Torque wrenches

OK maybe this is a dumb question but how are you guys torquing down your various bolts. My standard torque wrench doesn't fit into half of the spots to get near the bolts eg the cylinder base bolts

I had a guy once tell me that he uses a 6 inch wrnech and a fish scale but wondering if there are any other solutions out there.

Thanks

B-Stone

Usually a calibrated elbow is a requirement :lol:

I'm with Gavin on this. If you haven't mastered the art of elbow feel, set up some bolts in a vice and practise with a short arm torque wrench similar in length to the Whitworth spanners you need on the head and barrel. Remember you'll need to do this 3 times once you've got it bolted down - first fit cold, after 2 minute warm up (when cold) and after a 10 mile run (when cold). Some guys will do it a 4th time after a 100 miles or more just as a precaution.

Mick

I believe the way to do this is with an open ended or ring spanner that fits the bolt or nut in question, fit your torque wrench at 90 degrees to the spanner holding the nut you need to torque. You may need to make something up to accept the torque wrench end. An old socket welded to the unused end of the spanner works well. The socket accepts the torque wrench end.
The torque wrench must be at 90 degrees to the spanner though or it won't be accurate.

It's pretty hard to torque everything on a Norton, crows foots and calcualtions go only so far. For me a big help has been to use a tool that I can apply about the right force on. A lot of small bolts I do with a quarter inch drive, I tend to cut off wrenchs for special applications so they work well for me.
I hadn't broken a bolt in years doing this stuff until last year I was torqueing a BMW head bolt with a bloody torque wrench and it let go before spec. Not a death in the family, I was able to repair it with a thread kit, but it did make me more apt to be careful with a big clicker wrench.
If you feel carefully you can often find the point where a bolt stretches.
Some of these guys do this a lot and are not just a hobbiest like I am, I bet they have a lot of special tools they have set up to work for them.
When I worked on Nortons they were new bikes and I was young, so I'll be quite interested in some answers from the regualrs here.
I'm afraid I've forgotten most of what I learned back then although these discussions bring much back. When I was a mechanic I worked mostly on large commercial engines and transmissions, and although a technique works on similar items nothing beats working with equipment regularly.