Shop Essentials

Ian Short

Ian Short

Full member
Location
Cambridge Ontario
Over the years I'm sure that we've all picked up products that we now couldn't "live" without as we continue our collective classic and vintage motorcycle journeys. These are always close at hand in my garage but I'm curious as to what others consider their essentials and I'm sure that they will vary from continent to continent. As an example Hylomar Universal Blue isn't really well known in North America outside of the aviation and nuclear industries but I think is well known in the UK.

Maybe it's a specialty tool, either made or purchased, or a motorcycle lift, anything that makes your life easier to maintain your bikes.

I'd love to know.

And please for the love of Christ don't include RTV Silicone of any type...... people should have to have a license to buy that shit.

Cheers
 

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Apart from the obvious stuff to loosen things and tighten them up again ............


An impact driver and a bloody great hammer to hit it with..........

A rechargeable LED type torch thing ........

JIS screwdrivers .......

WD40 ........

Blue Loctite .......

Foot pump and pressure gauge .........

A set of needle files .......... handy for bringing damaged triple cam block slots back to life ....... ( cough ) ............

A multimeter ........

A crimping tool , butt splices , heat shrink , and a mini blow torch ........

The camera on your phone ........

Chain lube ........

Heavy duty chain breaker / riveter .......

A tub of HMP grease .........
 
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Good lighting, a close 2nd, heating (or cooling, depending on climate zone).

Poking around in the dark is a pita, topped only by poking around with freezing fingers. Seen many dingy workshops where I wonder how things get done at all.

piet
 
Grazia bike lift I bought new when I was eighteen from Meeten & Wards- was crazy expensive but I use it everyday, still.
Gasgacinch, almost unheard of in UK is fantastic! My Snapon ratchet, still using it after forty years, replaced the workings about three times.
My new workshop has polycarbonate roof, so natural light which has made a world of difference. Black mamba rubber gloves.
Almost forgot- Makita 18v battery nut gun, pisses all over my air version and is quiet, can’t believe how good it is.
 
Exmoor beast said:
Grazia bike lift I bought new when I was eighteen from Meeten & Wards- was crazy expensive but I use it everyday, still.
Gasgacinch, almost unheard of in UK is fantastic! My Snapon ratchet, still using it after forty years, replaced the workings about three times.
My new workshop has polycarbonate roof, so natural light which has made a world of difference. Black mamba rubber gloves.
Almost forgot- Makita 18v battery nut gun, pisses all over my air version and is quiet, can’t believe how good it is.
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Replaced the workings 3 times ? Isn't that like Triggers Broom 🤔
 
A decent (Bluetooth-enabled) workshop radio, here even in orange with the correct logo:

54734157957_f402c15640_c.jpg
 
sfcpiet said:
You have a friend at DHL... ;)

piet
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Nah Piet, they belonged to a friend I helped for months after the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley. That was when I bought subject workshop radio. At first it was a kind of counteract as someone was working in the building next door who was getting on our nerves with his all day German Schlager mania, so I simply had to something about ...
 
If we`re talking essentials , then a plastic basin to catch the drained oil must be top of the list ....... plus a selection of plastic funnels to fill it back up with as well .......

Brake cleaner ( lots of that ) ...... Carb cleaner ...... ACF 50 ........ Electrical grease ........ Electrical contact cleaner ........ Brake fluid ....... Oil and filters ...... New plugs ..... Spare fuses ....... Spare cables ....... Spare levers ......... Foam aerosol tyre inflator ....... Spare pads ......

All essentials you should always have to hand , I reckon , to keep you on the road ..........


Not so essential .... ( but still handy ) ....... Evaporust ..... Water wetter ....... Harpic Power Plus x10 ... ( 9 % hydrochloric acid , so consider carefully before using ) ........ Stud remover ....... Halfords Satin Black ......Reverse thread screw and bolt remover things ...... Rubber mallet ....... Washing up liquid ........ Small picks , screwdrivers , and pointy things ....... A mirror ...... Socket drive size adapters ... ( make that an essential ) ......... Freezer spray ...... Mansion furniture polish ( for a nice slippy , shiny fairing ...... worth an extra 5 mph at least ) .........

......... plus loads of other things as well .............
 
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I have all my 3/8" sockets from Snap-on, but the ratchet costing more than my budget at the time I bought Koken from Japan at the advice of our great tool van man. Used constantly since 1981 and has never had the guts or the handle replaced. The sockets are still perfect with constant use.
Impossible for me to list workshop essentials, it is a constantly moving target according to needs. Probably could be said to be the ability to improvise with what I have to hand and not buy even more stuff.
 
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