Tool Kit For Road Trips. What to take?

[Allan Y]

Looking for advice on what to keep in my tool kit for long rides.  At a minimum what are all you guys carrying?
Thanks

[R J]

My stock tool kit with a small socket and ratchet set.   No need to haul a bunch of tools for this bike.

Only time my tool kit was out was when I was headed home from Alaska.   I cut a tire on a very flat sharp rock.   That is in 243K+ miles.

[Bighead]

My stock tool kit with a small socket and ratchet set.   No need to haul a bunch of tools for this bike.

+1

[Jess from VA]

I supplement the valk tool kit (cheapo but useful) with a few better tools (small ones).  A good set of metric allen wrenches, one small vice grip, one big Buck folder, a 10mm racheting wrench. To the best of my recollection, they have only been used on Harleys, and a BMW.  (need to add a JIP screwdriver or two)

Zip ties, headband led spotlight (night is bad enough but there are plenty of little jobs you cannot see very well even in broad daylight, much better than a small light held in the mouth), a tire repair kit (stringy plugs and glue, shitcan puny screwdriver style reamer and pluggers and replace with larger T-handle versions of those.... ever try to push a small screwdriver thru a steelbelt?), a slime air pump (which plugs right into my Battery Tender SAE pigtail to the battery), a Honda petcock coverset, kickstand repair parts (bolt and spring.... a ziptie will do it, but then you have to lean the bike on a tree), a bit of wire, electrical tape, and one loaded Airweight J-frame, w loaded speed loader (for snakes and such).

Other things that never leave the bike.  Rain gear, waterproof gloves, underarmor balclava, one small towel (wet seat), sunblock, one-oz plastic polish atomiser, 2 microfibers, Wrigley doublemint gum, lighter, ear plugs (not for riding, for the couple next door going for Olympic gold).  When traveling, a small half cover no bigger than a softball, and a spare flat bike key in the wallet.

[Bighead]

Jess are you able to take a change of clothes

[salty1]

I'm with Jess in that I carry a lot of tools but also have some electrical stuff too. Spare bulbs, wire, fuses, tape, cheapo multimeter, connectors and a crimp tool. Another thing I carry is a siphon hose, you never know. All of this is probably overkill but it gives me comfort and I'm ready to help one of my "buds".

[Hoser]

Jess are you able to take a change of clothes

It don't hurt to smell bad as long as your'e in the wind. I smell like beer most of the time that I'm not in the wind.  So does Jess.       Hoser

[Jess from VA]

Yes, I forgot, I also have bulbs & fuses.  And a crushable hat is a must.  I also think tall kitchen trash bags are a travel essential; they fit any shape available in the bags/trunk, are tough, waterproof, and cheap (and you look so upscale carrying your garbage bags to the room).  Dirty clothes get rolled tightly into one as the trip progresses, if you get soaked riding your wet clothes go in another to keep everything else in the bags dry.  They always come in handy, and take no room at all empty.

Really, I consider my stuff to be on the essential only side.  Tools and parts are only two small zipper bags (9 X 6" ?), and my whole tire repair kit fits in the slime pump zipper case (after I took off and discarded the pump housing).  Crammed to the rear, they take up maybe one half bag (though I split heavy bags to each side to even weight).

Course rain gear, extra gloves, a hat, a fleece vest, a half cover, and riding gear take up more.  But here's the deal; the bags are mainly for necessaries/backups/cleaning/cover/ride gear.  I pack all my clothing/toilet/tennies in a topside duffel, and put it on the back seat or solorack.  When I arrive, the top bag goes in the room (for as long as I am there) and pretty much everything else stays locked in the bags.  Easy peasy.  And for a solo guy..... I take no passengers.

Some guys carry alternators (and spare wives and stuff).    

[Jess from VA]

Jess are you able to take a change of clothes

It don't hurt to smell bad as long as your'e in the wind. I smell like beer most of the time that I'm not in the wind.  So does Jess.       Hoser

Hey, I resemble that remark.  Beer and tobacco....... breakfast of champions.   

[fudgie]

I use to just take all my metric sockets and wrenches along with break over bar and assorted extensions. Now I just go thru my shop manual and take all the common sizes that I may need. They fit into a shave kit bag.

I always have a small tool bag full of extra parts and small tools.

