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NORTHYORKRIDER

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Anyone know any specific tools I would need (on a budget) to do oil changes and to install frame sliders on my motorbike myself?

I'm just looking for a list of tools that would be needed (generally). I really want to install frame sliders on my bike because the quotes i'm getting is a bit too expensive for what is required.
 
Normally your best bet is a socket set in a box from canadian tire on sale. For instance http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/s...ck-chrome-socket-set-229-pc-0589285p.html#srp

For reference, there is no way in hell that that set would ever sell for the $479 that CT says is the normal price.

Be careful with the stupid "pieces" they use to advertise the kits. Many cheaper kits pack tons of cheap parts like screwdriver bits to drive up the number of pieces.

I've never seen one of these kits with a useful selection of wrenches, plan on buying a proper set of wrenches in the future.
 
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need to order the slider kit and follow the instructions
I'm guessing metric allen keys for sure
maybe a socket set, and some wrenches
depends what bolts you need to remove from the bike to get the sliders on

knowing what bike it is would help
no idea what sort of oil filter you have

should be able to get all you need at CTC for < 100
less than that if you can determine the specific sizes and buy just exactly what you need
 
Its a 2013 Ninja 300.


JavaFan said:
need to order the slider kit and follow the instructions
I'm guessing metric allen keys for sure
maybe a socket set, and some wrenches
depends what bolts you need to remove from the bike to get the sliders on

knowing what bike it is would help
no idea what sort of oil filter you have

should be able to get all you need at CTC for < 100
less than that if you can determine the specific sizes and buy just exactly what you need
Click to expand...
 
+ a torque wrench and download the service manual for your bike. That will give you torque specs for all the frame bolts that get replaced with the slider mounts, as well as instructions to remove the fairings. Fairings may seem simple, but if you haven't done it before, there are often hidden plastic tabs that are easily broken if you don't realize they are there.
 
Oil changes need very little. At minimum you need a wrench or socket to remove the drain plug(s), (and union bolt for bikes that have cartridge filters). Optional/helpful tools could be one of many devices for removing stuck spin-on filters, a torque wrench for tightening drain plugs**, a drain pan for collecting used oil, and a funnel for aiding in adding the new oil.

Frame sliders might not take much, but there are different kinds. Admittedly not very popular or common these days, there are sliders which require holes to be cut in bodywork to be installed. There are some that simply bolt on to an existing mounting point, and some that come with brackets. You might need a few different sockets for these, and probably a torque wrench if anything majorly structural is disturbed.

**I don't use a torque wrench for drain plugs for various reasons, and using one does NOT guarantee you will not strip a drain plug (e.g. wet threads on the plug/pan, existing threads in poor condition, etc)
 
Most Japanese bikes can be fully disassembled and reassembled with:

- A JIS screwdriver set. (They are NOT phillips-head screws! They look like phillips, but they are not!)
- A 3/8" flex handle ratchet.
- A 1/2" ratchet/breaker bar.
- Short and long extensions for each of the above.
- Two torque wrenches - one 3/8" for the smaller torques and a big 1/2" one for the bigger torques. Buy the small one first, buy the big one separately when you run into something that needs it. (I actually only have one 3/8" beam-type torque wrench that reads up to about 60 N.m if I remember right) DO NOT CHEAP OUT AND SKIP THIS. A torque wrench is THE most important tool in your tool box. Get one and use it!
- Open and box end wrench set 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19mm. A 22mm can sometimes be handy depending on the bike.
- Sockets 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 22, 24, 27, 32, 36mm. The sizes beyond 19mm are for specific applications that vary from one bike to the next (I don't know what size your front and rear axle nuts are, nor your clutch hub nut)
- "Allen" sockets 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and a few specific larger sizes if your axles have socket-heads on one side.
- A spark plug socket 16mm or 5/8" (which are practically interchangeable).
- It will often be convenient to have Allen-head T-handles and keys in the smaller of those sizes. For example, the throttle body assembly on my ZX10R cannot be removed or installed without a long T-handle as it was designed with the use of that tool in mind, and nothing else will get into the space that it needs to reach into.
- Buy an air-impact or electric-impact tool when the need arises for it - which it eventually will. (Front countershaft nut, or clutch hub nut)
 
Brian P has you sorted. Great list.
Keep in mind these are basic hand tools that are just great to have around for many things for many years to come. Don't think of them as a "bike expense" rather an investment in your future projects as well ;)
 
The reality is, it takes a long time to set up a proper tool kit, besides those mentioned above to perform basic tasks.
I've been buying tools for 40 years, and will continue to do so, as the need arises.
As your mechanical skills and confidence improves, you will probably want to do more complex procedures which require more specialized tools.
 
Or you buy something from europe and then need to get a set of Torx, security-Torx, XZN (triple-square), and e (inverted Torx) sockets.

I had to fix something on a washing machine. I had to make a specific trip to buy an ordinary hex socket of a peculiar size that nothing on a modern motor vehicle seems to use, I think the units were "inches" or something like that :)
 
If your bike has a spin on filter you can get one of these: https://www.amazon.ca/General-Tools...8&qid=1527619263&sr=8-4&keywords=strap+wrench I use one on my bikes and love it. Bonus is you can use it on several other home repairs.

Another trick to have in your tool bag is a small roll of tin foil. If your bike is anything like my last bike, when you remove the oil filter the oil drips down onto the header pipes. It can be wiped off but it's not ideal. You place a layer of tin foil over the pipes so that the oil runs of it instead of your pipes then remove when finished.
 
NORTHYORKRIDER said:
Anyone know any specific tools I would need (on a budget) to do oil changes and to install frame sliders on my motorbike myself?

I'm just looking for a list of tools that would be needed (generally). I really want to install frame sliders on my bike because the quotes i'm getting is a bit too expensive for what is required.
Click to expand...

I'm going to suggest a different approach. While it makes sense for everyone to have a full socket set, I tend to make a special toolbox for each bike I have :D
Most bikes only use a handful of socket sizes.

Then get yourself a nice t-handle spinner like the motion pro one here: https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/motion-pro-spinner-t-handle

It's a tool you'll use for many many years. Works great :D
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