Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum
Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet with the UCE engine => Topic started by: Bulletman on April 24, 2014, 02:03:26 am
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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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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".
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mobile phone & AAA card with RV plus
edit: I forgot to add a small flask of Irish for use while waiting for recovery vehicle.
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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
Scottie J
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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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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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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.
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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.... ???
A (genuine) Leatherman, a plug wrench & a spare plug.
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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
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.......... 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 !
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All the above.... PLUS ! That big red harbor freight table thing,and a peanut and butter sandwhich. ;D
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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. ;)
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Bare minimum? Legs and/or thumb.
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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.
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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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What is a SPOT device?
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A device that allows people (friends, family: you decide) to track your progress in real time. You can also send out pre-agreed codes, and call in emergency help. Beside the device you take a subscription.
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Inreach sat phone.
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Had to reach for my tool kit today, as i lost my positive battery terminal lug (sheared in half). I always care a couple of zip ties, electrical tape (or duct) and a length of wire, plus the tools mentioned above (although, a pair of dykes would have been handy). I needed all of it and in 20 minutes, I got back on the road. A very nice Harley guy stopped with his son... i couldnt answer his questions fast enough about the bike; His kid, under instruction, made the fix for me ;) A future rider and mechanic!
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Nice! I always try to help a rider in need any time I can, you never know when you might need help yourself. Good Karma. :)
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Nice! I always try to help a rider in need any time I can, you never know when you might need help yourself. Good Karma. :)
Two weeks in and I already had help from a lovely BMW touring rider before I fixed my coil wiring and the wire fell off!
I always carry the assigned toolkit, but with the spanners ect replaced with quality tools, a good brand new sparkplug, a spare tube with tyre levers and some waterproof pullovers for myself ;)
All of that fits into my RH toolbox, in the LH I have a few spare fuses ect.
Once I have my saddlebags a few more tools and spares for longer trips.
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...... His kid, under instruction, made the fix for me ;) .....
Brilliant ! allways carry a spare kid !
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Since I don't want saddlebags or a rack, I've been thinking of borrowing a trick from the dual sport world. Making a tool tube out of ABS plastic pipe, and bolting it to the front engine mount. Being black and way down low, it shouldn't attract to much attention. I can put the heavier tools in it. I still need to get a dedicated set of tools for this bike.
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All the above.... PLUS ! That big red harbor freight table thing,and a peanut and butter sandwhich. ;D
Add to that a chicken tandoori, some Naan and I'm sure singhg5 will agree that some Sarso Ka Saag and Makki di roti will be good too... ;D ;D
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Since I don't want saddlebags or a rack, I've been thinking of borrowing a trick from the dual sport world. Making a tool tube out of ABS plastic pipe, and bolting it to the front engine mount. Being black and way down low, it shouldn't attract to much attention. I can put the heavier tools in it. I still need to get a dedicated set of tools for this bike.
That "tube" idea sounds really good seems like a "Catch all" place to put in longer wider tools and yet is out of the way if secured properly.
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;D
Thank you guys for all the input and "thumping" Humor that went with the helpful suggestions.
I do have AA always with me, really kind folks and all....oops I meant AAA ;) I have 100 miles towing with them. My oval tool box flew open one day and I lost the RE toolkit that came with it....so I'm working on setting up a spare toolkit for the bike....I'm pretty handy with the bike "now" due to learning various "mechanical" skills from this forum...
I've "never" had an issue with this bike on the road....if anything it was usually me breaking things while I was learning to fix things, I've been lucky thus far...the maintenance I've learned on this bike will definitely help me get out of a Jam should I have the proper tools with me.
Cheers,
Mark
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When I was young and tough I used to carry tires changing tools on my dirt bike andIws pretty quick at fixing them. Kind of a necessity when your a competition enduro rider. However, now that I am old and over the hill and have a hell of a time getting a tire off the rim, I don't bother with the tools any more, Triple A is my choice.
So the bottom line is that you have to consider your personal abilities, mechanical and physical, as to what tools you need. My tool kit on the Guzzi has 3 allen wrenches in it. I did need one the other day as I spotted (heard) an allen nut coming loose on the exhaust pipe.
