CHANGING YOUR RELIGION

Going from Japanese to British means more than getting your head around the gear pedal being on the right side; you may need to invest in a bit more workshop equipment as well.

SPANNERS

British bike bolts are not metric, so you need more spanners. Anything up to the late ’60s is imperial – BSF/ BSW (Whitworth). Post-1970 it’s mostly American Unified UNF/UNC (AF spanners) but there are crossover years with a bit of both. It doesn’t end there: drill bits, taps and dies, even bits of metal for making studs or bolts all need to be imperial (inch) sizes, but the good news is that imperial tools are cheap as chips at boot fairs. Worth checking in your dad’s shed, too...

SPECIAL TOOLS

Pullers and suchlike are worth getting because, compared with Japanese workshop tools, they’re cheap and, um, you’ll probably use them more often. They also usually fit several models; a Triumph clutch hub extractor, for example, will fit any Triumph twin from 350cc up to the 750 Bonneville as well as some BSAS, and costs around £15. There’s a huge range of Triumph tools available; some are more useful than others, so it’s best to buy what you need when you need it.

WORKSHOP STUFF

Be aware that stuff you take for granted buying from a motorcycle or DIY shop – nuts and bolts, tyres, or oils – may not be readily available locally. The internet has made things easier, but won’t help if you notice a vital nut missing as you’re about to ride away, so it’s worth building a stock of useful stuff. When my TR6 was my only transport, I kept enough to do a full engine rebuild; OK, I’ve still got most of it, but do get nuts, bolts, gaskets and everyday items.