics without one. This little fellow cost me about 20 bucks and helped me diagnose and fix the radiator fan in my I/S (plus helped me to install a water gauge, verifying that all the wiring was right).


e) Honda filter wrench: even though this is not an issue in the Valkyrie, in the ST1300 is a royal pain to reach the oil filter and be able to get it loose or torqued to the spec. This one I can't recommend it enough.


What about you guys? What would be your favorite/special tools?
:-)

[MarkT]

I 2nd the Digi-Sync.  But I rarely need to use it - just picked it up because BonS was shutting down it's availability.  So hard to call it a favorite with seldom use on my bikes.  BTW haven't checked to see if it also works on the 1800 wing.

My Snap-On 6,000# car lift modded with deck to lift bikes.



My Lincoln MIG and TIG welders.  

My Black Widow scissor table lift with a Dewalt drill & socket to crank it fast.



And of course my installed permanent lift adapters.  Sort of a tool I guess. For lifting George and Deerslayer w/o belly tank:



Or lifting Jade with belly tank:



I can lift either end or both ends of the bike depending on where I place the jack.  (Use a Sears or HF ATV/bike lift as it flexes enough for this purpose.)  And while not using it I can forget it's there - but there it is if needed on a road trip.

[Jess from VA]

KISS.  The ubiquitous 10mm wrench, because it comes in handy more often than any other for the bikes.

Here's a normal one.


The there's the hi tech one.


For non bike tools, my Colt Series 70 Ltwt Commander in .45ACP (worked on by the late Armand Swenson and San Diego Navy seal team armorer) comes to mind.  Yes, it's a tool. (this one is not mine, which has Bo Mar sights)


I must give honorable mention to my Colt 1908 Vest Pocket Model (.25), not because it's a great tool, but because it was the only thing my father was given of his father's when he passed (two weeks before I was born), and passed to me before my father passed.  It was reportedly carried by grandad for decades of his work on heavy equipment in the mines and mills of Pittsburgh PA during the industrial revolution.


I am not intentionally trying to make this a gun thread. 

[MarkT]

OK if we're gonna go there...  My Henry .45-70 with Aimpoint red dot & Marble BUIS tang sight for woods deer hunting.  And of course my .357mag J-frames with green Crimson Trace lasers for CCW.  My "assault weapons" and other auto-loaders are still on the bottom of Lake Michigan from the boating accident. All I have now are slow-loading old-school shooters.  With advanced sight systems.

[Gryphon Rider]

My Husky Rotator ratchet has saved me when turning a nut or bolt where there isn't room to swing a wrench or traditional ratchet very far.  Twist the handle either way and the head turns the way you have it set to turn.  Because I don't trust the strength of the mechanism to really reef on it, I'll use other methods to break the fastener free or to give it the fastener its final torqueing, however.

[Oss]

my dial type air pressure reader and air compressor

OK not "Special" but they are important to me

[Cracker Jack]

My persuader (4lb. hammer)!

[MarkT]

Yep.  Can't function w/o the air compressor.  Such that I have 2, 240v. ones - main one 2-stage, 80gal, 175#; the other 60gal single stage - used for 15 years is now backup. Air regulated always delivered at 125#. Have a dozen air tools I use all the time.  W/O air I can't do much work. And the compressors can't run off my backup power generator - startup load is too demanding.  Can weld, do everything else. (except not the water heater or hot tub)

[Beardo]

Favourite tool...Robertson screwdriver.  How America became the industrial powerhouse it is using Phillips and flat screws is beyond me. 

Most hated: Crescent wrench. They are evil and should be banned. Use the proper size wrench or socket.

[Jopson]

Miller 252 MIG welder
Cutting torch
F'ing big hammer!
But hey! I'm a farmer...

[old2soon]

Have a 3 foot long half inch drive breaker bar and adapters to 1 inch drive. Also have a 4 foot section of pipe that will go over the end of the breaker bar when needed!  WHAT tight nuts.  WHEN I have the right tool in my box that I need at that time-it are my favorite.  Means I dasn't gotta eff around ta git the job done. RIDE SAFE.

[Jims99]

For me, small stool on wheels. I spend more time trying to keep the chrome cleaned and waxed, to keep from pitting, than I do having to fix anything.

[Andy Cote]

The handiest tool I can think of is a snap ring tool that has a twist handle and opens like a screw jack.  No need to squeeze it just the right amount and move it just the right amount.  Just twist it until the ring is the right size and you're good to go.  AND NO BLOOD BLISTERS! The one I have is made by KD tools but here's a similar one made by GearWrench.

https://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-2012D-Combination-Heavy-Pliers/dp/B000RH3882/ref=sr_1_21?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1517322898&sr=1-21&keywords=snap+ring

[Andy Cote]

Of course here are some other ideas.

