What's Boiling Your Pi$$ Today?

[Old Nick]

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When was that around? not come across that before!!

 

[chas]

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Or is this their new "address" in Kent?
Also, how's the (interaction) with the Vikings panning out?

Fucked if I know mate.

 

[DD67]

Fucked if I know mate.

I thought you had your finger on the pulse of the local Kent biker culture Chas?
Is there still a group calling themselves the Roaches? Or are they all integral parts of bridge supports on the M25?
If so, reply via PM for the full story of how I know of them.

 

[chas]

I thought you had your finger on the pulse of the local Kent biker culture Chas?
Is there still a group calling themselves the Roaches?
If so, reply via PM for the full story of how I know of them.

Why would you think that I'm an old bloke who knows some blokes that like bikes. It's a wide church.
I also used to know Leon Camier's dad, (Dave )had a workshop not far from the Royal Standard that @Old Nick ref'd above. The place to go for a helicoil or that engineering (three prong pusher to get swingarm bearings out)
But also a bunch of people called Wobbler, Bear, Crow and Koo.

I've never seen a roaches patch, Rejects and some other patch club who's name escapes are the only current ones I'm aware of.

I'll PM as you'll only send one otherwise

 

[MartytheMartian]

Well today what is boiling my piss is a feckin' Triumph Sprint RS engine or rather the dismantling of said engine to it's component parts to be stored as spares. First off one of the allen head screws in the rocker cover was rounded off and so I had to drill the fecker out! Next dropped the cam chain tensioner, removed the top bearing section over the cams and removed the cams. Next job - Remove the head bolts. Brand new set of Sealey Torx bits first one in on a 3/8" ratchet and it wouldn't budge. Moved to a half inch long breaker bar and 'snap!!!!' the head ripped of the torx bit. Selected another short equivalent torx bit and managed to free that bolt and move to the next 'snap!!!' the end sheered off that Torx bit. End result four sheered brand new Torx bits and only three of the eight head bolts loosened plus most of the stuck ones slightly chewed. Utter feckin' barsteward!

I am wondering whether to get another set of Torx and risk wrecking them as well or just write the cylinder head and barrels off and remove the pistons and crank from the crankcase end for the spares store. The outside of the crankcases, head and barrels of the engine are pretty corroded so, if I wanted to use them on my other Sprint I'd have to have them blasted and re-coated which would probably cost as much as a head and barrels from a breakers.

 

[chas]

Feel your pain mate. I'm not a huge fan of torx fasteners, I think they were designed for speed and ease in assembly rather than any functionality in maintenance/disassembly.
No doubt some know all cunt will correct me if I've got that wrong

 

[MartytheMartian]

The feckin' things are a pain. I am guessing that, if I want to save this head and barrels it will be a good few hours of drilling, cursing and swearing and I'm not sure it's worth it given that they are only of use on my Sprint RS and a whole used engine or even a whole new bike of that model ain't exactly expensive. The gearbox, clutch and starter will fit my Daytona so I definitely want to save them though and I can get them without bothering about the 'engine' side of the block at all. Christ knows what torque the bolts were put in with but it ain't a little!

 

[Freck]

I had a similar experience @MartytheMartian when replacing the head gasket on my Daytona. Broke 3 Torx bits before I got them all out.
I ended up buying a set of impact Torx bits from Bergen at the Stafford show as I was getting nowhere with the bits I already had.
For the ones that were a bastard to budge, I retightened the ones either side and then tried loosening them off. I know this meant that I wasn’t removing them in the preferred order but I was going to get the head skimmed anyway so it didn’t really matter. Got there in the end with a 2foot breaker bar.

 

[MartytheMartian]

Thanks @Freck good to know I'm not the only one. Never had head bolts that tight or that bleedin' awkward on any bike I ever worked on in the past. I will order myself a set of the Bergen Impact Torx. If all else fails it will be out with the cobalt drill bits and much cursing and swearing or I will put the head completely out of commission with my demolition hammer!

 

[Sarky B’stard]

Feel your pain mate. I'm not a huge fan of torx fasteners, I think they were designed for speed and ease in assembly rather than any functionality in maintenance/disassembly.
No doubt some know all cunt will correct me if I've got that wrong

I cuntcur.

 

[Don the Don]

The Bergen set is well worth purchasing I have had a set for years, some Torx bits and bolt are slightly tapered so getting a good fit is important on engine components

 

[MartytheMartian]

I believe there are two types, Torx like the ones that Triumph use which is a trademarked design and is tapered and then there are 'spline' bits which are straight. I think that, supposedly, Torx give a better mating surface between bit and bolt head compared to Splines or Allens. Problem is that I think good old fashioned Hex heads are a much better option than all of them as long as good quality close-fitting sockets are used. Biggest problem with all of the Torx, Splin and Allen options is that the head of your bit is less than eight mm or so across and so can't take much load without disintegrating. I am going to give the Bergens a shot but I am not too hopeful given the damage the broken bits have done to the bolt heads.

