Do it yourself! A buying guide to garage essentials for a basic motorcycle toolkit
Whether you strip down and rebuild your bikes from spindle to spindle, service your bike at home to save money, or simply look after your chain, you will require a certain amount of tools. Some motorbikes will come with a small portable toolkit, however this is usually a very simple kit with minimal, small tools. It is advisable to have a better quality, more comprehensive kit in your garage.
Best deals on essential tools
- Halfords Advanced 175 piece socket and spanner set £178.50 (was £255)
- Halfords Advanced 200 piece socket and ratchet spanner set £200 (was £330)
What should be included in a basic tool kit?
There are two main options when building your tool kit: buy a comprehensive basic set that includes the essentials, or to buy several different sets of each type of tool, providing you with a larger selection of sizes of each. Either way, the main things that you need to ensure you have are:
Other helpful items are things like a C spanner, paddock stands and cable ties can be useful to keep in the garage too.
Is it really worth paying that much more?
To keep your bike’s nuts, bolts and other fasteners in good condition and to ensure they can be undone and removed with ease, nothing but decent tools will do. The temptation to spend a fiver on a big shiny do-everything toolkit is huge, but this is likely to prove a false economy.
Cheap tools can deteriorate fast and will eventually damage fasteners, eating into the value of your machine. And what’s the point in paying for tools you’ll never use?
If your motorcycle has metric fasteners, then buy a basic metric-only toolkit. Better still, build a kit specific to your bike, and go for reputable top quality brand names that won’t cost the earth, like Teng, Draper or Halfords.
Apart from making home mechanics a damn sight easier, there’s also the delight in handling something so precise and perfect. Having splashed proper cash on a toolkit fit for a GP pit crew, don’t ruin it. Using screwdrivers as chisels or spanners for hammering will knacker them. Either buy the proper stuff or buy some cheapies you don’t mind blunting and bending.
For those whose idea of heaven is a bank holiday weekend of fettling a classic motorcycle or rebuilding your latest tipsy eBay purchase, you might be looking for a more advanced motorcycle toolkit.
Socket sets
A socket set is a basic motorcycle toolkit essential, and for most jobs on a bike, a 3/8in drive set will suffice. However, there are larger jobs that will require a meatier 1/2in drive set, such as removing and replacing wheels, for example.
Do-everything combined imperial and metric 384-piece socket sets for £30 look attractive, but will you use it all? Only Harleys have a smattering of old imperial nuts and bolts. A recognised brand of 3/8in drive ratchet (the size of drive-to-socket union), with 8-19mm sockets and a couple of extension bars, will tackle most tasks. The Draper set below, for example.
Best socket starter set
Six-point sockets (8-22mm), 72-tooth reversible ratchet and extension bars, chrome vanadium steel.
For anything over 19mm, such as swingarm spindle nuts or even smaller engine and suspension mounting bolts but which require a high torque-tightening figure, a heftier 1/2in drive ratchet should be used. Cost can be kept to a minimum by buying specific-sized individual sockets. Alternatively, you can get your 3/8-in and 1/2-in sockets in one with a bigger set.Pros
- Trusted brand
- Comes in a case
- Great starter set
Cons
- Not the biggest range of sizes
- Only metric
"A torque wrench paired with a socket set works well for motorcycle maintenance, but
adding a torque spanner increases efficiency. While a socket ratchet is effective for 95% of tasks, its 90-degree angle can compromise torque precision."
"Venhill's Metric Torque Spanner, a versatile tool, includes a wrench with interchangeable open-ended drivers in a sturdy box. Interchangeable heads, facilitated by a metal pin key, allow quick releases. Setting torque is easy – turn the handle to the desired Newton metres and lock it with the bottom dial. With a robust build for confidence in its 25 Nm torque application, the spanner excels in precision for intricate tasks."
"Valuable as insurance for task completion, its direct application and lower profile ease access to tight motorcycle spaces. The Venhill Metric Torque Spanner Set provides confidence and precision but is expensive compared to other more comprehensive socket and spanner sets on the market."
Pros
- Easy to use
- Fells robustly built
- Versatile thanks to the interchangeable heads
Cons
- Not the cheapest
| Type | Torque Spanner Set |
| Measured unit | Metric |
| Storage | Rigid case |
- Torque Wrench & Open End Driver Set
- 1-Interchangeable Torque Handle 5-25Nm Scale
- 1-1/4"Dr.Ratchet Head
- Drive Ended Heads Size: 9x12mm Square
- Open end Size:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
- Securley stored in a moulded case
Spanners
A good set of spanners is also a garage essential, and combination style – with a ring at one end and open-ended at the other – offers great flexibility.