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted vertical stabilizer which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, "Oh rats!"

HAMMER: Device for driving screws.  Originally employed as a weapon of war.  Also used as a kind of divining rod to locate expensive car parts not far from the object we are trying to hit.

SCREWDRIVER: Device for prying parts apart and scrapping off old gaskets.

PRY BAR: Used to reach under the workbench to get the lost bolts and parts.

SCRAPER: Primarily used to reduce blood pressure by donating a pint after slicing open your hand.

WORK GLOVES: Intended to prevent hand injuries by occupying space on top of tool box.

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age.

SKILL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw.

ELECTRIC RECIPRICATING SAW (aka SAWZALL): See hacksaw except faster.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Primary implement in the creation of blood-blisters.

VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

WELDING GLOVES: Heavy duty leather gloves used to prolong the conduction of intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub you want the bearing race out of.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

EIGHT-FOOT LONG YELLOW PINE 2X4: Used for levering an automobile upward off of a trapped hydraulic jack handle.

CREEPER: A wheeled piece of garage furniture used to get under a vehicle in such a position that the part to be repaired is either too far or too close to reach with conventional tools.

EYEGLASSES: Decorative devices used by old, bold mechanics to blur images of objects that can then only be manipulated by feel.

TORQUE WRENCH: Expensive gift designed to weigh down the bottom drawer of the tool box.

UTILITY KNIFE: Bolder alternative to screwdriver for gasket and skin removal.  Only used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons containing convertible tops or tonneau covers.  For other boxes use screwdriver.

E-Z Out Bolt and Stud Extractor: A tool that snaps off in bolt holes and is ten times harder than any known drill bit.

Timing Light: A stroboscopic instrument for illuminating grease buildup on crankshaft pulleys.

Two-Ton Hydraulic Engine Hoist: A handy tool for testing the tensile strength of ground straps and hydraulic clutch lines you have forgotten to disconnect.

Trouble Light: The mechanic's own tanning booth. Sometimes called a drop light, it is a good source of vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin", which is not otherwise found under cars at night. Health benefits aside, its main purpose is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the same rate that 105-mm howitzer shells might be used during, say, the first few hours of the Battle of the Bulge. More often dark than light, its name is somewhat misleading.

Phillips Screwdriver: Normally used to stab the lids of old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splash oil on your shirt; can also be used, as the name implies, to round off Phillips screw heads.

Air Compressor: A machine that takes energy produced in a coal-burning power plant 200 miles away and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose to a Chicago Pneumatic impact wrench that grips rusty suspension bolts last tightened 40 years ago by someone in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, and rounds them off.

Grease Gun: A messy tool for checking to see if your zerk fittings are still plugged with rust.

[Roidfingers]

I carry this in my grand Cherokee in the event I have a flat. Has 1100 ft/lbs of torque. If needed in garage I know where to find it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GFUA7FC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



I also have one of these exhaust jacks. Work awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo8p3V01FUU

[saddlesore]

With the exception of the fire arms I  have a lot that were mentioned.   What wasn't mentioned is a tire changer.   Mine is just a Harbor Freight changer.  After decades of breaking my back, working on the ground I bought the changer and wish I would have done it sooner.

[Bagger John - #3785]

Craftsman Mid-Depth 6pt 3/8" dr. socket sets in SAE and metric. Bought new in the late 90s from a vendor at Mid Ohio Vintage Days. Looking back, I should have bought every set the guy had with him. I use those for darn near everything on the bike which requires a socket in the 10-19mm range and doesn't require hella torque to loosen.

Non-motorcycle stuff: My Tektronix TM-series mainframes and plugins. Using one of the portable setups, I can put a complete electronics lab in my driveway or garage. Very handy for diagnosing charging or ICM problems, testing radio equipment and so forth.

Firearms: The AR and LR platform. I can combine mission-specific lowers with mission-specific uppers, optics and magazines...thus enabling CMP/DCM competition activities, long-range bench shooting, hunting, varminting, plinking, home defense. About the only thing I can't do with one is shotgun sports, but there are other options for that.

Runner-up in that category is the T/C Encore and its many accessories.

[hubcapsc]

See the little red socket holder? And the green one? Those are my
favorite tools.

The allen sockets came with the green holder.

