[foxox]

Seriosly, a Walmart Torque wrench? The most important tool to have accurate and well built, and you bought it from Wally World? I spent $350 on my Matco. Im not going to have a headgasket leak because I cheaped out on my tools.

I considered that. $350 is about 2% of my yearly income as a grad student, so the Walmart wrench is quite enough for now. The Matco warranty is excellent, but for $350, I could replace half of my motorcycle. I can verify that my tool is operating correctly with a weight and a multiplication if I ever suspect something is wrong. "You get what you pay for"? Possibly. I'll learn the hard way and buy something nicer.

In any case, at least I have /something/, apparently unlike the PO. Everything I've unfastened has been torqued to exactly "as tight as can be" ft.lbs. Except for the oil drain plug (since replaced) which was tightened approximately to "enough to ruin the hexagonal shape of its head and seriously deform the aluminum washer" Newton-meters.

[jetmerritt]

Being an automotive tech 10 years I've developed a good sense of feel. I rarely use a torque wrench, I have 3, spent way over $1000. One is a snap-on digital one. The others are a snap-on micrometer style and a big JET one that does 300 ft/lbs. I torque some stuff like car wheels for liability and cylinder heads and flywheels so they are absolutely perfect. But for most stuff I just feel for the click in the elbow.

My recommendation for a beginner, torque everything and get a feel for it and don't cheap out on tools. I wouldnt bother with a walmart torque wrench, you are betting your life on it. If you leave a bolt too loose it can come out, like someone else mentioned if you overtighten it, it could break at a very inopportune time. Not to mention warping covers or rotors as well.

But to each their own. I suppose a walmart torque wrench is better than nothing and will likely put the fastener to within 15% of it's desired torque. What you pay for is accuracy. If your walmart wrench is out because the minimum wage stock boy dropped the box of them in the warehouse it's your problem.

[foxox]

I suppose a walmart torque wrench is better than nothing and will likely put the fastener to within 15% of it's desired torque. What you pay for is accuracy. If your walmart wrench is out because the minimum wage stock boy dropped the box of them in the warehouse it's your problem.

Thanks for your thoughts jetmerritt and HemiKat. I'll definitely upgrade some time.
The packaging on the Walmart Torin wrench guarantees accuracy to within 4% from the factory and says that I must calibrate it periodically to maintain that. It doesn't say how to calibrate it, but I guess if I find it's off by a bit and I fsck it up while trying to disassemble it for calibration, that will be a good excuse to upgrade...

[MrBrant]

Walmart Torin wrench guarantees accuracy to within 4%

[bob393]

I actually raised the front end of my bike to try and soften the handling a bit, it worked by the way.
I would hate to lower it and make it more snappy, wow!

Don't be paranoid about wrenching on the front end, just not that big a deal!
If you do the lock-tight and torque wrench thing it will be fine.

I personally wouldn't ride a bike fast that I didn't check several of the key items with my own hands first. Like break calliper bolts, triple clamp bolts, wheel bolts, You get the idea!

[DreKat]

did you use and locktight on the bolts?

[95kat650]

no craftsman warranty on torque wrenches

All they warranty are ratchets, craftsman is super gay, they claim or make it sound like everything by craftsman is bulletproof and if not replaceable at no-charge, but that is def. not the case

[edrawba]

Man just use locktite and tighten it once and you'll be good. Can't live your life in fear.

[GytRDunKat]

All they warranty are ratchets

I just had a shovel and a T handle allen wrench set replaced last week.

[Jobberwocky]

If you want a REAL torque wrench:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-qua...ench-2696.html

If you hold out you can find them for $10 using the sales paper coupons, lol.

[foxox]

For what it's worth (go ahead, laugh some more :P):
When I got home today, I set up a test rig a bit like these:

http://www.stockcarracing.com/howto/scrp_0803_calibrating_a_torque_wrench/accuracy_test_results.html

http://www.algeo.com/~joe/KIAT/kiat_3.htm

I used some small barbell weights I dug up in the basement and my postal scale to get more precise weights for the barbell parts. I could only find about 20 pounds worth of barbell weights which let me test torques up to 30ft-lbs in my rig (most of the parts on the bike need less torque than that). Through the 10->30 ft.lb. range, each measurement was accurate to about 3.5%. Also, my wrench is clicking on the low end, so at least I'm more likely to get a leak than break things. So so far, the 4% accuracy claim on the packaging isn't outlandish. I'll try to come up with a way to test higher torques tomorrow.

[Bart]

I personally wouldn't ride a bike fast that I didn't check several of the key items with my own hands first. Like break calliper bolts, triple clamp bolts, wheel bolts, You get the idea!

Oh great, now I'm getting worried. I really don't like the idea of riding anything equipped with break calipers...



--> Sorry Bob, couldn't resist the lighthearted jab... :P

[loudnlow7484]

If you want a REAL torque wrench:

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarter-inch-drive-click-stop-torque-wrench-2696.html

If you hold out you can find them for $10 using the sales paper coupons, lol.

Sweet, that looks like the perfect tool for checking the torque on the radial engine in my P51 Mustang restoration...... (If it's dangerous to have incorrect torque on a bike, imagine in a plane!)

FWIW- I very rarely use a torque wrench for anything..... only for things that I know are really sensitive to torque (heads, bearing caps of any sort, etc). For pretty much everything else, I use my calibrated torque-ratchet (aka.- normal 3/8" ratchet). If the bolts in the triples are tight, the forks aren't going anywhere. Don't worry too much.

[95kat650]

I just had a shovel and a T handle allen wrench set replaced last week.

Damn, well my sears here sucks lol

[foxox]

no craftsman warranty on torque wrenches

I just had a shovel and a T handle allen wrench set replaced last week.

I've been filing the manual/packaging for all of my Sears/Craftsman stuff so that they can't give me any BS about it not having a warranty if I ever need to bring it in.

I saw the "Forever Full" warranty sticker on at least one of the torque wrenches this weekend in Sears and took a pic: