How to tighten down the heads on a Rapide when running in

stumpy lord

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
torque wrenches

Suart,
If you are still looking for a torque wrench there is a snap on wrench on offer on e bay item 130126013237, which is standing at £25 . You own the best motor cycle in the world , why not have the best tools?
Cheers Norman/.
 

BlackLightning998

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Thanks to everyone and a word or two of warning...

Thanks to Tom, Russell, Neil, Norman.

I've had some good advice and from Neil the offer of either doing the job for me or lending me the tools - great club spirit and I really appreciate the offer.

I thought I would buy myself a torque wrench in the range 15 through 50 ft lbs - I have a bigger one but this range should suit the Vincent well and would come in useful. Saw a beauty on ebay, looked in great nick, box, instructions and being offered for sale in full working order. Well I bought it, less that a quarter of new price and it arrived yesterday. I thought I would just test it on a couple of cycle part nuts - seemed to take a lot of torque and no slip so I put a stainless half inch nut and bolt together, clamped it in the vice and proceeded to give it 30 ft lbs. It twisted the fastener out of the vice (which I had swung on to lock up) and ripped the jaws without the ratchet clicking in. When I tapped the vice bar locked with a rubber mallet and had another go, it sheared the half inch fastner straight through.

Visions of me being the second customer that Russell has needing a helicoil set for 8 crankcase studs flashed through my mind.

Then the thought that "wrist tight" with an aluminium engine may not be a bad idea at all.

So a word of warning to all - all that glistens may not be gold and if you get a snap-on torque wrench for a fraction of the new cost - then just check it out first!!

I've located a set of crows foot spanners that do the job, so I'm going to get those, and find myself a proper, calibrated and checked torque wrench - I may go back to borrowing one I know works rather than the money snap-on want for a new one.

My Dad parcelled up and sent me all his imperial spanners, including what he had left of a Vincent tool kit, plug spanner, K1 and a few others so a happy few hours has been spent with solvol and wire wool to make them all look nice again. Interesting that these very spanners were used on this very bike 30 years ago, and now here we go again.

Registration number hopefully sorted tomorrow, then Mr Tipper will make me some plates, use Russells solid, tried and tested advice on the head and off we go for a run.

Thanks again to Tom, Russell, Neil and Norman - great to have some advice out there for spanner novices on Vincents like me.

Now, how do I tighten the head races...............

All booked for 3 track sessions including the VOC one at the Festival of 1000 Bikes - can't wait (fingers crossed our Summer pitches up before then).

Cheers

Stuart
 
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