Whoever posts last is best

[robbo]

Oh well,with plenty of work at least you'll have your gas bill sorted.

I was thinking of more bits for the garage lol. 

Nice , you can’t have enough bits in the garage. If I won the lottery, the Snap On truck would be a regular visitor.

[fazerscotty]

Oh well,with plenty of work at least you'll have your gas bill sorted.

I was thinking of more bits for the garage lol. 

Nice , you can’t have enough bits in the garage. If I won the lottery, the Snap On truck would be a regular visitor.

For me, Snap On have lost the plot. The quality of tools and support have dropped considerably over the last twenty years or so. I had heard that they have bought up any competition, put their brand mark on it and then sell an inferior tool at Snap On prices! I always have to laugh - any tools which are utilised a lot (spanners, pliers, sockets etc) are expensive, but occasionally you used to get a bargain (gasket punch set £11!). However, I am still using Snap On tools I purchased in the 80's - but I am anal about keeping them clean and in working order.

[BBROWN1664]

I still have 2 sets of 1/4" imperial sockets I bought from Snap-on around 1985 as an apprentice. I dont use them much and any new stuff i buy tends to be Halfords professional stuff that has a lifetime guarantee too.

[robbo]

Without a doubt for the home diyer, Halfords Pro range is more than good enough. Kamasa made some good tools when they were made in Japan, also Gedore(German I think) was my first Whitworth/AF socket set. Can’t help being impressed though, by huge roll cabs stacked full with Snap On tools, even if just to look at .
I expect, like most things, that quality and longevity are not available and maybe not required anymore in a chuck away society. That’s no doubt what will happen to my stuff that’s for sure.

[fazerscotty]

I still have 2 sets of 1/4" imperial sockets I bought from Snap-on around 1985 as an apprentice. I dont use them much and any new stuff i buy tends to be Halfords professional stuff that has a lifetime guarantee too.

At the end of the day - in most towns & city's you have a choice of Halfords or Machine Mart. Both sell quality kit, Halfords Pro is better than Clarke/Draper etc. For intermittent use though Aldi can beat everyone hands down 

[agricola]

When I quit working in 2015, I bro8ught home all of my personal tools, 48 years worth. I had nowhere to put them in the garage, so I bought a Halfords tool cupboard (6 drawers) and a top box to go on it (6 drawers). The drawers are all full. Kamasa socket set bought in 1970, a few remnants from spanner sets of the past - Britool/Geodore/Kennedy, all the stuff we made as apprentices, scribing blocks, vee blocks, toolmakers clamps etc, countless Allen keys, plus bearing pullers, hole punch sets etc etc etc. Ive managed to sell some of the measuring equipment recently, micrometres, morse taper sleeves, drill sets, precision squares. My 4 year old grandson loves it, hes straight in the garage and getting stuff out and Im chuffed to bits that he knows what a tool is called what it does, and how to use it (under close supervision)

[fazerscotty]

When I quit working in 2015, I bro8ught home all of my personal tools, 48 years worth. I had nowhere to put them in the garage, so I bought a Halfords tool cupboard (6 drawers) and a top box to go on it (6 drawers). The drawers are all full. Kamasa socket set bought in 1970, a few remnants from spanner sets of the past - Britool/Geodore/Kennedy, all the stuff we made as apprentices, scribing blocks, vee blocks, toolmakers clamps etc, countless Allen keys, plus bearing pullers, hole punch sets etc etc etc. Ive managed to sell some of the measuring equipment recently, micrometres, morse taper sleeves, drill sets, precision squares. My 4 year old grandson loves it, hes straight in the garage and getting stuff out and Im chuffed to bits that he knows what a tool is called what it does, and how to use it (under close supervision)

That's brilliant.

[agricola]

I'll have to relocate the knives and chisels soon, somewhere well out of reach

[robbo]

Tatts as well…love it

[fazerscotty]

I'll have to relocate the knives and chisels soon, somewhere well out of reach

Haha - my Granddaughter likes to visit the workshop, hasn't started to open drawers yet. My Grandson isn't allowed in the vicinity of any tools - he thinks everything is either a hammer or needs a hammer 

[Grahamm]

Sounds like a born engineer 

[robbo]

Sounds like a born engineer 

Coming to a dealership near you .

