Bike Restoration Survival Kit :?:

[thebikewidow]

Hi guys, the OH is currently undergoing a slow restoration of his workhorse (a Honda VFR 750 from 1996). I've been helping him with some of the bits I can. We've targeted certain things that might be causing an issue that stops the bike starting and as we went through them we decided it probably would be best to just go ahead with a full restoration project (or at least as best we can) seeing as we were halfway through one anyway having tried a number of things to fix this one issue.
Anyways, if you were out in the cold wintery weather, fixing your bike with naught to shelter you but a garage door and some trees, what would you want?
I want to create a little hamper or box of things to make it easier on him (and maybe me) to work on the bike. So far, all I can think of is a couple of travel mugs so we can have our tea outside and it not get cold or bugs or falling leaves in.
Kinda of a Bike restoration Survival Kit if you will.
I do help him pretty much every weekend so any ideas would be gratefully appreciated.
Many thanks
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I didn't choose the bike life... The bike life chose me

[ForestRunner]

Some of those cheap reusable handwarmers. The kind you boil and then snap to use. But plenty and cheap so whenever you need one there is one, not one waiting to be recharged.
Saves having to keep blowing on your hands when metal sucks out the heat. Quick warm up and you are good to go again
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Slowly learning...
CBF125 Red (Stolen) -> CBF125 White -> 1999 Hornet

[SQL]

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/devil-850-propane-fired-space-heater

[Nexus Icon]

Latex gloves do a surprisingly good job of defeating wind chill on your fingers and they keep your hands clean too. Coupled with the hand warmers they'd make things a lot less unpleasant.

A box of 100 should set you back about £3-£5, depending how well you shop around.
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Greetings from Shitsville!

[monkeybiker]

A nice warm woolly jumper and hat. Stick your bike jacket and trousers on.

[Wonko The Sane]

favourite beer, snacks etc, any tools he's not got or better quality ones of the tools he's using lots.

radio?
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[Robby]

Lots of light
A radio
Tea
Boiler suit, gloves, layers
Fags
Biscuits

[axelfoley]

Bluetooth speaker
Stools

[jjdugen]

Gazebo, heater, lights.
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The CBR900RR has been sold. Aprilia Falco worms its way into my heart.
Try Soi 23 on Amazon for a good read.... Self promotion? Moi?

[andym]

Strangely I'm going to be doing the same with my VFR ('91 though), I've found the easiest way is to bring the parts I'm mucking about with upstairs (13th floor)..... with the exception of painting the engine and polishing the frame, they can stay in the lockup

[haroman666]

Some form of heater. Propane or electric. Just something good. Even if it's there to regain feeling in the fingers every 20mins!

Free standing floodlights

Nitrile gloves

A body warmer/Gilet is ideal

Paddock stands

Battery charger/multimeter

Rechargeable speaker

Large flask

Blue roll/kitchen roll

GT85/Plusgas/ACF 50/WD40/Muc-off etc etc

Tool storage

Fluid draining receptacles

A mechanics stool on caster wheels

Magnetic bolt trays

Telescopic magnet

Microfiber cloths

Swarfega (gritted)

Chamois leather

and then a blow job.
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The mistresses: 2000 Honda CBR600f, 2000 Honda VTR1000

[Major Doss]

Sounds like he already has the best restoration aid.

[Teflon-Mike]

When in doubt.. PUT THE KETTLE ON!

First rule of mechanics that!

Camping mug,of pre-prepared beverage, would then deny you THE most effectatcouse 'solution' on almost any 'problem' associated with recalcitrant nuts!

So, if no electric, get a camping billy!

Otherwise, tend to not work outside, when it's dark and or weather's miserable.... if you cant see what you are doing, and fingers are frozen, you tend to start fumbling stuff and making problems rather than solving them.

So, I pick the jobs I can do on the kitchen side, or dining table... on a bit of hardboard/newspaper, old tea-tray, I can use as portable work-bench, to protect kitchen side or dining table, as well as lift off and store back in shed when need to make dinner!

Things like reconditioning a brake caliper, or renovating the instruments, or cleaning the carbs... WHICH is actually a seperate think point.

Carbs on them are a right buggers bastard to get at... and are apparently notorious for going wampy with age. As a starting point for the WHOLE project.. If I had got one as a 'Winter-Project'.. that's where I would start.. almost

I'd battle the carbs off; get them inside (on work-tray), and strip[ them, one at a time... on my VF1000, the front two carbs are a completely different carb 'body' to the two back ones.... so I'd strip them one at a time, and store the jets and piece parts for each, seperately n small chinese take-away snappy tubs, labled with which body they belong to; then I would send the bodies off to be ultrasonically cleaned.. when they came back, I'd get new diagphrams and gaskets and re-cndition them, again, doing oe carb at a time.. and stack them, ready for the spring!

Mean while, in any down-time between jobs; I'd start on the petrol tank. Drain, and strip.. petrol tap is 'in' the tank on them, and they have a fuel gauge sender too... so I'd remove those components to be looked at on the work tray.. not sure if that model has a vacuum operated safety valve in the fuel tap.. which if gummed or perished, could be cause for not being able to get the thing running right, but either way, overhauling the petrol tap, is a useful exercise in eliminating possible hassles at source...

