Tool kit for road trips

[fudgie]

What do you bring for road trips in way of sockets/wrenches? By road trips I mean outta State and sometimes in the middle of no where. I use to grab all my sockets & wrenches and put it in the saddle bag. Kinda a hassle. Wondering what you all do, buy a small cheap set?

[mikeb]

small air compressor and plug kit for tires, spare headlamps, fuses,  a small nut&bolt kit, a bit of rubber hose , an vom meter a 99 piece tool kit , a chunk of rope wire ties and ele tape ,, but i am sure its over kill.. i end up helping others  but thats way we are here!!

[Sodbuster]

Here's a list I use when heading for the Rockies .... everything fits into a small vinyl bag. Pretty basic

sizes: 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 17mm, & 19mm

__fuses / spare bulbs / electrical tape
__continuity tester
__tire plugs / pump
__wrenches / box / allen
__ratchet / sockets / extension
__phillips screwdrvr.
__zip ties
__pliers
__knife

[fudgie]

I got all the little spare parts and stuff but was wondering about sockets/wrenches.

[Sodbuster]

Seven combination wrenches (8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 17mm, & 19mm)
Seven sockets (8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 13mm, 14mm, 17mm, & 19mm)
Two different size allen drive
One ratchet, one 4" extension

All 3/8" drive

And .... one cell phone 

[sandy]

A cell phone and towing insurance is a good idea. Bring what you know how to use and repair parts as mentioned in the previous posts. I've been cross country 5 times and the old girl never let me down. I had a nut cage rub a tire and had to break it out on the side of the road. The only problem so far.

[Red Diamond]

A cell phone and towing insurance is a good idea. Bring what you know how to use and repair parts as mentioned in the previous posts. I've been cross country 5 times and the old girl never let me down. I had a nut cage rub a tire and had to break it out on the side of the road. The only problem so far.

A cell  phone is the best tool I know of, along with the insurance mentioned. You can bring all the tool you want, but in the middle of nowhere they are useless. Make sure your bike is mechanically ready for a long trip, put on new tires if you think they are needed. I like to start a long and sometimes hot trip with new tires. If you must leave home with your bike loaded with tools, jack, spare tire and spare parts, you don't trust your Valkyrie and should stay home. A lot of the Valkyrie riders on this board travel thousands of miles on two tires and only spare clothes. Be optimistic, pack your clothes and enjoy the journey. JMHO

[Valkflyer]

One addition you might consider, Irwin "Vice Grip" Needle nose 6.5 inch with quick release lever.  Its pretty versatile.  One might find this hard to believe but I actually used it, along with some electrical tape for added lateral support, as an extension after snapping off nearly all of my clutch lever following a spill a few years ago.  I was only 100 miles from home but it got me there without issue

[Sodbuster]

I don't think it's a matter of not trusting your ride that you bring a few wrenches with as much as it is peace of mind. Kinda like rain gear .... if you don't pack it .... you're prolly gonna get wet. 

[Bone]

I carry the basic tool kit with a VOM, vice grips and a crescent wrench. If you have the tools to fix a part it won't break.
Last year I traveled cross country and back feeling safe having my Sprint cell phone. Well crossing Texas I noticed I didn't have a signal. Asking about that in a rest area the guy laughed and said those things won't work out here , same thing in New Mexico.
I did help 2 people having trouble with their pick-up.

[chip]

I guess I travel a little on the heavy side. I should know that my I/S is not like any of my old AMF products were. Old habits are hard to break. In a tool roll from Duluth Trading Co. I carry the combo wrench set 8mm through 19mm ,a 12in crescent. A screw driver with multiple tips. Needle nose with area on the jaw for cutting wire. A socket set again 8 through 19 including a 4 inch extension. A folding Metric allen set. In a small Craftsmen bag I carry a home made small set of jumper cables that can also be used in trouble shooting . Extra fuses.  A small bit of electric tape. A few wire ties of assorted sizes. The small air compressor sold by Slime that is very compact and has at least 4 different power supplies with it. And of course the Plug in go tire repair kit.A digital pressure gauge. And I think I have used that repair kit and compressor on every vehicle I own and several of my friends bikes, but not  my Valk.  Oh ya a head mounted light ,frees up your hands when making repairs or setting up camp. Probably over kill. I try to use just the tools from my roll when I do repairs or maint. at home. So I know what else I may need on the road. I am sure I have forgotten some of whats in the kit,don't have to open it often

[Ricky-D]

I bring a tire plug setup and that co2 air fill up thingy.

That's all.

I've been on many 5k rides and 10k rides and one 15k ride and never had a problem. Of course my ride is still stock with a trigger wheel the only modification.

It's the aftermarket crap that makes your ride so unreliable. You do it to yourself!

So now you have to carry pounds of tools and useless junk hoping you can make it back home.

Laughable!

***

[Sodbuster]

Seriously, a few wrenches and sockets doesn't amount to that much weight. As an added bonus you might even help out a fellow biker (good lookin' biker babe ) and maybe even score on a free beer for your efforts  

[Farther]

Factory tool kit, complete tire plug kit with CO2, CruzTool mini-metric socket set, spare bulbs, cell phone and credit card.

[Red Diamond]

I bring a tire plug setup and that co2 air fill up thingy.

That's all.

I've been on many 5k rides and 10k rides and one 15k ride and never had a problem. Of course my ride is still stock with a trigger wheel the only modification. It's the aftermarket crap that makes your ride so unreliable. You do it to yourself!

So now you have to carry pounds of tools and useless junk hoping you can make it back home.

Laughable!