The red holder is from a $2.98 impulse buy deal (you know, that
stuff they set up near the cash register) at Advance. I threw out
the cheapo sockets and put my sockets in there.

A little very-usable holder with an 8, 10, 12, 14 and 17mm socket is
way better than loose sockets, or sockets in any other kind of holder
I ever saw. It is way easy to get the sockets out and put them in, but
they don't fall out by accident.

The little grey holder is OK, but it is hard plastic, not rubbery grippy
stuff like the other two.

-Mike

[Jess from VA]

Years ago, I got tired of a half dozen different socket sets with their own holders, some inside plastic boxes.

I went to JC Whitney and got these spring steel jobs that fill the top of my rolling tool cabinet/chest.  Now most of my sockets are lined up and easy to find (Craftsman, SK, Husky, JC Whintey, torx, star, ujoints, 1/4 to 3/8 and  3/8 to 1/2" converters, 12 point, 6 point, regular and deep reach and spark plug specials, all in one place.  I do have a few sets of allen sockets (1/4 and 3/8 drive, SAE and metric, still in their rubber boot holders, as I had run out of space.

Admittedly, I do not lug this whole thing out to the work.  I pull the ones I need.  Then it's easy to put them back where they go.  

A whole pile of short and long and stubby drivers of all sizes and extensions surround this organizer.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Years ago, I got tired of a half dozen different socket sets with their own holders, some inside plastic boxes.

I went to JC Whitney and got these spring steel jobs that fill the top of my rolling tool cabinet/chest.  Now most of my sockets are lined up and easy to find (Craftsman, SK, Husky, JC Whintey, torx, star, ujoints, 1/4 to 3/8 and  3/8 to 1/2" converters, 12 point, 6 point, regular and deep reach and spark plug specials, all in one place.  I do have a few sets of allen sockets (1/4 and 3/8 drive, SAE and metric, still in their rubber boot holders, as I had run out of space.

Admittedly, I do not lug this whole thing out to the work.  I pull the ones I need.  Then it's easy to put them back where they go.  Mine is six rows.

A whole pile of short and long and stubby drivers of all sizes and extensions surround this organizer.

I like it !

[1NorthRyder]

PEG BOARD. Yup, you heard me peg board. I have 4' X 24' of peg board mounted on the wall and any tool that can hang on a wall is. I have no space remaining and need to buy another sheet. I also have heavy steel shelving for heavier tools. I like to be able to see where my tools are and this is the most convenient method. I also love my air compressor with centrally located self retracting air hose.

[Jess from VA]

  I like it !

One thing.  There's obliviously a bunch of the bigger and deep reach sockets that you rarely (maybe if ever) use, and after 25 years, there can be a little touch of corrosion in those (not bad).  So every 10 years or so, you go round and give a micro squirt of solvent down those.  

Mine has been set up for 25 years, and I'm not changing it now.  But if I was going to do it again, I'd probably leave the big 1/2 inch and deep reach sets in their original boxes, and just use this organizer for the sockets I'm really likely to use.   The trick is to get the correct amount of 1/4 and 3/8 drive (and not so many 1/2 drive) spring steel socket holders.  Course, I'm not working on any John Deere or big equipment.

My brother has a whole row of big honkin' spud wrenches for all his tractors, trucks and equipment. Course, he's an actual mechanic.  



I actually prefer to have my small 1/4" metric sockets and allens in the little rubber boots because most of my work is on the bikes, and I can take the whole sets out with me to work.

    

[The emperor has no clothes]

I like it !

One thing.  There's obliviously a bunch of the bigger and deep reach sockets that you rarely (maybe if ever) use, and after 25 years, there can be a little touch of corrosion in those (not bad).  So every 10 years or so, you go round and give a micro squirt of solvent down those.  

Mine has been set up for 25 years, and I'm not changing it now.  But if I was going to do it again, I'd probably leave the big 1/2 inch and deep reach sets in their original boxes, and just use this organizer for the sockets I'm really likely to use.    

That's a good idea. I like it more for the idea of being able to have them all together. Right now I have a tool chest drawer with SAE and a drawer with metric. It's a pain searching thru them for the right socket.

[..]

My paint cans   

[Jess from VA]

I like it !

One thing.  There's obliviously a bunch of the bigger and deep reach sockets that you rarely (maybe if ever) use, and after 25 years, there can be a little touch of corrosion in those (not bad).  So every 10 years or so, you go round and give a micro squirt of solvent down those.  

