> Dunno how badly they will be off, but a torque wrench is something that
> needs to be periodically recalibrated. And if you drop it from waist
> height, it'll need a recalibration then, too. Maybe I'm just anal about
> it, ut I work on airplanes, and I guess out torque setting really do
> need to be what it asks for in the tech data.
>
> Might wanna see about getting your torque wrences checked out folks...
>
My torque wrench was calibrated by Caltech physicists to be balls-on
accurate.

(Line from "My Cousin Vinnie.")
And don't forget, you want to reach the prescribed torque while you're
turning the wrench, so the click-type ones are probably easier to use
than the bar-pointer type. I recently bought a Craftsman click-type,
probably the size up from the Craftsman one Jim described (this one is
10-75 ft-lbs). A little light for the axles and swingarm, but good for
most other stuff. Haven't had the accuracy checked, though. That
Snap-On one probably has a better range for the bike, since it'll give
you a little more headroom on the big bolts. These kinds of torque
wrenches are most accurate away from the ends of the scale.
--
Dr. J. Christopher Krok Project Engineer, Adaptive Wall Wind Tunnel
Graduate Aeronautical Laboratories, California Institute of Technology
MS 205-45 Phone: 626.395.4794
Pasadena, CA 91125 Fax: 626.449.2677