What size torque wrench for a scooter?

[Stig / Major Tom]

Which torque wrench should I buy for working on a scooter?
3/8ths drive 10>80 foot pounds , or
1/2 inchdrive 10>150 foot pounds

The info says the 3/8ths would be good for motorcycles, etc.
Both of these will probably be too big for things like spark plugs, etc. Yes?
Thanks, Stig

[paper]

I seldom need a 1/2" unless working on a crank or such..

My recommendation is to go get a 3/8" and a 1/4" from Harbor Freight.. Clicker types will be within 3% accuracy, which is as good as you're going to find with wrenches from expensive companies.  I've professionally checked several and found them to be very, very accurate and repeatable. Oh, and they're often found on sale for $10-15..

[MN_Scoot]

I went with a 3/8" and it's suited me just fine for both my scoot and motorcycle. I've used it to torque my cycle's wheel axle which I believe is the highest torque value on the bike and it still had room. I think the 1/2" would be a bit overkill unless you plan on working with a truck or something later on.

The plug on my Agility wanted around 12 newtons which I feel is well within the accuracy range on my 3/8" wrench.

Here's a useful site to covert from Kymco manuals' kilogram force units to whatever your torque wrench uses: http://www.translatorscafe.com/cafe/EN/units-converter/force/22-1/kilogram-force-newton/

[245luigi]

3/8 never had a problem except for the engine hangar bolts

[mrbios]

Go with 3/8" as suggested.  BUT NEVER confuse inch pounds with foot pounds (or their metric equivalents).  For example, if the amount is 14 inch pounds and you apply 14 ft/lbs that is like 12x too much force! 

[ophelia]

It depends on the type of job you do on a scooter. For big stuff like wheels, I use the 1/2" drive. I suggest getting 3/8" first and grabbing 1/2" when you start doing bigger jobs.

I also prefer to use 1/4" drive socket sets in general for light jobs and smaller fasteners on the scooter. The sockets are also more compact and easier to fit into tight spaces. They're possibly more forgiving if you run into gnarly threads too. I like to clean out all suspect threads and use a little oil as well.

[mrbios]

the surgeon is the robot really nailed it.  the downside is that it involves buying up to three torque wrenches I think if I had to choose one I would go with 1/4" as the scooter has a number of very small and delicate partswith larger parts that involve 3/8ths or half inch like the axle nut I think you could be safe just guessing on the tightness.