Some times it the small things that can be a real pain. I bought the Sabre VT1100 (the running bike) in February 2012 and took it to Florida on the Autotrain. The ride from the station to Juno Beach is about 180 miles. I road it to Okeechobee and around Jupiter a few times. I brought it home to Annapolis in May.
While in Florida I noticed that the oil seemed a little low. I bought some oil and ended up over filling it a little; which of course meant I had to drain some oil. The bolt is a 17mm bolt, no problem, I have 17mm wrenches and sockets. However, because the bike only sits on a side stand there is very little clearance for a full size wrench and a socket is blocked by a radiator hose.
The bolt had been bunged up by previous owners, I didn't help it any in Florida. When I got home in May I ordered a new bolt, but had never gotten around to changing the oil. I drained the oil yesterday and when I put the new bolt in I had the same problem, no clearance under the bike for a standard size wrench.
I won't go into great detail about the bad website and customer service at home depot. Suffice it to say that Homedespot shows one price on line and charges another in the store. The Manager Brian woudn't modify the price so I returned my $35 wrench purchases and went to my favorite tool store, Harbor Freight tools.
Unfortunately, their pack of stubby wrenches only went up to 16mm. I ended up buying as set of S shaped obstruction wrenches and a set of Offset wrenches each for $15. I picked up a couple of other items for a total bill of $40. You lose HomeDespot!
On my way home I decided to stop at Walmart, I thought I'd seen a stubby set there. They didn't have a stubby set but they did have a short set of wrenches for $7.88 which did include a 17mm wrench just slightly over 6" long. That one was the one that did it. They may be as cheap as you can get, but in this case they were the the ones that work. I may even grind the one end off the 17mm to put it in the Sabre tool kit (Which reminds me the Honda uses the same 18mm spark plug socket as the K. I need to get another one to carry on the Sabre.)
Ultra Steel 9pc Metric Wrench Combo Set:
I tried the S wrenches since they had packaging that could be easily opened and closed, it didn't work, not enough swing. I didn't open the other pack to try because I want to return these.
While I do enjoy nice tools I don't find these to be in the keeper catagory. HFT did have their stubby ratchet set on sale for $27. They were out of the metric pack but I got a raincheck, they will be in on Thursday. I have many Gearwrench sets, having gone on a buying spree at Sears (another dirty word) a few years ago during their annual tool sale. These are fine wrenches. I think Gearwrench either bought or filed the original patent for the ratcheting wrench which seems to have either lapsed or has been sold to every major tool maker. I've since bought wrenches by Husky and now HFT as well as Craftsman. They all look to be high quality and work well. The HFT brand now carries a lifetime warranty like the rest. I see no sense in buying and paying for a name when the quality is the same or better for less money. Besides the little work I do with these wrenches shouldn't tax their strength.
I said I have many Gearwrench sets. I have a set of both metric and SAE for the boat. The engines are Detroit's, SAE. The generator is Northern Lights which is metric. I carry a set of double end Quad Box in both SAE and metric in my tool bag. This gives me 16 sizes in four wrenches, and they are reversible, the wrench never leaves the nut. I usually find that I go to the metrics more than the SAE, but for a little extra weight they are worth carrying.
GearWrench 2 pc. Standard Reversible Quad Box Set
The one tool kit that I find indespensible is a little Gearwrench Driver set. I carry one in my bag, and one for each of the motorcycles and boat. I've given these as thank you gifts. Until I started work on the beemer most jobs could be accomplished with this little kit. They used to go on sale at sears for $20 I think the price is now up to $29 and on sale for $25 which I think is still a deal. Buy a set, the only bad thing is the box, it's plastic and tends to break. I usually put my kit in a little bag of some sort.GearWrench Micro-Driver Set 35 Pieces
Product Description
A Gearwrench Wrench Set that Packs Fast and Travels LightA solid companion for car or truck, the Gearwrench Microdriver set delivers a powerful grip that torques nuts, bolts, screws and more. Featuring a fine toothed ratcheting design and the ability to quickly swap between attachments, this set tightens and loosens 35 different fasteners, while fitting easily under the driver’s seat or in the glove box of any car or seat of any motorcycle.
Built with a reinforced ratchet mechanism, this set is tough enough to lean on and bust loose tough bolts, while being nimble enough to complete turns in spaces as tight as 6 degrees. So whether you’re swapping you bike’s oil at a roadside auto shop, or draining a water tank under your RV, this Gearwrench Wrench Set holds fasteners tight and makes every turn count. Toss one of these in your vehicle before you hit the road, and be ready.
- Full Gearwrench Wrench Set Set includes: Square end 1/4 in. adapter, 5 piece inch socket set, 5 piece metric socket set, 18 ¼ in. driver bit set and 5 piece 5/16 in. driver bit set
- Made from tough alloyed steel, this set is ready for tough torquing
- Features chrome dipped tools for longer life and corrosion resistance
- Driver bits are designed to hold fasteners tight, reducing slip and stripping
- Blow molded carry case features slots for each tool delivering safe storage and easy access
The nice thing about this tool is that it's double ended, it can drive 1/4 inch sockets on one side and driver bits on the other. Each end is reversible. I've bought driver sockets for it and other add-ons, like a small extension and wobble U joint that fit in the little bin underneath making it more useful in more situations.
Athough you can buy it from Sears, you'll pay more and I don't like giving money to bad companies unless there's no other alternative. It's available from Amazon For $18.23 here:
http://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-85035-35-MicroDriver-Set/dp/B0062FSAVI
If you find another item to hit $25 bucks you can get free shipping.
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