Spanners are used when there’s no room to fit a socket. Combination spanners – open-ended one end and a ring spanner (like a flat socket) on the other – are the best bet. After buying a quality 8-19mm set, bolster your basic toolkit with a cheaper set of the commonly used sizes on a motorcycle, as it’s often necessary to hold a bolt as you undo the nut.
| Construction | Durable chrome allow steel |
| Sizes | 8mm-19mm |
| Guarantee | Lifetime |
- 12 ratchet spanners
- Modular tray dimensions: L 375 x W 180 x D 45mm
- Surface Drive Plus to give you more torque
- 72 tooth ratcheting mechanism
Best cheap spanner set
Reliable and affordable nickel chrome plated spanner set featuring sizes from 6-19mm. Comes in plastic holder that can be used to make sure you don't lose them.
Pros
- 12-point ring end and open end
- Large range
Cons
- No case, just a holder
Screwdrivers and Allen keys
It’s necessary to use the right type of screwdriver in the correct size. The type you’re looking for will have hardened tips to prevent premature wear (screw heads soon chew up) with large rubber, easy grip handles. Pozidrive (crosshead) sizes #1, #2, and #3 are the minimum required, plus varying sizes of slotted (flat-bladed) drivers.
Recessed (Allen) bolts for bodywork etc. are easily damaged by worn, cheap or ill-fitting Allen keys. Quality keys fit better, and last longer, and T-handle keys are easier to use and better for stubborn bolts. Over 10mm, or with a high torque figure, it’s best to use a 3/8in drive ratchet with Allen socket attachments, such as those in the Gedore socket set. A basic toolkit for your motorcycle should feature most, if not all, of these.
Best overall range screwdriver set
Consisting of 17 screwdrivers, bit driver, 10 insert bits and 16 hex keys, you can get it all in one with this garage essential. Made from chrome vanadium steel with the screwdrivers having a grippy handle and a sand-blasted tip.
Pros
- Huge range of tools, including Allen keys
- Storage stand
- Great value
Cons
- No stubby screwdrivers for awkward jobs
Best T-handle hex keys
A set of T-handle hex keys backed up by the Sealey name you can trust for quality but a an affordable price. Includes sizes from 2 - 10mm. Made from chrome vanadium steel.
Pros
- Backed by Sealey
- Good range
- Ergonomic handle
Cons
- Only metric
Pliers
There are few jobs on a bike that invite the use of pliers these days, but they’ll always be handy (freeing off stuck clutch adjusters, removing fuel pipe clips etc.). Look for the type with rubber handles so you can hold them with greasy hands. Long-nose pliers are good for inaccessible areas (dropped nuts are a speciality); flat-nose offer good grip.
Best starter pliers set
Find the right pliers for any job here
Pros
- Known brand
- Wire cutting feature
Cons
- Not sprung
Torque wrench
A torque wrench is one of the most frequently used and most important tools you can get. In a nutshell, it’s a ratchet-like device with an adjustable clutch that stops turning the nut/bolt when a predetermined torque figure has been reached. This prevents nut and bolt threads from being over-stretched or breaking off.
"If you do any work on your bike (or other vehicles) you really must have a torque wrench. I’ve got one for high-torque jobs, and a smaller one for more delicate tasks. This Draper item is the meaty one. Rated to cope with torques from 20-210Nm (22.1 – 154.9lb.ft), it’ll cover the vast majority of common tasks that use large nuts, like wheel spindle nuts, swingarm pivot bolts, headstock nuts etc. And these are all things you don’t want to under- or over-tighten – the consequences of both are dire, and potentially very dangerous."
"To use it, you simply add the relevant socket to the 1/2in square drive (like any other ratchet), set the torque rating on the marked handle, and tighten the nut or bolt in question. Once the right torque is reached, there’s an audible ‘click’ and it feels momentarily like you’ve broken something as the tension goes slack. Couldn’t be simpler."
Pros
- Simple to use
- Quality made item
- Feels meaty
| Construction | Carbon steel |
| Torque range | 30Nm to 210Nm |
| Size | 1/2 inch square drive |
- Comes in a handy carry case
- Engraved ratchet head with Nm and lb scales for easy adjustment
- Easy to use, clicks when tension is reached
Best cheap torque wrench
Pros
- Mechanical mechanism
- Simple to use
Cons
- Lesser-known brand
Oil filter tool
It’s important to change the oil filter and oil in your motorcycle at the manufacturer’s recommended intervals. There are special tools to help you remove a filter when there’s limited room (eg. if you have exhaust pipes in the way) and to install a new one correctly, a chain wrench or filter socket is a must.
Pros
- Simple to use
- Cheap to buy
- Warrantied for 2 years
Cons
- Probably only required once a year
Best for awkward filters
A chain wrench that can be used to fit or remove oil filters from 60-140mm. Constructed from chrome vanadium with a satin finish and a hanging hole for easy storage.
