For the touring types -- What tools do you carry?

[camardelle]

I've been at YouTube watching videos again and came across one where a guy was getting ready to take a trip and was showing what he was packing. Other than his miscellaneous stuff like zip ties, tire repair, and compressor, he managed to get his travel tools into one kit.


My question to you is what is in your travel tool kit? Be specific, and pics of how you carry it would be great! I'm no wrench so my travel tool kit is usually a cell phone, my AAA card, and an AMEX card. This would help me a lot and likely others here on the board as well.


So what ya' got?

 

[EricV]

There are some excellent threads on tool kits if you should choose to search for them.

A lot simply depends on what you are comfortable doing on the road. I carry tools to remove both wheels as well as tools to deal with random repairs on both my bike and my wife's GS. I end up helping others more often than fixing my bike.

A full size wrench for the rear axle nut and an 8mm allen wrench are very handy to remove the rear wheel. . Neither are in the standard tool kit. This can save you a lot of time if you need a tire on the road.

 

[Don in Lodi]

I think it's Moose Racing that sells a combo wrench with 27mm x 19mm. That's the only thing I'm missing, is that axle nut.
Wrenches, screw drivers, plyers, 19mm thingy for axle removal, test light, small multi meter, spare bulbs, compressor, flares, jumper cables, zip ties, Gorilla Tape, mushroom plugger (bulky but works), hmm, I know there's a couple more things in there... tools in a roll, all in a cordura bag in the bottom of my right Jesse, all the time.
Haven't tried Search, but Eric is right, tools have been gone over more than a few times. ::008::

 

[Juan]

I suppose the contents of a tool kit will depend on the type of touring. I don't normally go off road (though some paved roads can be bad) and therefore don't carry heavy tools (like those required to remove wheels). I carry an array of hex keys, standard spanners and a small shifting spanner, cable ties, tyre repair kit and a small compressor, some rope - I think that's it.

 

[camardelle]

All valdi input guys. My searches didn't really turn up anything specific but I'm not very good at that. I don't go off road at all if I can help it so I'm mainly concerned with street type usage. Thanks for all the information, and ride safe.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Search results:
http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=9322.msg169399#msg169399
http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=7458.msg126325#msg126325


Tools sticky:
http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=13026.0

 

[Pterodactyl]

Carry every tool you can fit on the bike. You never know... someone may come along that knows how to use them.

 

[camardelle]

Tools sticky:
http://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?topic=13026.0

LMTO! I never got past the sub forums listing. Next time I'll scroll down more. It's tough getting caught up on several years of info. The simplest stuff went right past me. Thanks a bunch!

 

[EricV]

While I do carry a full size 27mm combo wrench, I also carry two Motion Pro T-6 levers in 27mm and the 10/12mm. I have swapped a tire with these in a hotel parking lot on a Sunday, though longer levers make that job a lot easier, (not my bike). The full size 27mm combo wrench makes it a snap to remove the rear axle nut and fits in the bottom of the pannier just fine. The link price is only $17.99, which is not bad. Add a Motion Pro or other brand front axle tool that has the stepped sizes and you've got both ends covered, as long as you have the 8mm allen and a 12mm for the brake caliper bolts. The little 12mm in the oem tool kit is sub-optimal, but might work in a pinch.

It has been my experience that not every moto shop will step up when someone is on the road and in a bind. I have found it a lot easier to get them to mount and balance a tire if I have the wheel off the bike. (Not to mention, cheaper!!) That is why I carry the tools to remove the wheels, not for any perceived off road repairs. The long combo wrench gives you more leverage, though it can be done with the Motion Pro T-6 tool, which is rated for 90 ft/lbs. I find I need to use the double wrench method to get enough leverage with the short Motion Pro tool, hooking a second wrench over the end of the first to get more leverage. (note that the 10/12mm wrench is too small for that use)

I have pulled my own wheel for a wheel repair on a weekend trip to Death Valley and I've pulled both wheels when I was in PA for the IBR and the shop was slammed, even though I had an appointment, it was just easier/quicker and less concern for issues if I pulled the wheels. No big deal. I have a home made prop so that both wheels can be off with the bike on the center stand. Just a cheesy piece of scrap metal that I cut to length and bent a bit to balance the bike w/o the wheels on.

In the vein of having the tools even if you don't know how to use them, my wife once refused to take the tools to adjust her chain when leaving on a 12k mile solo trip. Her adamant reasoning was because she wasn't strong enough to break the axle nut loose. Yes, that bit her big time when she couldn't adjust her chain and she got lucky, after a great deal of stress over multiple days, that a stranger had the tools and helped her out. Otherwise she would have been stuck for days at a NJ turnpike oasis waiting on Tuesday when bike shops opened. Needless to say, she carries the tools now. It would have been simple if she had the tools to get someone to break the nut loose for her, she can do the rest.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Carry every tool you can fit on the bike. You never know... someone may come along that knows how to use them.

LOL -


When I was a young and new at my job, I'd climb mountains with every tool you could possibly use to rebuild an airplane, plus bio gear, water, food, etc. With 70 pound packs in Alaskan bear country, climbing small mountains like my friend below just sucks.

It didn't take too long to learn how little you need and what I carry now is missing everything below his shoulders.


