Must-Have Tools for Servicing Dirt Bikes and ATVs

Having the right tools is critical to maintaining, repairing, and upgrading your quad or dirt bike.

If you’re relatively new to riding, or looking to stock your garage with just your critical, must-have tools, hopefully this list will provide a little guidance.

For the most part, the tools you need to work on your ATV are the same tools you’ll need for a dirt bike. And vice versa.

There are a couple notable exceptions. If you’re a dirt bike rider, you will need a wheel truing and balancing stand. Dirt and street bike tires are balanced after mounting. You don’t have to worry about that with your quad.

The second thing is your work stand. ATV work stands and dirt bike work stands are not interchangeable and operate much differently. So shop accordingly.

And don’t forget your eye- and ear-protection equipment. Riding is way more fun when you can see and hear.

Otherwise, the following is a list of the basic tools you’ll want to have on-hand for servicing your ATV or dirt bike:

Tool list 

• Combination wrenches, metric (8-19 mm, 22mm, 24mm, 27mm, 30mm, and 32mm)
• Screwdrivers (Flat, 3mm and 10mm; Phillips, No. 2 and No. 3)
• Allen wrenches (2.5mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm)
• T-handles (8-17mm)
• Torque wrenches (foot-pounds and inch-pounds)
• 

  Craftsman breaker bar

  Breaker bar

• Open-ended wrench (13/16-inch)
• Impact driver (3/8-inch) – Air-powered, electric, or hand-powered
• Air compressor
• Compressed air nozzles
• Spoke wrench
• Rear-axle wrench
• Carb main-jet wrench
• Spark plug socket (13/16-inch)
• Propane torch
• Bench vise
• Bench grinder
• Air-pressure gauge
• Feeler gauge
  

  Motion Pro cable luber

• Cable-lubing tool
• Chain brush
• Chain clamp
• Chain breaker
• Hacksaw
• Plastic mallet
• Ball-peen hammer
• Digital calipers
• Measuring tape (metric)
• Drill index
• Flexible head ratchet
• Ratchet wrench (3/8-inch and ¼-inch)
• Drive extensions (3/8-inch and ¼ inch)
  

  Pit Posse digital calipers

• Six-point sockets, deep and shallow (8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, 19mm, 22mm, 24mm, 27mm, 30mm, and 32mm)
• Allen bits (2.5mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm)
• Wire brush
• Tweezers
• Awl
• Pick
• Needle-nose pliers
• Circlip pliers
• Blunt-nose pliers
• Locking pliers
  

  Channellock long nose pliers

• Safety wire pliers
• Flywheel puller
• Files (rat-tail, triangular, needle, thread, and flat fine)
• Magnet
• Punches (round – small- and large-diameter)
• Chisel (1/4-inch-wide, flat)
• Flashlight