***

I agree with you Rick, Except For One Thing. Your ride is not stock buddy, (trigger wheel) My bike is stock, No Modifications. Ride Safely

[bigdog99]

small set of metric allens, a few wrenches, both types of screw drivers (1 each) a spare set of spark plugs, a few wire ties, a can of "fix a flat"  saying all that i have had the same stuff in there for 7 years and havent used any of it.!!

[Rocketman]

small set of metric allens, a few wrenches, both types of screw drivers (1 each) a spare set of spark plugs, a few wire ties, a can of "fix a flat"  saying all that i have had the same stuff in there for 7 years and havent used any of it.!!

That's the goal, isn't it?  Carry everything you could possibly need, and then never need any of it!  That's my definition of a good trip.

[Garland]

I bring a tire plug setup and that co2 air fill up thingy.

That's all.

I've been on many 5k rides and 10k rides and one 15k ride and never had a problem. Of course my ride is still stock with a trigger wheel the only modification.

It's the aftermarket crap that makes your ride so unreliable. You do it to yourself!

So now you have to carry pounds of tools and useless junk hoping you can make it back home.

Laughable!

***

Well, I agree that the aftermarket stuff can impact overall reliability. But I, for one, have learned most of what I know about my bike because of many modifications (and some mistakes) I have made. Plus, where is the fun in just regular scheduled maintenance?

[John U.]

It's been my experience that with the occasional exception of the Dyna 3000, the biggest factor negatively influencing reliability of a Valkyrie is ethanol.

[RoadKill]

If I am going far I take as much of the garage as I can fit in the bags! I have NEVER needed any of it and I ride one of the most abused Valk's out there. But the wife rides a Harley and I may be able to help some poor stranded motorist. I recommend towing insurance for every one. A complete set of 1/4 and 3/8 sockets and standard/metric wrench set in a roll bag fills half of 1 tourer bag. Zip ties,fuses,extra bailing wire and fuses/electrical wire fits in a small zip lock bag. Quart of oil and misc. pliers/vise grips too. 12v air compressor and tire plug kit.  Rain gear and jumper cables always,cell phone is a given any more. Last trip, we over looked valve stems and C-clamps to break the tire down.Wont do that again  Clothes and every thing else fit in the soft luggage that will be carried in to the hotel or tent with us. My Valk is every thing except the tow truck!

I figure I'd rather have it and not need it but it never fails...when I'm on the road SOMEONE WILL ! !

[Gunslinger]

I recommend towing insurance for every one.

I call B.S. Dale!
You're too cheap to carry AAA, you always use mine!

[PhredValk]

I'm still building my long range kit as well; riding from Alberta to Toronto this summer (and back, supposedly). I already have the 5 most important items; stock toolkit, electric test and connector kit, compressor, cell phone and the bike on my AMA platinum plan. Oh, and the GWRRA Gold Book.
Looking for ratcheting wrench set and need to put together a small socket kit. Will get the tire repair kit, small fuel containers and Riveco Center Stand.
With only 17k miles on the I/S I'm more concerned with rain and hot weather gear...
Fred.

[Ricky-D]

I was riding during June one year up around Edmonton and a little warmth would surely have been welcome.

All it seemed to do was rain and snow. Sometimes at the same time.

I froze!

***

[PhredValk]

Its usually nicer than that in June, but I can't say it doesn't happen. I remember almost freezing to death on a canoe trip about 8 Junes ago...

[BF]

I just got back from a short road trip.  If you ride with a windshield, a small bottle of Windex and a couple micro-fiber rags will work wonders.   
 

[RoadKill]

I recommend towing insurance for every one.

I call B.S. Dale!
You're too cheap to carry AAA, you always use mine!

But I still recommend having it! Do as I say ,NOT as I do!  Why do you think I bring you along? you are part of my tool kit! 

[1FAST6]

I carry just about everything everyone has mentioned most of the time.  In addition I carry a qt of oil and a water bottle full of coolant.  The only thing I've ever needed was a tire plug and the compressor once in Memphis.  However, I did pull the tank off my buddy's valk in a motel parking lot on the 2nd day of a week long trip to Key West and rebuild his petcock using RTV gasket sealer from the NAPA store and a blow dryer from the room.  I was glad I had the complete set of tools with me.  Other than that, I've helped 2 stranded women with a baby and a flat tire on a hot day on the bypass in Atlanta and pumped-up a few bike tires and jumped a few bikes with my gear.  I keep all the stuff packed in the left saddlebag ( along with rain gear) and leave it there all the time, just in case...  One thing to remember, all the tools in the world won't help if you don't know how to use them! 

Oh, yeah... I keep about 10 feet of duct tape wrapped around a pencil, too!

[N0tac0p]

i notice you guys mention pliers.  being an olds woods rider, we always carried vise grips.  take the place of a nut, a broken shift / clutch/ brake lever, etc.  and the new slip adjustable power lock pliers are great

[Hogdaddy]

After three rear flats on both my Ultra Classic and my Valkyrie I decided to come up with a better way of getting home. Instead of the small CO2 bottles and/or small air compressor, I put together more AIR. I took a 9oz CO2 bottle used for paintball guns and got the hardware to open the valve and put a air chuck on the other end. My problem with the small CO2 and small air compressor is they don't put out much air. If you need to find the leak for repair you may run out etc. This setup will air up several pickup tires. To refill the bottle is only a buck or so. Been using it for several years, but only for fellow riders. Only thing that concerned me was putting it in the tour pack or saddle bags and it getting too hot and blowing the pop off valve, so I mounted it under the tour pack. Be careful not to put too much air as it will fill up fast.  Semper Fi
Sorry for any poor grammar etc. Heading our for mile maker ONE in the Keys.