Bike tools are kinda the same for me. In the bad old days, I carried tons of stuff that never got used. I now replace the stock OEM tools with usable replacements for the common fastener sizes and to pull either wheel, tire irons on trips, a plug kit and air pump for commuting into DC, and a few odds & ends. Beyond those, I have a credit card.

 

[OldRider]

my wife once refused to take the tools to adjust her chain when leaving on a 12k mile solo trip. Her adamant reasoning was because she wasn't strong enough to break the axle nut loose.

Should have made her a three foot long cheater bar that came apart in three one foot sections and made a place on the bike to mount it all to the bike.

 

[EricV]

Certainly good points CW.

Something to remember is where you travel or plan to travel too. Out in the west, a CC and cell phone won't do much for you in many places. I don't care to rely upon the kindness of strangers or the luck that someone will come along on that deserted road in the middle of nowhere. OTOH, I almost never break down either and haven't had a problem I couldn't fix in 20+ years except when I lost the front wheel bearings on Wolf Creek Pass in CO. Still limped it down the mountain into Pagosa Springs where there was a Yamaha dealer. Most of the problems we have on the road are things we caused for ourselves or catastrophic issues beyond our control, (tires excluded).

 

[EricV]

Should have made her a three foot long cheater bar that came apart in three one foot sections and made a place on the bike to mount it all to the bike.

You're not married, are you?

I gave my opinion, she refused to take the tools. After that, the only thing that will change her mind is experience. She's getting better about learning to just listen to what I suggest, but its a life long process.

 

[bnschroder]

I see all this talk about removing the tires. How about tire repair kits to plug a flat and then pump it? Is nobody using these? It seems much easier, though on a long trip these plugs may not be the permanent solution.

 

[Don in Lodi]

That's why I said it was bulky, but it works.

 

[EricV]

I see all this talk about removing the tires. How about tire repair kits to plug a flat and then pump it? Is nobody using these? It seems much easier, though on a long trip these plugs may not be the permanent solution.

Removing the wheel is for a tire replacement, not for repair. The common sticky string type of repair is a permanent repair, it vulcanizes to the tire and if done correctly, never needs to be re-done and will last the life of the tire. It takes me about 10 minutes from stop to start to plug a tire and air it back up with the compressor I carry.

While I won't say Stop-n-Go plugs don't have a place, they are only a temporary repair to get you to somewhere that can do a permanent repair or replace the tire, depending on the damage.

There are plenty of tire repair threads, I viewed this as a tool thread.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I see all this talk about removing the tires. How about tire repair kits to plug a flat and then pump it? Is nobody using these? It seems much easier, though on a long trip these plugs may not be the permanent solution.

As mentioned, I have " plug kit and air pump for commuting into DC" The plug kit is just sticky string and tools. I added a SAE plug to both run the compressor and battery tender. The compressor has been most used for other people's bikes, though.

 

[Don in Lodi]

I think I'll get me one of the versions of the Dyna Plugger to replace my Stop & Go.

 

[iClint]

Removing the wheel is for a tire replacement, not for repair. The common sticky string type of repair is a permanent repair, it vulcanizes to the tire and if done correctly, never needs to be re-done and will last the life of the tire. It takes me about 10 minutes from stop to start to plug a tire and air it back up with the compressor I carry.

While I won't say Stop-n-Go plugs don't have a place, they are only a temporary repair to get you to somewhere that can do a permanent repair or replace the tire, depending on the damage.

There are plenty of tire repair threads, I viewed this as a tool thread.

I beg to differ.

I not only use Stop'n go plugs on the bikes but on my small fleet of cars in my business, I've never had one of the plugs let go or need further repair. the process is very simple and clean without the mess of sticky string, and requires very little strength to insert the plugs.

on the other hand before I discovered the stop'n go plugs, I used sticky string, which would often have slow leaks and need additional repair (usually removing tyre and patching from the inside) at cost. the process was messy and difficult in comparison.

a short story my father was once patching the tyre of a bobcat and while exerting the tremendous force need to insert the sticky string plug the need slipped and he pushed the needle through the the webbing between the thumb and index finger.

 

[EricV]

@iClint - The stop-n-go plug is just a mushroom shaped piece of rubber. It does not vulcanize to the tire's rubber, it's just a filler. I have seen numerous cases were the steel belt of the tire cut the rubber plug over time and it failed with a rapid deflation as a result. I do feel this is less likely/common on an auto tire, but it is common on moto tires, perhaps in part due to the different dynamics of the tire use. I would never consider something just stuffed in a hole to be a permanent repair.

In regards to the sticky string, the correct process of repair involves reaming the hole to both clean it and size it so that the insertion tool can be used to insert the sticky string. And while many different kits are sold, some w/o a reaming tool, many with only strait screwdriver type handles, it's a heck of a lot easier to do the process with T handled tools, which are also sold. Rubber cement is also part of the process, when done correctly. It can be omitted if a hole is extremely simple and clean, but it helps as a lubricant when installing the sticky string as well as to seal tiny imperfections in the hole that could cause slow leaks. Yes, there is some initial effort to insert the tool. It's easier if the tire has some pressure in it. Never try and insert the tool in a flat or nearly flat tire, add some air first. If the process is requiring tremendous pressure, something is being done wrong or a step has been skipped, like reaming the hole.

How many miles do you average a year on your motorcycle? I ask, because I find it difficult to believe you haven't experienced a Stop-n-Go failure if you are leaving them in for the life of the tire.