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I am trying to assemble tools needed to work on my 1150. I know I need a torque wrench. I have looked online, at tool outlets like craftsman, snap-on, etc. Seems prices are really high for this tool. Any advice on who makes a good, economical wrench? Thanks, John

You get what you pay for. I bought a craftsman mostly because of the warranty. My dad taught me that good tools will last and if you take care of them, they will take care of you.

Craftsman has them for $79. 3/8 drive or 1/2 drive. (Last time I was in the store. They may have gone up) If you wait until next Christmas they have some nice sales. They recently had torque wrenches on sale for $59.

Oh, and by the way... You really need one of each size.

You need a little one and a big one -- I have a 1/2" drive and 3/8". Craftsman click type are OK. That's what I use. I also have a Harbor Freight 1/4" but it is a little too cheap.

My Daddy always told me: "Never use force............getcha a bigger hammer"


Wayne

Wayne, it's not a hammer. It's a Harley-Davidson tool.

Buckster wrote:You get what you pay for. I bought a craftsman mostly because of the warranty. My dad taught me that good tools will last and if you take care of them, they will take care of you.

I bought the Craftsman also but I don't think that the lifetime guarantee applies to their torque wrenches.

You will need a foot pound torque wrench which will be 1/2" drive click style in the 30-250ftlb range, and you will need an inch pound torque wrench that will be 3/8" drive in the 0-80inlb range. I would recommend a beam torque wrench for the inch pound, as you will most likely want to see the torque as you apply it.

Snap-on, Armstrong, Mac Tools, Craftsman all make good tools. I would look at Craftsman for the simple fact they are everywhere and should serve you well for basics. If you have access to Armstrong, Snap-on or Mac tools I highly recommend them, but they will be 2-3 times the cost. But you can send them back for calibration through the tool dealer.

A torque wrench needs periodic calibration, depending on usage and how critical the exact torque is. But... Most people will never calibrate their wrench and the drift with normal usage is minimal.

Return your click style torque wrench to its lowest setting every-time your done using it and it will keep a better calibration. Remember its a spring and ball inside....

I found inexpensive torque wrenches at Pep Boys. Not the same quality as the above brands, but sufficient for the limited use needed on our bikes IMO. You can probably find similar wrenches at any car parts store.

As long as you're not married to the 'click' type torque wrenches, the Craftsman beam-type torque wrenches are cheap, simple, and can be more accurate. Not as convenient to use though.

More info:
http://home.jtan.com/~joe/KIAT/kiat_3.htm
(Article by a fellow MAC-PAC member. )

PA Rider wrote:I bought the Craftsman also but I don't think that the lifetime guarantee applies to their torque wrenches.

Correct: The guarantee does not apply to their torque wrenches. On the plus side, they were able to sell me replacemnet pawls for a 20+ year old torque wrench.

-mc

I was at Sears today and both the 3/8 and 1/2 inch torque wrenches are back on sale. $59.99 each. You can't beat that! The guarantee is for one year and the calibration is guaranteed for 90 days. They also have the beam type wrenches for 25 and 30 bucks if I remember correctly. (They're not on sale. Thats the regular price)

Thanks to everyone, I did get a 3/8" torque wrench at Sears today for the $59.95. Seams to be pretty good quality. Now for the next step and start to get dirty!