Mine has been set up for 25 years, and I'm not changing it now.  But if I was going to do it again, I'd probably leave the big 1/2 inch and deep reach sets in their original boxes, and just use this organizer for the sockets I'm really likely to use.  The trick is to get the correct amount of 1/4 and 3/8 drive (and not so many 1/2 drive) spring steel socket holders.  

That's a good idea. I like it more for the idea of being able to have them all together. Right now I have a tool chest drawer with SAE and a drawer with metric. It's a pain searching thru them for the right socket.

See my last edit above. I actually prefer to have my small 1/4" metric sockets and allens in the little rubber boots because most of my work is on the bikes, and I can take the whole sets out with me to work.

I have to work outside my shed, with two interstates in there, and all my tools and equipment, there's no room for me to work in there.  Unless I pull one out and center the other up, but then a big piece of deadwood is sure to fall on the gas tank of the parked one.

I do keep separate drawers for all my metric and SAE wrenches. (but not the sockets, they are all in the top of my rolling chest)

[Jess from VA]

My paint cans   

Doood, get a couple jack stands.  They are a bit more stable than stacked paint cans. And we don't need multi ton rating ones for the bikes.  Under $40 all over.
 

[Jruby38]

Metric adjustable wrench, race 1911, Super Blackhawk, and TC flintlock.

[h13man]

All of the above! 

[Savago]

I forgot to include my JIS screwdriver (14 bucks):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E55DL4I/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This one I carry in the bike, under the seat.

[The emperor has no clothes]

My paint cans   

Doood, get a couple jack stands.  They are a bit more stable than stacked paint cans. And we don't need multi ton rating ones for the bikes.  Under $40 all over.
 

Makes me nervous just looking at that pic. 

[..]

My paint cans   

Doood, get a couple jack stands.  They are a bit more stable than stacked paint cans. And we don't need multi ton rating ones for the bikes.  Under $40 all over.
 

Makes me nervous just looking at that pic. 

Why? Both engine guards supported. Bike lift adapter. Strapped to bike lift.

[The emperor has no clothes]

2 blocks on top of 2 paint cans seems precarious to me. Too easy for the cans to slip off. Jack stands are pretty cheap.

[..]

2 blocks on top of 2 paint cans seems precarious to me. Too easy for the cans to slip off. Jack stands are pretty cheap.

Solid as a rock. Otherwise I wouldn't have done it.

[Jess from VA]

When the bike is on a good jack, a bit of stabilization out on the guards is not a big deal in terms of carrying any significant weight (all of which is on the jack).  It's more like they are there just to keep the bike from wiggling around when pulling on the wrenches (or just bumping the bike as you walk around).  I generally only use a single jack stand on one guard when the bike is on the jack for maintenance (and the bike is rock solid, once easing the jack down a few mm so that one jack stand is heavily captured by bike weight).

Still, one (or two) jack stands are so much easier to set up than having to finagle the right height with two cans and various blocks of wood.

It's certainly good for a laugh as good old redneck engineering or Yankee ingenuity, depending on what part of the country you are from.   

A few other examples.





























Sorry, got carried away.




 

[Ramie]

Favorite Tool?

http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/

[..]

Favorite Tool?

http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/

 

[George B]

I have a big shop with no less than three metal turning lathes. None of which is necessary for the care and feeding of a Valkyrie. My favorite tool, or most used tool for that, would be my Sears torque wrench. Having had Airhead BMWs as well, it is used on nearly every bolt and nut. 

[hubcapsc]

I have a big shop with no less than three metal turning lathes. None of which is necessary for the care and feeding of a Valkyrie. My favorite tool, or most used tool for that, would be my Sears torque wrench. Having had Airhead BMWs as well, it is used on nearly every bolt and nut. 

The beam kind? I just found the instructions to the Sears beam torque wrench
I got in the 70s and put it in the tool box with my wrench. No moving parts, I
guess it is still accurate enough to tighten my axle and stuff 

-Mike

[BigM]

I use this more than anything. And pc. of mind is there when i may need it in emergency.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-VALKYRIE-LIFT-JACK-ADAPTER-PERMANENT-MOUNT-PROVEN-1-BEST-ITEM-SAVE/172256920900?hash=item281b500544:g:S7EAAOSwMmBVsB-D&vxp=mtr

[..]

I use this more than anything. And pc. of mind is there when i may need it in emergency.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-VALKYRIE-LIFT-JACK-ADAPTER-PERMANENT-MOUNT-PROVEN-1-BEST-ITEM-SAVE/172256920900?hash=item281b500544:g:S7EAAOSwMmBVsB-D&vxp=mtr

I use that one as well.