Whether you want to maintain your bike right in your garage or want to open up your own garage as a business, there are some tools which are absolutely essential to have. You don’t need to have the most innovative tools and machinery to perform the basic modifications to maintain a bike in working condition. A few good tools are enough to last you a lifetime if you do not compromise on the quality of the tools. There are some tools which can work with any bike, regardless of their make and machinery. These standard tools can be considered as a safe investment since they can be resold later to any bike owner as well.
Each bike has some basic needs like the tweaking of the brake lines and the cables of the electrical system. This task has to be done from time to time and having a set of good tools in your garage can save you a lot of money, which would otherwise be spent on outsourcing.
Here are some of the tools which you should have in your tool bags for need in a situation of emergency:
1. Repair Stands: This is a must-have tool in your garage, considering that you might have to prop up a bike for most of the maintenance work. There are upsides and downsides to having a repair stand in your garage. The former refers to the fact that you do not have to bend over to make repairs or turn your bike upside down. The latter refers to the fact that the repair stands cost quite a lot and also take up a chunk of space within a garage. However, a good quality stand is going to last you a long time and you have to consider them as an investment rather than an expense.
2. Ball-end Allen Keys: This is yet another set of tools that you must have in your garage. They are quite handy, given the fact that they allow a mechanic to turn bolts from an angle. This means no more craning of the neck when you wish to tighten a bolt. The repair jobs are also sped up by quite a factor since you can choose from a variety of keys that are specifically made for different sets of bolts. The ones that are made out of the top quality material are ensured to have narrow necks for the ball so that the mechanic can work at steeper angles, adding more versatility to the job.
3. Screwdrivers, Pliers, and Spanners: Any self-respecting mechanic will have his own set of basic tools in his toolbox. It doesn’t bode well to go to your neighbor and ask for the tools that should be present in your garage. Screwdrivers, pliers, and spanners come in handy even in everyday household tasks and are essential for the maintenance of a bike as well. Having your own set of flat-blade screwdrivers will give you the option to choose from the toolbox according to the size of the screw rather than having to go next door again and again for the right sized screwdriver. Having pliers within an easy grasp will allow you to perform a variety of tasks such as holding and pulling parts or sharpening the ends of cables.
4. Floor Pump: Taking care of the tires for bikes is quite an important task as well. They are the pillars on which the bike stands. Therefore, you have to take good care of them in order to ensure that your bike gives out good mileage and the rims of the tires are safe as well. This can be done by regularly checking the tire pressure using a floor pump. You can either have a fixed pump within your garage or have a portable one to carry when you are going over long journeys.
5. Brake Tools: When you own an adventure motorcycle and are habitual of going fast, you are going to understand the importance of having strong brakes as well. Therefore you have to take good care of the brakes, should you want them to work properly at all times. You will require tools like rotor truing tool, bleed kit and oil, and needle-nose pliers, all of which will help you to take good care of your brakes.
Knowing what you need is an important step to having a good set of tools in your garage. These tools will come in handy whenever you want to spend a weekend trying to tweak your bike to get the maximum out of it. As a beginner, you should not risk much and just try to get to know your bike better with these basic tools. As your experience with your bike grows, you can move on to more complex tools that are used to tune the bike even further.
