Homemade Tools
The tools shown below can generally be made with
the usual hand tools found in most garages; hack saws, drills,
taps etc. Some of these tools do require welding. If you
do the grunt work, cutting, filing, grinding etc. you can usually
find a welder who is willing to fuse the pieces together for
a couple of bucks. The point of this is to show you how to spend
the minimal amount of money to make tools that will get you professional
results when working on your own bike.
Chain Whip
This is the tool you'll need for holding the drive sprocket
on the mainshaft, whether it is the first step in removing
a trans or whether it is just for changing the sprocket
this tool gets it done easy. Basically you wrap the chain
around the sprocket and anchor the bar to the crankcase.
Some XLs have a 1/2" stud that sticks out of the
crankcase, that is a great place to anchor the bar. For
other XLs that don't have the stud, I use one of the
sprocket cover mounting bolts. Stack up some washers
between the bar and the crankcase and snug the bolt down,
this will minimize side loads that can damage the sprocket
cover mounting boss. I've used this tool on XLs, FLs,
Yamahas, Triumphs and BSAs.
Get about six inches of an an old drive chain and a
steel bar about 3/4" wide and 5/16" thick and
2" to 3" long. Drill a hole in one end just
big enough to fit over the pin on an old master link.
I've got two other holes drilled in this one, one is
1/2" for bikes that have the 1/2" stud sticking
out of the crank case the other is 3/8" for the
3/8" sprocket cover mounting bolts. |
Chain Whip Tool
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Chain Whip In Use
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Flywheel Pusher
So you've completely disassembled the engine; primary
and clutch out, tranny out, cams out and you're left with
flywheels pressed into the left side of the case. What
to do? That's easy; grab a big hammer and beat the flywheels
out of the left case. Wrong answer; you will likely destroy
the sprocket shaft threads and destroy the main bearing
and race. What you'll really want to do is use your homemade
flywheel pusher to gently push the wheels out of the case.
You will prevent damaging the sprocket shaft or main bearing
and thus ensure that these critical parts can be safely
reused.
To make this tool you'll need about $2.00 worth of material
consisting of a chunk of steel about 1/4" thick or
thicker, some threaded rod and some round steel bar stock.
For the actual pusher I used a screw from another puller,
you may be able to get away with some hardened threaded
rod (usually available at industrial supply houses). You
might be tempted to just use the threaded rod screwed into
the primary cover, but the bar stock really helps to stabilize
the puller plate. You'll also need to weld a nut that matches
the threads of your pusher screw to the back of the steel
plate. |
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Sprocket Shaft Bearing Puller
So now you've pushed the case off of the flywheel and
you are left with the inner main bearing pressed onto the
sprocket shaft. So how do you get it off without
destroying it? Easy, another two bucks worth of raw material,
a hunk of one and one half inch pipe, a chunk of one and
one half inch bar stock and a heavy duty fender washer.
Lop off a hunk of the bar stock drill and tap the center
of it to match a jackscrew out of one of your gear pullers.
Cut the pipe more or less in half and
cut a slot in the side of the heavy duty fender washer.
Weld the washer and the hunk of bar stock to the pipe and
you are ready to go. |
Sprocket Shaft Bearing Puller
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Sprocket Shaft Bearing Puller in Use
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Primary Drive Tools
Working on the primary drive can really be a pain in the
ass. What you need is a couple of bucks worth of homemade
tools to make it a bunch easier. Pictured below are three
easy cheap tools that make taking apart and putting the
primary together a whole bunch easier. |
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The first step in pulling the primary
drive apart is removing the clutch. A chunk of u-channel
or heavy bar stock and some 1/4-20 threaded rod is all
you need to compress the clutch spring (or springs).
It doesn't get much easier than this. So now you don't
have to live in fear that the big ass clutch spring
will fly off at super sonic speed and force just as you
loosen the pressure plate nuts down to the last thread.
The second step in disassembling the primary is to lock
the engine sprocket to the clutch basket, this will keep
the engine from rotating when you put your big wrench on
the engine sprocket nut. All you need is some steel strap,
3/16" thick by an inch wide will work just fine, some 3/8" threaded
rod with nuts and some steel tube. Cut your strap to fit
between the sprockets as shown in the picture. You'll want
to grind the ends of the strap somewhat round to nestle
in to the teeth on the sprockets. Cut the steel tube and
threaded rod so you can pinch the steel straps between
the sprockets as shown in the picture. Tighten the nuts
and the two sprockets will be locked together and will
not turn so you can easily remove the big nut on the motor
sprocket.
The last step is to take the big nut off the clutch hub.
So how do you keep the whole mess from turning? You just
locked the engine sprocket to the clutch basket, so if
you lock the clutch basket to the hub, you'll be able to
remove the clutch hub nut. Get yourself an old steel plate
and an old fiber plate. Lay the fiber plate on the concrete
floor in your garage and beat the fiber friction material
with a hammer, it will break off easily. You'll need to
weld the fiber plate to the steel plate in order to lock
the hub to the basket. They will need to be correctly centered
and aligned to each other before they are welded together,
so set them in the basket and mark them carefully, if they
are not centered with each other they won't fit in the
basket
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Compensator Nut Socket
If your bike has a compensator type engine sprocket you
probably know that removing it is really a bitch. A lot
of guys are content trying to beat it off with a big punch
and hammer. Try this instead, get an old 1/2" drive socket
and a steel bar, use a grinding wheel to cut a slot in
the socket big enough to fit the steel bar in. Drill a
couple of holes in the bar to match the hole spacing on
the compensator. Stick a couple of 5/16" bolts in the holes
and weld the whole thing together.
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Shock Spring Compressor
Every once in while you'll need to take apart a shock
absorber, here is a handy dandy spring compressor. Some
threaded rods, some steel strap and a chunk o' steel with
a couple of holes in it. Use a ratcheting dogbone wrench
in each hand to run the nuts down, I use coupling nuts
because they are longer than a regular nut so they have
more threads over which to distribute the spring pressure. |
Spring Compressor Tool
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Spring Compressor Tool In Use
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FL Clutch Hub Tool
This is the tool you'll need to hold the clutch hub on
an old Panhead or Shovelhead. An old steel clutch plate
welded to some 1/8" thick steel plate bent to a "Z" shape
to provide a little extra rigidity, welded to a
piece of pipe. |
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