Metric or SAE

[Bronson512]

Almost broke a New Years resoulution. Maybe I'm the only one that feels this way but it has happened before and its a Pet Peeve of mine. I was doing a little maintenance on my trike and had to remove an accessory item when it hit me. Why in the world would one of the biggest after market accessory companies attach their product to a metric bike with sae nuts & bolts? To me that is ludicrous and forces me and others to carry many more wrenches & sockets on the road if I want to be prepared. I first thought since I bought the bike second hand maybe the previous owner might have done this. I checked the company website and sure enough the packing list included all sae nuts & bolts for the fasteners. Am I the only one that feels this way?

[Trail Blazer]

Almost broke a New Years resoulution. Maybe I'm the only one that feels this way but it has happened before and its a Pet Peeve of mine. I was doing a little maintenance on my trike and had to remove an accessory item when it hit me. Why in the world would one of the biggest after market accessory companies attach their product to a metric bike with sae nuts & bolts? To me that is ludicrous and forces me and others to carry many more wrenches & sockets on the road if I want to be prepared. I first thought since I bought the bike second hand maybe the previous owner might have done this. I checked the company website and sure enough the packing list included all sae nuts & bolts for the fasteners. Am I the only one that feels this way?

Bronson you have hit on one of my pet peeves. it would have been just as easy to us metric but no. I guess they want us to buy more tools.

[Papa Zook]

Try wrenching on any late model Harley and you'll find both SAE and Metric all over the thing. And I'm not talking about aftermarket parts and accessories either, I'm talking about the bike or trike itself. The things are built with a mixed bag of each.

[rhino 2]

Way back when' A riding buddy of mine had a Triumph.. And it had Whitworth nuts and bolts... Talk about a mixed bag of bolts.

[Woolie]

You just need one of these, SAE on one end, Metric on the other.

[consitter]

Try wrenching on any late model Harley and you'll find both SAE and Metric all over the thing. And I'm not talking about aftermarket parts and accessories either, I'm talking about the bike or trike itself. The things are built with a mixed bag of each.

That drives me nuts too. I reckon there's nothing I can do but suck it up though.

[consitter]

Everyone should have one of these in their tool box as well.

Attachment 41953

The left handed one only works in counter clockwise direction, but there are some faulty ones that work in both directions.

HEY!!

I have a left handed screwdriver in both regular and Phillips...

[BillR]

HEY!!
I have a left handed screwdriver in both regular and Phillips...

Is that what you use to unscrew a screw?

[consitter]

Is that what you use to unscrew a screw?

Exactly...

[Bronson512]

What makes the whole thing even worse, more than likely the accessory was manufactured in a country where metric is the rule.

[rhino 2]

Is that what you use to unscrew a screw?

I use them all the time, But to un-strip screws that i striped with those backwards right handed screw-stripers...

[Jack Klarich]

Way back when' A riding buddy of mine had a Triumph.. And it had Whitworth nuts and bolts... Talk about a mixed bag of bolts.

I still have the odd ball tools
Seems to me metric threads per inch do not have the holding strength of American SAE, that is a personal observation from turning wrenches all my life

[GoldWingrGreg]

Why in the world would one of the biggest after market accessory companies attach their product to a metric bike with sae nuts & bolts? To me that is ludicrous and forces me and others to carry many more wrenches & sockets on the road if I want to be prepared.

It's probably a 2 part answer. First, many aftermarket manufactures use fasteners that are readily available. It helps keep their cost down, and certainly that is passed onto the customer. Unfortunately in the USA that often means using bolts that are a SAE standard.

Second, and probably more true then the first is this. The manufactures of aftermarket accessories make many parts for many motorcycles, of which a GL1800 is not unique to them. For example, Kury Ergo II highway pegs. Everything other then the mount, that mounts to the front crash bar, is common. Common, meaning that they use the arms and pegs for many models. Only the mount makes it unique to fit a GL1800 ... everything else in the package is common.

[pcombe]

I tell you what amazes me!

