Father's Day Gifts Buyer's Guide - $25-$50

Well, we don’t know what your relationship with your dad is like, but if it’s anything like mine (was), there’s a fair bit of, ah, good-natured ribbing with inflammatory subtext. The Reduced Effort Clutch for ’99 to ’05 Twin Cam Harleys includes a new clutch spring and inner/outer ramps that significantly reduce clutch lever effort, just like the original-equipment one in ’06 and later Twin Cams. Best to just imply your old man’s losing his grip. Yours for a mere $49.95 at your H-D dealer.

Harley-Davidson.com/

S100 Total Cycle Cleaner is excellent stuff for low-effort motorcycle cleaning; it gets into those impossible-to-reach nooks/ crannies and dissolves the dirt like few other products, which you can then blast away with yon hose. The Detailing Kit looks the business and is just the thing for really anal-retentive dads. For normal ones, a big bottle of the original S100 cleaner (in the white bottle) will be just as appreciated (since most dads already have a stash of nearly-dead sprays and waxes and sponges), for substantially less money. Around $50.

S100.com

Aerostich Trekking Plus Compression Sock #477

I have never used tools like these, but they look dreamy don’t they? These are alloy steel with a chrome finish. The ratchet ends supposedly lock into all sorts of different positions to get into tight spots. Even if they turn out to be completely useless, it’s hard to believe you can get six of them, standard or metric, for about $49. They look good for hurling across the garage in disgust if nothing else.

Craftsman.com

Craftsman says the 72-tooth Mach Series 3/8-Inch Drive Ratchet is built for speed, and can turn sockets 16 times more efficiently than a regular ratchet. It combines the speed of a push-twisting screwdriver, a ratcheting screwdriver, and the higher torque and access of a ratchet in one tool. If it works half as cool as it looks, it’s worth every penny (It was an online Hot Buy! this morning, $23.74). And even if it doesn’t, it looks like a fun thing to play with. $23.74

Craftsman.com

Ram’s spring-loaded X-Grip holder is a simple, elegant way to hold onto cell phones from 1.875 to 3.25 inches wide. The strap on the base model pictured can be cut to fit tubing, square rails and irregular shapes from 0.5 to 2.58-in in diameter. Multiple adjustment points allow you to move the universal X-Grip holder to the optimum viewing position, with a mount that rotates 180 degrees. It’s up to you to ’splain to your dad that his phone has a built-in GPS, and what it’s for.

Oil is such a personal thing among gearheads, you’ll need to be careful here so as not to start a Father’s Day border war. (We even argued about what brand of oil to include as the photo in this article.) If you know what brand your dad likes, you’re good to go. If not, a little subtle questioning should uncover the info you need to give him a gift that shows you really care. And depending on the brand, you might be able to include a new oil filter as well – which proves you care. A nice beverage to accompany the ritual oil change is likely to bring a tear to the eye of the crustiest father.