[donaldcc]

 I am sort of like Jess with a good set of wrenches, tire repair kit and compressor, pressure guage, zip ties are good, a couple screw drivers, bulbs, fuses, cleaning sprays with microfiber rags, extra ignition key, kickstand spring and bolt, on long trips I take a small fold up camping stool to sit on strapped to luggage, extra gallon of gas all in right bag.  in left bag I carry some extra gloves, hat and odds and ends.

   what I do carry that was not mentioned is duct tape, lots of uses including taping over riding buddy's mouth if I get tired of listening to them. 

[Allan Y]

Thanks for all the input.  It will help me get my essentials kit fixed up.  I have always been one to take more then needed but with the limited space your recommendations will help.

[HayHauler]

I take too many tools.....

Hay 
Jimmyt

[Promagnaman]

Looking for advice on what to keep in my tool kit for long rides.  At a minimum what are all you guys carrying?
Thanks


Wet Wipes...

[KG]

the same as mentioned already but I include ratchet straps. It helps to have something to tie a bike down to a uhaul trailer or tow truck flatbed.

[Farther]

In addition to the Hondaline tool kit, wet Wipes for the rider and Lemon Pledge Wipes for the bike.  I carry a Leatherman Wave on my belt with a Surefire E2e flashlight and j-frame w/speed strip.  Credit card, insurance card and cell phone rounds it out.  Although on my last cross county ride I carried a CruzTOOLS MSM1 MiniSet Metric Tool Set too (didn't need it).  Your ass will thank you for the Wet Wipes and the Lemon Pledge Wipes work great on the windshield and paint.

[Grandpot]

I carry tools for my HD friends.  They use them a lot. 

[Thunnar]

My stock tool kit with a small socket and ratchet set.   No need to haul a bunch of tools for this bike.

Only time my tool kit was out was when I was headed home from Alaska.   I cut a tire on a very flat sharp rock.   That is in 243K+ miles.

That is just plain impressive!   

[BnB Tom]

  Cell phone and a credit card           

[BobB]

In over six years on the Valk I have had only one occasion where a parking lot repair was in order, and that was an electrical issue.  In addition to the OEM toolkit I carry a Leatherman tool, a tiny digital  multimeter from Radio Shack, a tire repair kit, extra fuses, and a small amount of electrical and duct tape.  I have removed the pliers and other unneeded tools from the Honda toolkit.  The most useful items are in my wallet.  A credit card and the AMA Life Member Plus card providing roadside assistance. 

[weeder]

All mentioned above  plus medium sized pepper spray

-- a bowie knife and folder knife, Leatherman  ,  toilet paper in a ziplock bag,  mini can of motorcycle flat filler spray-can ,  a tire plug kit I had to use one and it works from the side of the rode .    ,

  a mini hand air pump(mini but still like a bike air pump where ya put your foot on it to hold it steady - bike section at walmart ) , ), 1st aid kit, air gauges -2 ea.  . ,

 micro-fibre towels in ziplock baggie . long trips take a small bottle of windex, wd40 and lemon pledge, 5 packs of earplugs in ziplock,

I put all this in a fabric bags in the saddlebags   that kinda fit cause I don't want these supplies rollin around on the bag structure ; look in the fabric lunch pail section at walmart .

ride safe  go VRCC summer is here and hot weather spl :cooldude:ender

[Oss]

On my just completed trip was

left bag
Air compressor, flares, battery charger
also extra pair of boots and pair of sneakers
the phone and connectors for aux are in the left bag so they stay dry
also my electric gloves and the controller when not being used

right bag
tool bag with fuses, bearings, orings, extra front brake pads, small microfibre clothes
led flashlight, first aid kit, water bottles, wet weather gear, extra gloves and a ragg wool sweater

trunk
half helmet, small collapsible cooler  electric jacket liner, killamanjaro jacket and balacave and glove liners and suntan lotion and a water bottle

I had an orange dry cleaner bag over the red bag I used to hold my clothes   It sat on the back seat and was bunjeed  Clean clothes in a plastic bag inside the red bag  dirty ones in the bottom of the dry cleaning bag so when I got home just dump the dry cleaning bag in the wash and I am done,

[Bighead]

I have ridden coast to coast (and many other 10-12 day rides)with nothing but the OEM tool kit and a very small metric socket set.
Never had a need to even take my tools out except to tighten an aftermarket hwy peg.

[Thunnar]

Beautiful bumblebee if I ever saw one!