Pros
- Simple design
- Easy adjustability
- Trusted brand
Cons
- Won't be used very often in most home garages
C-spanner (hooked spanner)
C-spanners are used for adjusting pre-load on rear shock absorbers, whose adjustment is via threaded locking rings. Standard C-spanners are prone to wear, and there’s only ever one in the toolkit when you need two to lock them after adjustment. Match the original to a quality aftermarket item with a hinged lever for better purchase.
Best for adaptability
Hardened chrome vanadium steel-bodied hinged hook spanner with capacity from 19-51mm. Bright chrome finish and hanging hole for easy storage. Backed by trusted brand Facom.
Pros
- Hinged for better purchase
- Much sturdier than standard items
Cons
- Too bulky to carry in bike toolkit
Other useful items
"With six bikes, three cars and a petrol lawnmower in my garage all burning only the finest dinosaur juice, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve needed to press this pump into action to solve a localised fuel crisis. Simply pop one end of the kit into the container/vehicular victim you’re siphoning from, and the other into a petrol can – or direct into the thing that needs fuel – paying attention to the flow arrow on the pump body, then give the bladder a few quick squeezes ‘et voila!’ you’re pumping gas… The flow rate is decent, and if the giving end drifts free of the life juice, simply pop it back in and give the bladder a few more squeezes.
There’s no release valve to stop the flow, so simply lift the donor end free of the liquid when you’re close to your target level, and let the pipe-full run through. You can pump any liquid with it, but I probably wouldn’t use the same pump for multiple liquid types. I can’t really imagine how I used to manage without one."
Pros
- Easy to use
- Lots of uses
- Good flow rate
"I’ve been squinting like Mr Magoo at an ancient version of this that only boasts markings for years, and finally conceded that a new caliper with a digi readout would be a massive improvement. And it really is. This dual-reading tool displays both types of readout, and also measures inbound and outbound, allowing a wide range of measuring applications – with complete accuracy. The measurement range is from zero to 150mm/6in, in 0.01mm and 0.005in increments, which covers the vast majority of measuring need for workshop jobs."
"The slider has a thumb-wheel and a lock. The tool is made from hardened steel, so it’s super-sturdy and should last a lifetime. The battery is an easily-available SR44 (included), and the auto-off feature means you won’t need a new one every time you use it! It’s also supplied in its own hard case, meaning you can store it safely in your tool chest without fear of damage. While Draper’s RRP is over £50, I bought mine on Amazon and paid £23.89."
Pros
- Easy to read
- Allows a wide range of uses
- Feels nicely sturdy
Frequently asked questions
How do I look after my tools?
After use on your motorcycle, give your toolkit a basic clean with an oil-tainted cloth to remove grit and corrosive fluids before storing. And don’t lend them out – friendships have been ended over the ‘loss’ and damage of tools.
Do I need motorcycle specific tools?
No, motorcycles will use the same sorts of tools that cars do and most sets have many uses.
Do my tools need to match?
No, it make’s no difference if your tools are all from the same brand or not, just choose the ones that you like and can afford.
How MCN tests tools
At MCN, our team of expert journalists have decades of experience gained over hundreds of thousands of miles. We don’t usually test our tools to destruction; we use it exactly how you do, in the real world and in all conditions, using them to carry out maintenance and upgrades to our motorcycles. That means we can deliver impartial buying advice you can rely on.
Each of our writers has an in-depth understanding of the needs of today’s biker… because they are one.
If you can’t see a review against an item on this page, it’s because we haven’t tested it yet. These items will only be included if we think they’re important and relevant in the market, and rest assured, we will be working on bringing you a review as soon as we’ve done the miles.
To find out more, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products.
What our star ratings mean
When we review a product, we award it a score out of five. In the ratings tab of a given product, you may also find more specific scores for the different aspects of a product’s performance to help you make an informed decision. Here’s a guide to what each number score means:
- 1 star – Poor performance in this category or overall. A product with a single star rating has fallen below the expected standard and should be avoided.
- 2 stars – Basic performance in this area or overall. A product with a two-star rating has managed to perform to a barely acceptable level and there is room for improvement.
- 3 stars – An average performance in this area or overall. A product with a three-star rating has achieved a basic level of performance and is deemed adequate.
- 4 stars – A product has performed over and above the accepted averaged in this category or overall. A product with a four-star rating has surpassed expectation and delivered in a particularly impressive way.
- 5 stars – A product has performed at the highest possible level in a particular category or overall. A product with a five-star rating has delivered to the highest possible level, impressing the tester with its performance. We would happily spend our own money on it.
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