Main one I'd be doing, as a matter of course, is a 'POR15' treatment on the petrol tank. Steel tank, they rust from the inside; ust gets washed of the metal by petrol, and along with any other 'crud', be it dust and dirt put in the tank with the petrol, or the 'rsidues' of where petrol evaportates, sik to the bottom to form a 'silt', that then gets sucked to the fuel lines to clock the petrol tap, and then the jets and stuff in the carbs... so cleaning the tank, and getting rid of that 'silt' stops may silly problems before you get them... and while you are at it, using 'electrolysis' to de-rust the tank best as, after washing, then a POR15 kit, to get the tank thoroughly clean as you can, with the included caustic washes, and put a rust preventing new 'lining' on the metal, is just 'fishig the job' so you dont have to do it again.

And liminates so many potential hassles before they even arise, its a 'job' just plan to do regardless these days.

And one that is a lot of five minutes action, and five hours waiting, while you swill out with water, then leave for the next 'soak', that you can 'do' this time of year, before fingers go too numb.

So, ply-wood 'job-tray', would probably be my suggestion to the question, and some considered 'work planning', breaking down the jobs into what can be done inside on work-tray, what needs to be done outside to make that possible, and what jobs just aren't pactical, this time of year, like painting 'cos too cold for paint to cure.

And snappy-tubs, and stak-a-boxes... to keep all the bits in order, between jobs.

Otherwise, expand on you mugs idea, and remember first rule... don't try and keep the cuppa hot.. provide resources for making 'fresh'.

The 'time out' chance to think, scratch head, let blood run back to boots and lubricate brain, works wonders, not just for solving problems, but avoiding them, so any created, trying to 'press-on' with numb hands or peering at a part buried n the shadows never noticng the day-light dwindle...

Building on that, and in similar vein... hand washing facilities... and first aid!

Murphey's law, the irrefutable law of sod, demands BLOOD! Blood s a fantastic lubricant, and after the spanner has slipped stubborn nut, drawig the stuff, from knuckles on inconveniet rusty bracket.. it aids the next 'slip' when hands lubricated by it, slip on the spanner... and the nut doesn't even have to put up a fight to get a sods-law-laugh!

So, stop, wash hands.. administer an elastoplast.. make cuppa... return to now quivering stubborn nut, scared, that's thinking "They've done this before..." and WIN!

As Stink likes to say, no such thing as the wrong weather, just the wrong cloths; cloths can be nice, but tools are better. No job cant be accomplished with the right tools.. as Archimedes is reported to have said, give me a long enough lever and I can move the earth... but again, back to the very top, NOTHING can be achieved without a nice fresh CUPPA, so number one tool is still that KETTLE!
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Tdibs]

A woman that understands the fella needs time with the bike is already more than most blokes can ask for!
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Previous : 09 Vanvan 125| 02' Sv650s || Current: 1999 Xj600n | 1992 DR650 RSE | 2005 Fazer 1000

[mudcow007]

i use a Zippo handwarmer for when it gets Baltic, stays lit in your pocket for about 12 hours

[Vincent]

Best things for working outside are a wind-breaker, (like the beach ones, just stick the poles in bricks as anchors), and a massive umberella...or two. How about one of those burners that people have in their gardens to keep your hands warm? Also a radio and a couple of tinnies
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Space Is Deep

[MCN]

Wait until the Summer.
Move to a warmer climate.
Insulate the shed/garage.
Use a heater (but the blower type are very expensive and wolf through gas and electric).

The problem with heating any room is that heat moves towards cold so if not insulated all the heat you pump in will escape.

Gyproc Insulation

Layers work Merino wool long-johns and top about £100 is always cheaper though.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Rogerborg]

I like Skytec Argon thermal gardening gloves, lined, rubberised. They're quite tight around the fingers, so I'd go up a size unless you've got layyyydies 'ands.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Nexus Icon]

[Vincent]

I reckon OP has discovered how nice it is when the other half is outside and they have the house/sofa/TV to themselves
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Space Is Deep

[J.M.]

A heater and a radio.

Working on my GS500 outside for winter was horrific. I was wearing many layers, and gloves. I was working very slowly so it took me around a month or evenings.

On the last two or so days we remembered about the electric heater sitting in the cupboard, and brought the radio in from the house. It was so much more pleasant.
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[Rogerborg]

[pepperami]

OP If you`re outside working on a bike and it`s dry, then a piece of cardboard to kneel/lay on always comes in handy.
Or? a small piece of carpet (old bath-mat)



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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[thebikewidow]

Thanks guys and girls. I've sort of got together a load of handwarmers and I'm going to make it like a hamper but instead of the wicker basket holding it together, I'm going to use a new toolbox (something he actually needs). Then I'll fill ssaid toolbox with what I have found so far which is the hand warmers (large supply of reusables) and a magnetic tray... He's a big stickler for me buying him things only if he needs them so I'm going to presume that he may want a travel mug because I can see a bug or something falling into his tea one day... terrible thought.
I'm genuinely stuck for other ideas. He doesn't get cold easily unless it's his hands so not much point buying him more thermals. I was going to put loads of snacks (biltong type stuff) in there and maybe an umbrella... I think the neighbours might be a bit offended if performed one of the suggestions on this thread and we have a child running around soooo we'll save that for alone time lol. I like not being in prison lol.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, I'll try and update with a complete list when I've done in it case anyone else wants to do the same and wants some ideas. I'm not usually very creative so in my head it looks brilliant as a present but it'll probably look a bit like my son did it but at least I can pretend he helped
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I didn't choose the bike life... The bike life chose me

[thebikewidow]