Author Topic: What's the "Bare Minimum" tools to carry on the bike?  (Read 5806 times)

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Bulletman

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I know there has been quite a few topics started on this subject. But since space is such a commodity on our bikes, I was wondering what the "Magic" set of tools would be, likewise I do understand that there is no such thing as a "Magic Set" it would be still a great help in determining the smallest basic set to carry on board.... ???
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REpozer

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Reply #1 on: April 24, 2014, 02:25:36 am
Your RE tool kit, minus the tyre irons :'(. Cell phone, multi type pocket tool, 4'' adjustable wrench/spanner, small torch/light, zip ties.
This would be for short rides, after you have her ''sorted out".
« Last Edit: April 24, 2014, 02:28:45 am by REpozer »
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gremlin

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Reply #2 on: April 24, 2014, 03:03:25 am
mobile phone & AAA card with RV plus

edit: I forgot to add a small flask of Irish for use while waiting for recovery vehicle.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2014, 07:37:14 pm by gremlin »
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High On Octane

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Reply #3 on: April 24, 2014, 03:33:51 am
I have a fender bag that I keep on the rear fender.  In the small pocket I keep a small screwdriver for carb adjustments, a stubby #2 phillips, a small quality adjustable wrench, a gathering of shallow sockets for all the sizes I might need and a ratchet, needle nose pliers, small vice grips, a multi-bit screwdriver and a medicine bottle with various screwdriver bits and a few extra fuses.

I also have tow recovery thru my Geico insurance policy for worst case scenarios.  I've had to use once so far when my primary cover exploded.    :o

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GSS

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Reply #4 on: April 24, 2014, 03:36:58 am
For a UCE bike, I would say no tools needed. However I still leave in the basic RE tools and a new spark plug.
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suitcasejefferson

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Reply #5 on: April 24, 2014, 04:34:25 am
Absolutely everything to fix flat tires. I have carried 50 pounds of tools on bikes before, but I don't want a rack or saddlebags on the Bullet. It still takes quite a few tools and parts to repair a flat on a bike with tube type tires, which I carry in a backpack. I usually average 1-2 flats a year on bikes, so I consider it an absolute necessity.
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Sectorsteve

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Reply #6 on: April 24, 2014, 08:03:13 am
24mm' 30mm, 10mm and 8mm sockets. Plus handle. Re tool kit minus tyre irons. Duck tape cable ties. Long nose pliers, vice grips for long trips.


tooseevee

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Reply #7 on: April 24, 2014, 01:39:25 pm
I know there has been quite a few topics started on this subject. But since space is such a commodity on our bikes, I was wondering what the "Magic" set of tools would be, likewise I do understand that there is no such thing as a "Magic Set" it would be still a great help in determining the smallest basic set to carry on board.... ???

            A (genuine) Leatherman, a plug wrench & a spare plug.
RI USA '08 Black AVL Classic.9.8:1 ACEhead/manifold/canister. TM32/Open bottle/hot tube removed. Pertronix Coil. Fed mandates removed. Gr.TCI. Bobber seat. Battery in right side case. Decomp&all doodads removed. '30s Lucas taillight/7" visored headlight. Much blackout & wire/electrical upgrades.


Ducati Scotty

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Reply #8 on: April 24, 2014, 06:25:38 pm
The stock toolkit of spark blug wrench, open end wrenches, screwdriver and allens is a good start if the tools are good quality.  Some are not.  The stock tire irons are useless for the stiff, low profile tires on the C5, I tossed them.  I added a decent small pair of pliers.  I should add a small adjustable wrench as well.  This is my everyday riding kit and has let me tighten things that have come loose here and there. 

For long rides I usually take enough wrenches to remove the wheels and also a container of fix-a-flat and an air pump, maybe a few more wrenches and a light.

It comes down to what do you expect to need to fix, and can you do it yourself?  If you don't have any skills, a cell phone and towing insurance are all you really need.  If you're like Ice, and will pull a cylinder head on the side of the road to see what's wrong, well, you'll need a bit more ;)  A few more tools than you yourself know how to use can be good if a more knowledgeable stranger stops to help.  I've helped more than a few guys get their bikes limping with only what they already had to get them back home.

Scott


gremlin

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Reply #9 on: April 24, 2014, 07:40:22 pm
.......... If you don't have any skills, a cell phone and towing insurance are all you really need. ...........

HEY !   wait a minnit .......   some of us are just bone idle.  no skills ......   sheesh !
1996 Trophy 1200
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gashousegorilla

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Reply #10 on: April 24, 2014, 07:50:31 pm
   All the above.... PLUS ! That big red harbor freight table thing,and a peanut and butter sandwhich. ;D
An thaibhsí atá rattling ag an doras agus tá sé an diabhal sa chathaoir.


Royalista

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Reply #11 on: April 24, 2014, 08:10:32 pm
mobile phone & AAA card with RV plus

edit: I forgot to add a small flask of Irish for use while waiting for recovery vehicle.

+1  ;D
Drambuie will do fine too.

I have my stuff split threeways: base, medium and heavy. Base is what goes with me all the time; medium is for longer trips, up to a week; heavy is for extended journeys, mostly spares and their specific tools.
Doing maintenance teaches what tools are needed and which ones work best. These are your friends and go with you.

I did the same for camping gear and first aid stuff. The base stuff of the three section fills the bottom layer of one saddlebag, with room enough to spare for the other items.
Those include a teabag and a homemade lightweight small jetboiler. Tea before repair.  ;)
moriunt omnes pauci vivunt


boggy

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Reply #12 on: April 24, 2014, 08:31:24 pm
Bare minimum?  Legs and/or thumb.
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Joel-in-dallas

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Reply #13 on: April 25, 2014, 03:24:10 pm
I carry the toolkit with the bike and roadside assistance. Generally I am not far from home and the roadside assistance I pay for will take the bike to the shop if its less than 50 miles. So I don't carry much. I have a leatherman, a few zip ties in the bottom of my saddlebags. Im not a mechanic, so if something really goes wrong its going to the shop to get fixed.


suitcasejefferson

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Reply #14 on: April 25, 2014, 10:02:27 pm
I also have roadside assistance, which has an amazing towing range of 150 miles. But I simply refuse to be stranded by something as simple and common as a flat tire. I almost died once from a flat tire, and it was not because of a crash. My '76 CB750 had a flat on the rear tire about halfway between Yuma and Gila Bend on I-8. Though it had a centerstand, I did not have the tools to fix a flat. This was before the advent of cell phones, though there are still sections of that road where cell phones don't work. It was over a Fourth of July weekend, and about 120 degrees. Nobody stopped, including bikes. I was fading fast when a highway patrol cop stopped. He had water and A/C in the car. He called a tow truck out of Gila Bend, they hauled the bike back into Gila Bend, where I spent the night, and called relatives in Chandler to come and haul me and the bike back home.

I ride a dual sport bike all over the AZ desert, And have had to fix many flats out on the trail, where roadside assistance would be worthless. I have an aftermarket centerstand on the bike. And I am seriously considering getting one of those SPOT devices.
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