Tool Time
Tool Time
Shock-preload adjusting spanners are far from new ideas; they've been included in many new-bike toolkits for decades, and others are available through the aftermarket. But here's one that's a cut above the rest. It's a scissors-type that, unlike the typical one-pin spanner, grabs the shock ring in two places 180 degrees apart. The natural squeezing action of your hand keeps the pins tightly clamped into the ring, so you can easily generate more non-slip turning force with this tool. It's intended for adjusting the shocks on various Harley-Davidson models, but I've found that it works nicely on a lot of other dual-shock bikes, some with round pin-spanner holes, others that have rectangular notches that mate nicely with the spanner's beefy square pegs. I've even used it to turn the preload rings on some single-shock bikes that allow enough room to access the ring and turn it at least a few degrees. The spanner pictured here is sold by Harley, but its list price is so utterly outrageous ($125) that I can't even suggest that you buy one; apparently, The Motor Company is desperate for you not to include one in your tool collection. Custom Chrome (www.customchrome. com) has no such reservations, however, and offers virtually the same tool (part #20121, in black rather than with a plated finish) for a measly $17. Go figure.
y ou know those little plastic straws that come Scotch-taped on a lot of aerosol cans? They have legs, I swear they do. They must, because just about every time I need one, I find that it has vaulted from the can and run off to some secret hiding place, never again to be seen.
J~~#W~I~ I4~UIII IJ~ J~liI. A company called Hold-It (www.hold-it.net) has come up with a wonderfully simple way of preventing those little rascals from carrying out their mysterious disappearance. The product has the same name as the company, Hold-It, and it's a rubber ring with a 3-inch-long rubber arm projecting from it; at the end of the arm is a little round ball with a tiny hole in the middle. You slip the ring around an aerosol can, poke the straw through the hole at the end of the arm and insert one end of the straw into the spray nozzle. The ring and its arm then hold the straw in place whether or not the can is in use. If you want to spray the can's contents with the nozzle alone, pull the straw out of the nozzle and tuck it under the rubber ring, leaving it pushed through the end of the arm. So, unless you lose the entire can-or one of your friends gets jealous and steals the Hold-It-lost spray-can straws should be a thing of the past. I've been utilizing Hold-Its with a race team that has a half-dozen crew members who constantly use numerous aerosol spray lubes and cleaners at the track and the race shop, and we haven't lost a straw yet. Hold-Its come in a package of 2 for $1 and are available at most popular auto-parts stores.
