Interest in disposable dipsticks?

[Mrjohnahawley]

I am thinking about mass producing a disposable dipstick made from tongue depressers. Would anybody here be interested in buying something like that? And if so, what would be a reasonable price/quantity? Just a thought I was kicking around. I got the plan for the XS dipstick here on the site, and chose to make mine out of a tongue depresser. I was thinking it would be neat to have a jar with a bunch in it. I know most of you have made yours out of a much more durable material and I eventually will myself. But that will stay in the bikes toolkit. The wooden ones trully are disposable though. You could grab a fresh one everytime if you wanted! Anyway, please let me know what you think. Thanks

[WMarshy]

I am thinking about mass producing a disposable dipstick made from tongue depressers. Would anybody here be interested in buying something like that? And if so, what would be a reasonable price/quantity? Just a thought I was kicking around. I got the plan for the XS dipstick here on the site, and chose to make mine out of a tongue depresser. I was thinking it would be neat to have a jar with a bunch in it. I know most of you have made yours out of a much more durable material and I eventually will myself. But that will stay in the bikes toolkit. The wooden ones trully are disposable though. You could grab a fresh one everytime if you wanted! Anyway, please let me know what you think. Thanks

Someone has already provided a template that can be printed from a printer on paper or card stock. Just need to print it off and cut them out... For what its worth, I wouldnt expect a whole lot of interest from people to pay for it when they can already get it for free. JMO but i could be wrong.

[James England]

It's a good idea in principle, IMO, but, as Marshy has said, free ones are available and the original Yamaha dipsticks which do middle and rear gearboxes, are still available new quite cheaply (although some people list them on eBay for totally daft prices, I see).

I've never had much luck with the paper printed ones though as the printer seems to reduce or increase the size slightly!

[fredintoon]

I am thinking about mass producing a disposable dipstick made from tongue depressors - - -

Hi John,
wooden ones? You'd need to make the crossbar a lot fatter so it wouldn't snap off through the end grain.
But no, I don't see many folks paying to get a jarful.
On an analogous subject, I made an engine oil dipstick from a 3" worm drive hose clamp straightened out and bent into a T-shape at the top
to avoid holding up a 600lb bike one handed while crouching to peer in that little window.

[jwhughes3]

Admit it Fred, you mounted the sidecar just to hold the bike upright to check the oil didn't you?

John

[fredintoon]

Admit it Fred, you mounted the sidecar just to hold the bike upright to check the oil didn't you?
John

Hi John,
well, that would have worked with a left-mounted sidecar but as my chair is on the right the only way I can see my bike's oil window is with a mirror on a stick.
And I used to carry one.
Then I dreamed up the T-bar dipstick.
Straighten out a big worm drive hose clamp, snip the worm and housing off and fold thru 90º then re-fold thru 180º to make a Tee end to stop the thing falling into the engine and to give a constant reading.
Initial calibration by draining, putting in the correct amount of oil and dropping the T-bar in to check the level.
4 notches up from the end is where it needed to be.

[Mrjohnahawley]

Yup that's pretty much what I was thinking. It is useful for me but not really worth anything. Thanks for the input. On a side note though, my tongue depressers are 11/16ths wide so it was already as wide as the template.