[fazerscotty]

Sounds like a born engineer 

If he shows interest, I'll start with measuring and marking (where to hit) 

[robbo]

Sounds like a born engineer 

If he shows interest, I'll start with measuring and marking (where to hit) 

Middle of the tank seems quite a favourite with bike dealerships. That’s what gets a lot of bike owners into diy maintenance, as they are quite capable of over tightening the chain and putting a scratch in the tank themselves, without the added expense.

[fazerscotty]

Sounds like a born engineer 

If he shows interest, I'll start with measuring and marking (where to hit) 

Middle of the tank seems quite a favourite with bike dealerships. That’s what gets a lot of bike owners into diy maintenance, as they are quite capable of over tightening the chain and putting a scratch in the tank themselves, without the added expense.

LOL, I never used dealers for anything, always read the book, spoke to mates and then carried out the task. In 2012, I bought a FJR1300 and it came to MOT time. It needed a pair of tyres. Whilst viewing the work being carried out and a dealer in Cheltenham, I noticed the mechanic/technician/butcher using a breaker bar to tighten the rear wheel axle nut. Most shaft drive bikes don't like that as it overloads any preloads on the drive gear. Anyhow, it came time to settle up and when asked, the guy claimed he was using a torque wrench, however when i asked how much torque was applied he couldn't answer. My one and only experience with manufacturer specific dealers.  [size=78%] [/size]

[robbo]

I must admit that despite other people’s horror stories, my experiences have been relatively ok with main dealers, with only a gouged rear hub after a chain and sprocket change at a Triumph dealer springing to mind. The wheel was exchanged without any fuss I hasten to add. My less favourable experiences have all been with tyre fitting companies in the 90’s, and have since had tyres fitted to loose wheels ever since.

[fazerscotty]

Haha yes, tyre fitting companies. Don't get me started on that one.......

[robbo]

Haha yes, tyre fitting companies. Don't get me started on that one.......

Seems there’s always a tyre fitting horror  story in most bikers experiences, usually in their top three.

[Grahamm]

Can't say I've ever had a tyre fitting horror story, I go to Russ Tyres in Portsmouth and even though he's now retired, the guy who's taken over is just as good

[fazerscotty]

At least two of my tyre fitting experiences were down to lack of knowledge on the part of the fitter - and both times it was on the same machine (Suzuki GS650GT), which due to notoriously porous cast wheels, I had tubes in. Both times (one in a car tyre place and the other in a motorcycle repair garage), the fitters removed the tubes, threw them away and fitted the tubeless tyres to the rims. Then they wondered why I came back the next day asking for my tubes to be refitted. At each event, neither fitter asked why the tubes were there and did I want them refitted.
 

[Grahamm]

Yeesh! Ok, that's really not encouraging...   

[robbo]

The longer you’ve been at this motorcycling game, the more experiences, good or bad, you’re bound to have. Meeting great people must be one of my top positives.

[Grahamm]

I once coined the expression "Talking biker bollocks" for those conversations between riders which tend to be a long list of anecdotes about good rides they've had and idiots they've encountered on the roads! 

[robbo]

I once coined the expression "Talking biker bollocks" for those conversations between riders which tend to be a long list of anecdotes about good rides they've had and idiots they've encountered on the roads! 

And some talk a load more of it than others . When the bullshit starts flying, it’s time to go, or failing that, invent a few place names or events, and they’ll agree they’ve been there or attended the event. Priceless .

[fazerscotty]

I once coined the expression "Talking biker bollocks" for those conversations between riders which tend to be a long list of anecdotes about good rides they've had and idiots they've encountered on the roads! 

And some talk a load more of it than others . When the bullshit starts flying, it’s time to go, or failing that, invent a few place names or events, and they’ll agree they’ve been there or attended the event. Priceless .

Hahaha yes, like it....