Bare
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I don't really have a problem changing tube type tires, especially the large diameter skinny ones found on the RE and dual sport bikes. They are a lot easier to get off the rim than tubeless tires. On the other hand, they can usually be plugged. The big problem for me on the Bullet is carrying all the stuff. I carry spare tubes, tools to remove the wheels, tire irons to remove and reinstall the tires, a bead breaker, some kind of mounting lubricant, and a small 12V compressor. That pretty much fills up a backpack, and the wrenches and tire irons make it heavy. I noticed that there are extra holes in the front engine mount, probably for an engine guard. Shouldn't be hard to make a mount for a tool tube to go there. I've done it on dirt bikes, that really got pounded, and they never came loose.
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One failing of the stock kit: It takes two wrences of the same size to adjust the clutch cable. The kit only has one of each size. I think it's 12mm.
Scott
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I've been playing with the combo engine guard/tube idea and gave up on it: way to little space there. Ground clearance is already minimal and front fender is not far out either. As far as I'm concerned not worth the effort: to make it work the net space for tools would be too small to bear any profit. At least not when one intends to use it on forest and mountain roads.
The idea in itself is sound though. Very practical, and functional, on the dirtbike. :)
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One failing of the stock kit: It takes two wrences of the same size to adjust the clutch cable. The kit only has one of each size. I think it's 12mm.
Scott
You might want to check again: I have two 12*13mm. They do it, as I could experience not that long ago. ;D
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I'll have to check, but I recall being SOL last time my clutch was acting up and having to use some pliers. Then again, the contents of the toolkits seem pretty variable ;)
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I picked up my bike this week. The tool kit included 3 ten mm open ends but no 8mm needed to adjust the angle of the brake lever. No 12mm either. I have towing through AMA. I used it last week when my Yamaha's engine exploded. Yesterday on my way to pick up my broken bike (repair estimate exceeds the value of the bike) I saw a dead Vespa on I-5 just north of the Grapevine. It almost overloaded the small rack on the back of my car. Hauled him/it to San Jose. Sure it was out of my way but that's just what us old bikers do.
When my bike died, no bikers stopped. When I stopped, the rider was shocked. Nobody had stopped. Is it the combination reliable bikes and cell phones? Or are today's bikers just assholes?
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I think people are afraid of everything . If you watch the news, we are supposed to be afraid of the economy,the weather, world events, and people who display a sense of individualism ( a motorcyclist ).
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A few weeks ago my clutch cable broke. While I was waiting a man in a car stopped and asked if he could help. He seemed genuinely disappointed when I told him a replacement was already underway. Made me feel a bit guilty. :-[
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I picked up my bike this week. The tool kit included 3 ten mm open ends but no 8mm needed to adjust the angle of the brake lever. No 12mm either. I have towing through AMA. I used it last week when my Yamaha's engine exploded. Yesterday on my way to pick up my broken bike (repair estimate exceeds the value of the bike) I saw a dead Vespa on I-5 just north of the Grapevine. It almost overloaded the small rack on the back of my car. Hauled him/it to San Jose. Sure it was out of my way but that's just what us old bikers do.
When my bike died, no bikers stopped. When I stopped, the rider was shocked. Nobody had stopped. Is it the combination reliable bikes and cell phones? Or are today's bikers just assholes?
That was nice of you...I'm assuming you were heading towards San Jose otherwise that would have definitely been a "long" ways from SoCal to NorCal..... :) either way, I sure hope that the etiquette of helping others stays with us all....just recently I towed a guy who was stranded out on the Delta and couldn't get his boats engine started..find out his battery's terminals were shot....got him back to a dock so he could pull out.....this happened to me once "Nobody" stopped to help ;D. Go figure.
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I stop, and people have stopped for me. But not everyone does these days since you're supposed to be afraid of everything. Most times when I stop help is already on the way. Cell phones are good for something ;)
Scott
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4" vise grip. got me home when the chain adjuster bolt broke on my 71 cb450. many uses, small package.