Toolkit ?

[MightyClown]

 
Toolkit - the standard one is a joke.  What do you really need in case of a problem ???
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With a little bit of touring undertaken this year it got me thinking about what tools I should carry on the bike.   I've googled the subject and a lot of the reading was for the adventure bike heroes on their BMW GS going round the world.  With some people recommending taking my own lathe to allow me to fabricate a new bike I thought I could come up with my own list.
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Getting a little more scientific on this …looking at the RAC website, the top two reasons they get called out are for a flat battery and a flat tyre.  Out of interest here's the top reasons (for cars):
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 Fault                                                        No of breakdowns
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Punctured tyre                                            194,549
 Jumpstart (flat battery)                                177,916
 Dead battery (replacement required)           130,575
 Road Traffic Accident                                 90,263
 Engine fault                                                 67,881
 No fault found (driver error)                        64,773
 Alternator fault                                             58,887
 Starter Motor fault                                       57,380
 Clutch – Assembly                                       51,969
 Interior lights left on (flat battery)                   48,681
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Total        942,874

 The other big reason for a breakdown was also running our of fuel, also putting diesel in a petrol car.   I'd hope us bikers don;t suffer from the latter but the former is very applicable as we have relatively small tank ranges, so running out of fuel would likely be a key reason for a breakdown.
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 Put this into perspective: puncture, flat battery and dead battery take up 53% of the breakdowns.  (503,040 / 942,874 = 53%) I'm going to be cynical here and assume that RAC swap “dead” batteries when really they just need a charge,  beside were looking at getting home here – not basic servicing of the bike. 
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I thought about this and how to be realistic about repairing things on the road, and at what stage are you just carrying stuff for the sake of it and the chances of using the spare is so small it's not worth taking the items.
 
I looked at the types of jobs I’d realistically need to do and also what kind of pickle I could get myself out of, for example some of the adventure guys talked about taking locking pliers as they could be used as an emergency brake/clutch lever replacement.  But even to travel 1 mile down a road I wouldn't be happy using a set of locking pliers holding onto the stub of a broken lever.  Once you start thinking about repairing broken radiators, straightening forks and other major items I really thought these adventure bike lists were beyond the needs of a road rider.
 
My toolkit is in the photo below
 
<< insert photo of tools on workbench >>

All of this fits *easily* in the under seat area and makes a nice setup.  I'll take a photo of how it's stored tomorrow so people can see how it all fits together.

To save space you want to use screwdriver bits and hex bits.  That way you can have a good set of bits that take up a small amount of space.  Remember a bit holder though !   I went over the bike and looked at amny of the bolts / nuts to see what sizes I needed to be able to adjust many items on the bike.  i.e. How would you lift the tank, how would you remove the battery, how would you access the lights, how would you adjust the chain …
 
You'll find that a range of scewdriver bits and some sockets gets you a long way... I've listed below the main items I have but a few call out items are:
 
Long zip ties – around 30 / 40cm long. These slip down the side of the rear fairing and would come in v. useful to attach something to the bike, like a broken side panel should you have dropped the bike.
 
Another point is – when looking at puncture repair kits, make sure you pliers to pull out the nail /item that casued the puncture.  Some repair kits don't come with these.
 
Anyway, have a look through the list – it might be a useful starting point for those going on a big trip in the future.
 
Motorcycle Toolkit – my original thoughts, then the reality / cost kicked in.
 
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The purpose is to have enough to "get me home" should an problem happen.  A roadside get me home, not a full repair.  Want to use quality items as they would also be used for general servicing of the bike. 

• Wera Zyklop ratchet (or similar - has large head, may not be great as screwdriver),

• • ** Zyklop is expensive and a simple 1/4” or 3/8” ratchet would do.
     

