Tools

[downtodevin]

As a noob to Motorcycles, I am curious as to what a good tool kit should consist of. I already change my own oil in my car and would like to do the same for my bike. I have a ratchet set for my Subaru, and after looking through the Owners Manual for the KTM it states all the proper tightness for the nuts. So I will be getting a torque wrench shortly. My question is are there any other tools that may come in handy for working on a bike? Thanks!

 

[corners]

A good set of allen wrenches. T-Handle optional but it makes removal of the side panels easier.

If you want to do the tappet adjustment / measurement yourself you'll need feeler gauges, not sure if this requires a special tool for pulling the cams.

 

[Treachery]

Absolute minimum would be:
3/8" ratchet
Short extension
8-19mm sockets (I'd recommend 6-point, rather than 12-point)
The big socket for the rear axle; I don't know the size. You'll probably need a step-up to use that, as the socket will probably be 1/2" drive.
3-8mm Allen wrenches; T-handles are very useful, but be careful; you can apply a fair amount of force with those
Good screwdrivers (meaning not Harbor Freight), at least #1 and #2 Phillips. I don't recall that there are any common screws, but I'm probably wrong.
A set of side cutters/nippers; to cut wire ties

From there, it gets to be a matter of discovering what you need for specific tasks.

The first expensive tool to buy would be a torque wrench. Again, I'd look for a Craftsman or Snap-On; these won't be cheap, but you might find one on CL or in the paper. Read the reviews of the Craftsmans; it appears that at some point in the not so distant past they changed their manufacturer, and some of the recent ones, particularly the digital ones, are not very good.

HTH; that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[Ryanthegreat1]

Get a JIS screw driver set. Like a Phillips but designed for the Japanese screw heads. You will literally be able to twist the head off of screws before a JIS driver will cam out, same applies to using a JIS driver in a Phillips screw. Vessel has a set of drivers that are VERY high quality and about the same price as Craftsman.

JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) | Screwdrivers | Hand Tools | VESSEL TOOLS

This set would cover everything you find on most bikes.
900/KIT | Megadora | Screwdrivers | Hand Tools | VESSEL TOOLS

 

[Treachery]

Um...
I understand JIS screws and screwdrivers, but unless Bajaj uses JIS hardware (for instance, BMW and Ducati do not; I don't know about KTM Austria), it would seem there's no advantage to be had. Am I mistaken?

 

[Bagwell]

The beauty about the JIS screwdrivers though is also that they seem to work great on other similar types than just JIS designed screws.