Just a note on hack #3: You should not use the ball-end of that style of Allen key for anything tight. It's really just for unscrewing and screwing in bolts that have awkward access, getting them loose enough to unscrew that way or tightening to final torque should be done with a standard style Allen key. There's a lot less contact with the ball head kind that concentrates force in a small area and can easily lead to stripping out the head of the fastener.
I have heard several times about not using the ball end to loosen or to break loose difficult fasteners, but in my experience I have never had an issue. And consider that often-times a non-ball end Allen wrench will not fit in the required space. But overall a good thought!
If you have rusty bolts that you want to give the scotch brite treatment to: make sure you give them a nickel plating or anodize it or go for good old fashioned blueing once you’ve gone to town with your abrasive. All those can be done at home. If you put that de-rusted bolt back in as is, it will look the same as before or worse in no time.
A handkerchief tied somewhere in your bike is an absolute life saver. I always meant to tie one to my bike and eventually I got around to tying one to my front fork near the handlebars. Thankfully I did because a few days after I did that, I was riding and suddenly the bolt that holds the clutch linkage and footpeg broke away, I’m guessing from fatigue. I was far from home and no way at all to shift the bike or get it back. I sat for a few minutes and thought about it…then i remembered the black handkerchief I tied to the motorcycle. I untied it and then held my shift linkage/footpeg in place with my knee as I tied the handkerchief around it and the bike frame. Tied the knot as hard as I could…and it held the linkage in place in the air. I couldnt place any weight from my left foot on anything and had to hold it in the air all the way home, but that handkerchief allowed me to hang my foot in the air and GENTLY use my toes to nudge the gear shifter all the back home. Crazy but it worked!
Old school hack. No need for pinlocks or expensive visor anti mist gels. Use a soft cloth to rub a tiny drop of washing up liquid onto the inside of your visor, job done.
I have a better way for the other 599 bolts in that box on #1 and that is an ultrasonic cleaner. They are not expensive and you can put whatever solution in it you want. They will come out just like new. The microscopic explosions in the solution are what clean every nanometer of whatever you put in it. This has the added advantage of not removing the metal itself in the process. This is the same action responsible for keeping boat propellers looking brand new when the ship is completely covered in all manner of nastiness. Protip: put your solution and all the bolts inside another container (not glass) before you put it in the ultrasonic cleaner and then you will not have contaminated it so you can use it to clean all manner of different things.
Less beer , more concentration . Do Not ever put glass bottles or hard items down your shirt . If you crash the sauce will mix with the blood and make the accident scene appear as though you were carrying a pillion . Backpack and tank bag indeed. John 3:16 . Stay Safe brothers and sisters.
Billy and his girl Lisa were riding along on a cool spring morning when Lisa motioned for them to pull over as she was cold. Billy took off his leather jacket and placed it on Lisa backwards to block the maximum wind. A few miles later, they ran off the road in a bad accident. Frank came on the scene and later explained to his friend Jack what took place. "I walked up to the crashed motorcycle and could see Billy was dead at the scene. Lisa was still moving about until I turned her head around."
Customised toolkits under the seat are invaluable, including, and you can get them nowadays, clutch cable kits and zip ties, small air pumps in your rucksack and screw type tyre repair things, always making sure that you check your motorcycle before you head out, imperative, the t shirt trick I've been doing for ages, no one told me, it was just logical, the spanner someone taught me for extra leverage and a micro fibre cloth and a bottle of water which you can use for allsorts, screen cleaning, visor cleaning, etc.., but yeah, thanks 👍
Nice one ! I like a backpack personally , keeps me warmer :) also , I usually get the cashier to put the stuff in my bpack so I can leave it on and have some inter-reaction too :)
Thank you for the hack. The only hack I wouldn't recommend is using your helmet as a basket because you can scratch your visor and/or damage your lining.
I grew up with my penny wise, pound foolish father never buying decent tools. Labor rates are so high that it makes good tools an excellent investment. It also minimizes my precious time in the garage. For example, instead of trying to make an L-shaped Allen wrench work for every Allen bolt job, the T-handle Allen wrenches are much easier to hold and apply torque in a focused manner. For some jobs, power tools can save a great deal of time. Just be prepared to climb a steep learning curve the first time you tackle a new repair or maintenance job, and then reap the rewards of your knowledge each time you do it again in the future.
You shouldn't be "breaking the torque", with the ball end of an Allen key. Good way to strip out the inside of the bolt head. I appreciate that you were demonstrating using a box end to get leverage. But you do a disfavor to novice mechanics that don't know better. That spot needed an "Allen socket".
A hoodie with kangaroo pouch is better than your tshirt tucked, they don’t sell the good ones at Walmart anymore…..Russell breeze thru material, giant kangaroo pouch and a huge chest zipper pocket
One guy noted here tgat scotch Brite pad will remove factory finish is correct. Go to your favorite cycle shop get a can of S-100 corrosion inhibitor made in Germany and spray on you nut/bolts /fasteners aluminum eng ect after washing and repels water. Just not brake rotators/hot eng .follow directions and you won't get rusted looking bolts. I pout 114k on my zrx1200R and not 1%of corrosion. Your bike bill thank you
I love your style. But I disagree on your ack 2, I saw what happen with a bottle of Coca Cola in the jacket during a crash, it finish with 3 broken ribs and serious damage to the lungs.
if you dont have a spanner with you on the side of the road. i mean i know i always have a 10 and 13... but if you dont have a spanner, put the allen rench long ways and twist it with pliers, its what i have to do at work in tight spaces. also on a bike. best to chase problems on a bike with a tool kit spec'd out. 83 vf750c.
As a car guy as well, I've been using #3 for decades. You can also put the box end of the wrench on the open end of another wrench to accomplish the same trick.
OR instead of messing up your helmet's EPS liner by treating your noggin-savior as a cheapo basket, you could just strap it to one of your belt hoops. just be careful not to hit anything with it as you move through the aisles.
I was pulled up by an overzealous security guard who had already called the police whilst using my helmet as a basket once! Luckily there were 2 police nearby who came and explained to the security guard that I hadn't commented a crime and not to as I hadn't tried to leave the shop
I loved your comment at about 3:40 to 3:50 about "did I tighten that bolt up?" Sort of along the same lines, in my earlier years of riding I used to have this unjustified paranoia / visualization of the front wheel falling off at 125 mph or so. Unfortunately I told that story to my adult son, who now suffers the same paranoid fear! LOL Nice video; thank you for taking the time and effort to make it and post it. Some obvious hacks, some not so obvious! Thanks so much, David
great video! - I have ridden home with a loaf of bread or a pack of toilet paper on the tank... but if this is achievable depends on your bike, and the corners you have to take!