1.  Fuses - check range used - are they all small blade items.
   Fuzeblock
      Heater Grips - 5A
      Heated Jacket - 7.5A
      Fuze block - 20A
      LED Handguard - 2 A
      Spare 1
      Spare 2
      Spare 3
   
   Fuse Box
      Turn - 10A
      Backup - 10A
      SIGNAL - 20A
      Ignition - 20A
      Fan - 10A
      Head - 20A
      Spare 1 - 10A
      Spare 2 - 20A
   
   Master - 2 x 30A
   Horn - 20A (standard sized blade fuse)
   Alarm - 15A (mini blade)
2.  hex bolt adaptors
   3, 4, 5, 6mm hex sockets
4.  sockets - (all 1/4")
   6, 8, 10, 12mm sockets
   Bit holder
   50mm extension bar
   75 mm extension bar
5.  range of flat, cross screwdriver tips
   posi drive
   flat
   phillips
7.  2 x set of rubber mechanic gloves – stop your hands getting too filthy.
8.  Zip Ties (assorted)
9.  Puncture  Repair Kit tiptop tyre repair £19.99 nippy norman, Ride recommend Stop & Go Pocket Tyre Plugger £24.99 from mandp
11. adjuster spanner – Bahco 150mm adjustable
12. swisstool -
   needle pliers,
   wire cutter
   knife
13. tyre pressure stick
14. electrical tape - small roll
15. Spanners
   12mm, 13mm - need two to adjust chain as i need to hold for locknut
   13mm needed as i broke chain adjust - can i make both sides 13mm ?
16. Bike jump start cables - some 10 AWG cable can be made up with clips each side.
17. micro usb charger - to charge phone and either get me out of a lost location /issue
18. Head Torch  - how would I do something g without daylight ?
21. plastic bags - they can keep some small parts in, also i can use as a fluid funnel with cable ties to allow me to connect to pipe etc
22. Rokstrap / bungee cord - allows me to strap something to bike
23. C Spanner for rear shock preload
24. Extender bar to allow me to get more leverage on the sockets - i.e. rear wheel removal
   get metal tube from B&Q - copper pipe - anything, i can cut to size and bend ends if needed.

Ride Magazine had a list and they mentioned, seems quite sensible.  If you are going to do big miles over a few days then the visor cleaner is a really good idea.
 
26:  Cash - £40 would give me a tank of petrol, but everyone takes a VISA ?
27:  Visor Cleaner - perhaps some simple wipes to let me clean the visor (Muc-Off Optix Kit £9.99, Oxford Visor Mate £7.50, V2 Sponge £6.64
28:  Visor Rain Treatment - beads off water from visor.  Raincoat Treatment £7.15, Nikwax Visor Proof £5
29:  Spare Earplugs (in a case)
30:  Air pump - either to run off battery,  or a simple hand pump to inflate the tyre.  Slow but less space than C02 cartridges, so may save space.
31:  Ibuprofen / Paracetemol - would be useful for headaches etc.
32:  Torch - the old headtorch would be ideal to help with a repair in the dark, or just to see in bike nooks and corners
33:  Latex gloves - allow me to repair a tyre or other items and not get covered in dirt
34:  Cable ties - range of sizes - very useful to allow some bodge of a repair
35:  Tape - either Electrical tape,  Speed tape - pressure sensitive aluminium tape, Gaffer tape
36:  Baby wipes or hand wipes - handy for cleaning up
37:  Disc Lock - allow bike to be locked in some manner
38:  Photocopy of documents - can be attached to underseat
39:  Laminate the type pressures or other important info about the bike
40:  Sidestand puck - to allow bike to be parked on a soft surface or tarmac on a hot day
41:  Bungee, straps, cargo net -
42:  Mobile phone charger - Something that gives me a USB socket output and i can then carry the USB to micro USB cable.  Perhaps wire something in permanently via the FuzeBlock.  PistonHeads listed a simple cigarette socket USB adaptor - that would also be useful for the car as well. It was only £10 or so.
43:  Mini socket set (1/4 inch drive), Teng Tools make a good one.  But why could i not use my Teng Tools item ? With a small pipe extender bar it would be very useful for most jobs.   My 3/8 inch drive will allow sockets and also allen keys and screwdriver heads to be used
 

[devilsyam]

your missing 3ft hose to syphon fuel

[MightyClown]

Good point there,  haha.  But i watch the mileage so don't feel that's an issue.  Also you'd need a vessel to take the fuel from.  Most cars would have an anti-syphon device so where would you get the fuel from ? 


Really though - i though this might be useful for someone thinking about what they might carry, and what is reasonable.  I use the bike all year round and in all weathers so i was trying to approach this from a practical viewpoint. 


Of course you could just carry a VISA card and all your worries can be sorted.

[devilsyam]

yes true but i recall stopping on the motorway because a guy on a bike was waving he wanted a lift as was out of petrol so just drained some from mine sorted

[Andy FZS]

I carry a few tools because I would be annoyed if I was stranded for the sake of a tywrap or bit of tape

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