It's a Phillips Screw...Right?

Actually, no, you will not find a Phillips screw head on any screw on your Japanese bike...and increasingly, on any product made in the far east, including in China. The cross point screw heads in Asian machines are cut to a different standard. It is known as JIS which stands for Japanese Industrial Standard. They come in multiple sizes. Mostly you will see JIS #2 (a medium size screw head) but you may also see JIS #1 (small) and JIS #3 (large). 

Why does this matter? Because if you try to un-stick a tight JIS screw with a Phillips screwdriver, you will probably strip the head and cause yourself all sorts of headaches. If you use a JIS screwdriver, it will come out with no drama.  In fact, you can use the JIS screwdriver on a Phillips screw without any problems too. Truth be told, they actually work better on Phillips screws than a Phillips screwdriver. 

The moral to the story? Throw out all your old Phillips drivers, get yourself a set of JIS drivers, and live happily ever after. 

Now, if you are a tool nerd like me and want to know more, here's a great article on the subject!

https://daitool.com/blogs/news/phillips-head-vs-jis-screwdriver-japanese-industrial-standard-screwdrivers
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Or, see the PDF version below...
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phillips-vs-jis.pdf
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