Yamaha OEM spoke wrench sizes...

[Don T]

A quick question.

I have some spoke wrenches from old OEM Yamaha tool kits.
They are named 8, 9 and 10 - the higher the number, the smaller the wrench.
Does any of you know what that corresponds to in mm (and why Yamaha are using these numbers instead of just mm or inch)?
Size 9 seems to be very close to 5.8 mm.

I've spend time on Google without getting any wiser...

Please enlighten me.

This is the wrenches in question:

 

[~TABASCO~]

You're going to be much more successful and easy on yourself if you come in on the back side of the nipple with the correct allen wrench. You can get way more torque on the nipple / spoke and MUCH less chance to round off the top of the nipple.

I would also suggest adding boiled Linseed oil or something like PB Blaster on each spoke before you working any spokes... Let them soak for 24 hours. You will be much happier with your results.

My suggestion is not to spend any time with any little wrenches. They will round off thee nipple and you wont get far. If you dont lube these up before hand they are probably 'partly or fully' seized and it would be a total pain.

With adding the lube, waiting, and coming in on the back, you will have no issues, and you can check and adjust properly and quickly.

If you have any questions, let us know.

 

[jrusell]

A quick question.

I have some spoke wrenches from old OEM Yamaha tool kits.
They are named 8, 9 and 10 - the higher the number, the smaller the wrench.
Does any of you know what that corresponds to in mm (and why Yamaha are using these numbers instead of just mm or inch)?
Size 9 seems to be very close to 5.8 mm.

I've spend time on Google without getting any wiser...

Please enlighten me.

This is the wrenches in question:
View attachment 99429

The diameter of the your spoke(not the nipple) is referred to as gauge size.
My understanding is the number on the wrench corresponds to the gauge of the spoke the nipple is installed on.

There are some charts our there to give you the different spoke measurements.

The bigger issue is not all manufacturers use the same size nipple on all the same size spoke. There are some standard nipple sizes but Yamaha may not use the same nipple size on a 9 gauge spoke as Honda for example.
It can be confusing, and don't ask me why they do it this way.

The good thing is you don't need to use these wrenches on the S10. Do as Tabasco suggested and use Allen key on the end of the nipple to adjust . It's much easier than using spoke wrench.

 

[Don T]

My question only concerns the sizing of the mentioned wrenches.

I'm well versed in tightening/adjusting the spokes - especially on the S10.

I stumbled across the wrenches when I was setting up a tool kit for my CRF300 Rally, that I'm taking around the world son, and the odd sizing made me wonder - especially because higher number equal smaller size.

Comparing with a gauge chart, the sizing still doesn't add up. As mentioned earlier size 9 is just around 5.8 mm.

 

[Don T]

Additional info:

The wrenches is from the tool kit of one of my earlier bikes - either a 2008 WR 250R, a 1995 XTZ 750 or a 1994 XT 600 Z...

 

[Don T]

The diameter of the your spoke(not the nipple) is referred to as gauge size.
My understanding is the number on the wrench corresponds to the gauge of the spoke the nipple is installed on.

There are some charts our there to give you the different spoke measurements.

The bigger issue is not all manufacturers use the same size nipple on all the same size spoke. There are some standard nipple sizes but Yamaha may not use the same nipple size on a 9 gauge spoke as Honda for example.
It can be confusing, and don't ask me why they do it this way.

The good thing is you don't need to use these wrenches on the S10. Do as Tabasco suggested and use Allen key on the end of the nipple to adjust . It's much easier than using spoke wrench.

Reread your post and now understand what you wrote about the relation between spoke and nipple sizes (was in too much of a hurry the first time I read it).
Thank you.

Does anyone know if Yamaha always use the same nipple size for a specific spoke size (gauge) and what that nipple size is in mm?