Motorcycle manufacturers have made it NECASARRY to purchase a variety of tools to work on your machine and you are complaining about it?

For Petes sake if they didn't do that you would have to search for reasons to justify buying tools to the wife.
Furthermore She would be justified in buying you neck ties for Christmas instead of shiny new wrenches that you will never use and you would have to settle for $10.00 tool tote buckets rather than the $4,000.00 professional tool box you spend many happy hours polishing and waxing to give you an excuse to get away from screaming kids and mother-in laws, You might have to fix something on her honey do list instead of polishing and arranging tools in your box?

man up and thank the motor company.

[Bronson512]

It's probably a 2 part answer. First, many aftermarket manufactures use fasteners that are readily available. It helps keep their cost down, and certainly that is passed onto the customer. Unfortunately in the USA that often means using bolts that are a SAE standard.

Second, and probably more true then the first is this. The manufactures of aftermarket accessories make many parts for many motorcycles, of which a GL1800 is not unique to them. For example, Kury Ergo II highway pegs. Everything other then the mount, that mounts to the front crash bar, is common. Common, meaning that they use the arms and pegs for many models. Only the mount makes it unique to fit a GL1800 ... everything else in the package is common.

I got a solution, put metric nuts & bolts in all the boxes and let the Harley guys have to carry both sets of wrenches!!!

I tell you what amazes me!

Motorcycle manufacturers have made it NECASARRY to purchase a variety of tools to work on your machine and you are complaining about it?

For Petes sake if they didn't do that you would have to search for reasons to justify buying tools to the wife.
Furthermore She would be justified in buying you neck ties for Christmas instead of shiny new wrenches that you will never use and you would have to settle for $10.00 tool tote buckets rather than the $4,000.00 professional tool box you spend many happy hours polishing and waxing to give you an excuse to get away from screaming kids and mother-in laws, You might have to fix something on her honey do list instead of polishing and arranging tools in your box?

man up and thank the motor company.

Ha! I first started reading your post and immediately wondered what direction is this going. Then I finished reading and for years your points were valid and boy did I use them to my advantage.
Now I'm older and I wish I didn't have near as many tools and little gadgets. Most of the time I'd rather pay to have it done than to crawl around under a vehicle on cold concrete.

[Ozarkryder]

What makes the whole thing even worse, more than likely the accessory was manufactured in a country where metric is the rule.

That is a good possibility, seeing as the only countries that have not officially gone to the metric system are Myanmar(Burma), Liberia and the United States. Though it seems Britain uses a combination of systems - I was watching Delboy's Garage and he was talking about going so many miles but filling up with so many liters of petrol.

[papalarry4]

You guy's think thats bad it took me 6 months to find a muffler bearing puller, but I finally found one at jip-o Jacks used surplus junk in BFE.

[GoldWingrGreg]

You guy's think thats bad it took me 6 months to find a muffler bearing puller, but I finally found one at jip-o Jacks used surplus junk in BFE.

Thats a hard tool to find. However, google knows where they are and the link below says he rents them

http://www.fuscorentalworld.com/equi...5&key=025-0315

[rhino 2]

You guy's think thats bad it took me 6 months to find a muffler bearing puller, but I finally found one at jip-o Jacks used surplus junk in BFE.

Thats the same tool used to remove the Kuhneutson Valve on late model Tri-Glides, Its behind the compression spring on the 103 engines, They claim ..[KaleCo Auto.com]that the new ones are far superior to the older inferior ones...

[pcombe]

I got a solution, put metric nuts & bolts in all the boxes and let the Harley guys have to carry both sets of wrenches!!!



Ha! I first started reading your post and immediately wondered what direction is this going. Then I finished reading and for years your points were valid and boy did I use them to my advantage.
Now I'm older and I wish I didn't have near as many tools and little gadgets. Most of the time I'd rather pay to have it done than to crawl around under a vehicle on cold concrete.

Perhaps you are missing the point?
Or is it me missing the point?

I thought the point was the guy who dies with the most specialized tools wins?