Tool kits - what do you carry ?

[Bury_Dave]

Just wondering what folk carry whilst touring Europe. A minimalist might say AA/RAC card and credit card. Aonther might say everything from Allen keys and spare bulbs to tyrelevers.

You're off for your 1-3 week tour around Europe, what do you carry ? Are you a lightweight or a heavyweight ? How much does your tool kit weigh ? Do you have one kit dispersed around your jacket pockets for minor problems/adjustments and another in the backpack or in a pannier for more major work ?

What does your tool kit say about you ?

Dave
(I'm sure this must have been covered at some point but normal searches of 'toolkit' & 'tool kit' don't throw a whole lot up. So please forgive me if this has been done already and thanks in advance if some good soul throws me a link ).

 

[Mutley]

I carry very little, but I know how to use what I have. A giant tool kit is no use if you don't have the skills and knowledge to use it

 

[Septic]

including the standard tool kit and a puncture repair kit i carry a gerber suspention tool
a few zip ties some halfords ratchet spanners
a snap-on circuit tester and some other bits and bobs all in a pencil case
because i couldnt find a tool roll cheaper than a million quid.

 

[Deleted account 190920001]

standard tool kit and puncture repair kit for me too.

 

[g.s.john]

standard tool kit plus a teng mini socket set,puncture repair kit,and a mini compressor,cable ties,and a roll of black nasty

 

[Bury_Dave]

standard tool kit plus a teng mini socket set,puncture repair kit,and a mini compressor,cable ties,and a roll of black nasty

That would be for covering your face for photo opportunities .... ?

So, nobody carries any spare cables ... ? Or a can of puncture sealant ? Does everybody ride in groups and therefore distribute that sort of stuff between them ? Or am i mad for carrying that stuff ?

I also carry a small first aid kit of CPR mask, bandage, burn cream, large compression bandage and a few plasters. I know that wasn't part of the question and it's not part of the tool kit but I fit them in there with it too -just in case. But like Mutley said, no good carrying any kind of kit if you don't know how to use it.

Dave

 

[STUBBS]

cable ties duct tape metal weld puncture kit and a small compressor

 

[brassmonkey001]

A gun.
If the bike breaks down I just car-jack some sucker.

 

[g.s.john]

That would be for covering your face for photo opportunities .... ?

So, nobody carries any spare cables ... ? Or a can of puncture sealant ? Does everybody ride in groups and therefore distribute that sort of stuff between them ? Or am i mad for carrying that stuff ?

I also carry a small first aid kit of CPR mask, bandage, burn cream, large compression bandage and a few plasters. I know that wasn't part of the question and it's not part of the tool kit but I fit them in there with it too -just in case. But like Mutley said, no good carrying any kind of kit if you don't know how to use it.

Dave

cheeky fecker

 

[Mutley]

So, nobody carries any spare cables ... ?

Haven't had a cable snap on me since I used to ride old Brit iron

Or a can of puncture sealant ?

Carry a plug kit and mini compressor. The only thing that's stopped me reaching a destination in the last 15 years has been a big accident or a puncture

 

[Bury_Dave]

cheeky fecker

Cheeky ? Moi ? No, that was more of an Army joke. I won't bother to explain.

Cheeky would be saying you needed the tape to 'restrain' the women you 'picked up' whilst on your tours ! BUT I'd never say that to someone I hadn't met !

I have to say that carrying/towing one of these on the off-chance of a puncture seems a little overly cautious Mutley ......

I'll stick with a small bicycle pump off my mountain bike.

Dave

 

[MattW]

This thread has some good pointers:
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83335&highlight=tools+trip

I take:
On-bike toolkit with added needle nose pliers and small adjustable. Into the little spaces in the tool tray I have electrical tape, lengths of wire, a couple of junior hacksaw blades and a little led continuity tester.