 

[Don the Don]

Torx & spline are two different beasts, I mean the Torx bit itself needs to be a very good fit some have a slight taper some do not but to remove engine parts a very good fit is required and quality counts,

Torx screws are used in several applications, from automobiles to computers. They also come in a number of varieties. They come in external versions (for use in a socket wrench or ratchet), security (with a pin in the center of the screw head to prevent tampering), and what is known as Torx Plus. When the patent to the original Torx design was about to expire in the early nineties, Textron improved on the design by squaring off the lobes slightly to minimize wear and maximize torque. A standard Torx driver will fit into a Torx Plus screw, but a Torx Plus will not work in a standard so be sure to know which one you will be working with

 

[Don the Don]

All these different types of fixings are good for manufacturers as most folk will just say sod keep buying tools and take them to the main stealers for repair

 

[Public Enemy]

All these different types of fixings are good for manufacturers as most folk will just say sod keep buying tools and take them to the main stealers for repair

Just not us tight bastards!!

 

[Holy Shit]

Another problem is the quality of stainless fixings which is softer than their steel equivalent.

 

[MartytheMartian]

Another additional problem is that even 'top quality' tools now are often as crap as the cheap stuff. It seems that more and more of the traditionally high quality tool brands are just buying up the same stuff as everyone else from China and having their brand name put on it. I bought the Sealey Torx bits because in the past I have bought quite a bit of Sealey stuff and it was good and I was seriously surprised when they sheared away one after another. I was looking at Britool Expert Impact Torx but I've no idea if they are worth two and a half times the cost of Bergen etc. these days. Sure I used to buy Britool when I wanted quality in the past but are they still as good as they used to be? I have a lot of Laser 'Professional' range that I bought in the early nineties and they are still going strong but Laser don't seem to have a 'pro' range any more.

When I look at Bergen, USPro, Sealey, Hilka and any number of other brands online they all seem to have what appear to be identical tools in identical positions within identical blow moulded cases with the only difference being the colour of the plastic and the cardboard outer package.

 

[DD67]

Another additional problem is that even 'top quality' tools now are often as crap as the cheap stuff. It seems that more and more of the traditionally high quality tool brands are just buying up the same stuff as everyone else from China and having their brand name put on it. I bought the Sealey Torx bits because in the past I have bought quite a bit of Sealey stuff and it was good and I was seriously surprised when they sheared away one after another. I was looking at Britool Expert Impact Torx but I've no idea if they are worth two and a half times the cost of Bergen etc. these days. Sure I used to buy Britool when I wanted quality in the past but are they still as good as they used to be? I have a lot of Laser 'Professional' range that I bought in the early nineties and they are still going strong but Laser don't seem to have a 'pro' range any more.

When I look at Bergen, USPro, Sealey, Hilka and any number of other brands online they all seem to have what appear to be identical tools in identical positions within identical blow moulded cases with the only difference being the colour of the plastic and the cardboard outer package.

Try Halfords Professional range Marty.
It still isn't Snap-On quality but it's good. And isn't anywhere near as expensive either.
And they will genuinely honour the lifetime warranty. Which is one of the big selling points for Snap-On.
Just rock up with the broken tool & they'll replace it. Normally, with no questions asked.
Since they started marking all their own brand tools. They don't even insist that you produce the original purchase receipt.

 

[Holy Shit]

When I was first buying tools as a young carpenter I was told to buy the best available,taught to sharpen a saw,before the hard tipped era.
Now there’s eye watering wastage in a throw away,wanna be green society,cheap and very nasty Chinese products everywhere,just itching to be binned.
Some of the hard tipped saws are quite good but none of them have the weight and quality of the old saws.

 

[MartytheMartian]

Hmmm being able to drop into Halfords to get a replacement would be handy. I used to pal around with a couple of guys who ran a garage and one of them used (and abused) Snap-on tools and the other one used Teng. They broke plenty of stuff but the Snap-on and Teng reps would swing by every month and replace anything that had broken. Both of them said that the gear wasn't really noticeably better than most other brands but the ability to have it replaced was what made it worth so much more than any other tools. I have a few different tools with 'lifetime guarantees' on them I think the old 'King Dick' stuff and Britool stuff carried it as does 'Blue Spot' stuff if I recall correctly. Only problem is taking it somewhere to get it replaced.