In my little 'Vern' topbox, I have:
Little first aid set.
Rolled up 'Platypus' water carrier
Two disposable lighters
Bulb set
Alternator belt
Throttle cable
Clutch cable
Clutch release arm and pivot bolt (used)
Clutch lever (used)
Brake lever (used)
Stubby No2 Philips screwdriver
Oil sight glass
Cut down nearside pillion footrest hanger (used)
Hall sensor (used, known working)
Araldite Rapid and cotton wool make-up cleaning pads
1m length of fuel injection hose and clips
Cable ties
1/2 litre sigg bottle full of oil with 3m of duct tape wrapped round it
Cut down little funnel for topping up the oil (does my head in pouring it all over the rocker cover)
Final drive big bearing and seal
Puncture repair kit
(sounds lots but most of it is light weight and it doesn't even half fill the little top box - gets 'edited' for short trips)

Contained in a small padded bag, in a pannier I have:
A little 3/8" Teng socket set with an extra (14mm? - can't remember but it's the right one) socket for the crankshaft pulley.
10mm spanner
13mm spanner
Pair of quality pliers
Small, quality mole grips
Universal jubilee clip making set
Set of quality long shaft allen keys
Set of torx bits (not many torx fasteners on my 1100)
Gas powered soldering iron and solder
Small edge cutters
Little tyre compressor

Other lengths of wire and cable ties etc in a little package, elastic banded to the battery.

I always have a Leatherman Wave and a Petzl led headtorch in my jacket pocket and breakdown cards etc in my wallet.

Obviously this is all for a long trip - if it was a few days in the UK, I'd take much less and resign myself to calling a breakdown service and getting trailered home if something not worth fixing (like the FD bearing) went.

 

[Bury_Dave]

That's a very comprehensive list. But as you say: 'for longer trips'. I suspect too that you really do know how to use each and every one of those items. A level of knowledge I wish i had !! Some great food for thought though. Thanks

The oil sight glass is an interesting one. I've heard / read that these are a bit of an achilles. Sometimes taking a little something that if it did go wrong would be a show stopper has got to be a worthwhile thing to carry.

Dave

 

[y2blade]

nothing, and not caught out in nearly 10 years of ownership

 

[DavidJames]

nothing, and not caught out in nearly 10 years of ownership

It's easy not to get caught out if you never ride it

 

[y2blade]

It's easy not to get caught out if you buy something reliable to start with

well said

 

[g.s.john]

Cheeky ? Moi ? No, that was more of an Army joke. I won't bother to explain.

Cheeky would be saying you needed the tape to 'restrain' the women you 'picked up' whilst on your tours ! BUT I'd never say that to someone I hadn't met !

I have to say that carrying/towing one of these on the off-chance of a puncture seems a little overly cautious Mutley ......

I'll stick with a small bicycle pump off my mountain bike.

Dave

i have never needed to restrain any woman i have met if that is what is normal in your relations with wimmin you must have a boat like a bulldog licking piss off a nettle or raging halitosis

 

[Bury_Dave]

Now , now, I said 'IF' I'd said something like that it would be cheeky but I did qualify it by saying I don't know you well enough to be cheeky with ya like that.

I'm reliably informed that some relationships thrive on that sort of thing
Not mine of course !

 

[MattW]

The oil sight glass is an interesting one. I've heard / read that these are a bit of an achilles. Sometimes taking a little something that if it did go wrong would be a show stopper has got to be a worthwhile thing to carry.

Dave

They don't often go without warning (unless for example you drastically overheat by letting the bike tickover for hours) but worth carrying a spare in case it starts to leak (I just noticed a very slight weep from mine one day). The same one fits all oilheads from 1100 onwards (although the 1200 also uses a circlip - provided with the new glass but unused in 11xx's). Cheap and easy to change:
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136604

cheers
M

 

[g.s.john]

Now , now, I said 'IF' I'd said something like that it would be cheeky but I did qualify it by saying I don't know you well enough to be cheeky with ya like that.

I'm reliably informed that some relationships thrive on that sort of thing
Not mine of course !

not yours?? perish the thought dear boy