Emergency tools

kjetil4455

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Sep 16, 2022
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Colombia
Dear friends,

Wasn't completely sure which subgroup to put this question in, but I want to inquire about emergency tool kits.

I have bought various tools as seen in the pictures, also including a 17mm allen key to loosen the fork. And I have bought this tool kit roll.
Being a newb, however, I would really appreciate if any experienced reader would let me know which essential tools to put in the tool roll as well as include on the ride? Moreover, if I am still missing something.

I don't have a lot mc nor car fixing experience but I have a background in electromechanics and I am fairly handy, so this kit will be strictly for emergencies, eg. if I get into trouble far from civilization.
The bike is a 2012 ST.

Thanks so much.
 

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Bill_C

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May 22, 2021
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Central Valley California
A few things I have always added to my moto tool kits are:
Fuses
Duct tape (just a few feet folded over on itself the size of a deck of cards)
Electrical tape (a few feet wound around my tire gauge)
Zip ties
A few feet of bailing wire
A few feet of 12ga stranded wire

That combo, along with a set of tools, has gotten me back on the road countless times, especially back when I was building and riding choppers. It's even helped me get my friend back home after a slow speed lowside broke his shifter and ripped off one of his saddle bags. You can rig anything with enough imagination and desperation.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk
 

kjetil4455

Active Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2022
Messages
125
Location
Colombia
A few things I have always added to my moto tool kits are:
Fuses
Duct tape (just a few feet folded over on itself the size of a deck of cards)
Electrical tape (a few feet wound around my tire gauge)
Zip ties
A few feet of bailing wire
A few feet of 12ga stranded wire

That combo, along with a set of tools, has gotten me back on the road countless times, especially back when I was building and riding choppers. It's even helped me get my friend back home after a slow speed lowside broke his shifter and ripped off one of his saddle bags. You can rig anything with enough imagination and desperation.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk
Great advice. Which tools should I include in addition to that? I bought all these tool sets but I am not sure which ones tu include in the tool roll.
 

Jlq1969

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The problem is the weight and the place to put everything you need. Sooner or later, everything is necessary, and what you leave in your house is surely what you will need that damn day away from civilization:). That Allen 17, you can skip it and take a 17 short wrench and a bit of 17 allen (enough to loosen the axles)...but the rear wheel has a nut that needs a big wrench, in that case, you can cut a wrench (not very expensive ), file it down a bit, and use the spark plug tube (oem), as a handle for that wrench
 

kjetil4455

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Messages
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Colombia
The problem is the weight and the place to put everything you need. Sooner or later, everything is necessary, and what you leave in your house is surely what you will need that damn day away from civilization:). That Allen 17, you can skip it and take a 17 short wrench and a bit of 17 allen (enough to loosen the axles)...but the rear wheel has a nut that needs a big wrench, in that case, you can cut a wrench (not very expensive ), file it down a bit, and use the spark plug tube (oem), as a handle for that wrench
Thanks man. This is only for long trips, I will put it in the lateral bags
 

sheikyerbooty

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Dunedin, NZ
Even though our bikes are tubeless i still carry what i need to pull a tyre, repair and remount. piece of old inner tube and plenty of rubber cement to temporarily fix a torn sidewall for example. practice this in the garage (i.e. don't do it for the first time on the trail!). In my experience those hand-held bicycle pumps don't cut it (you won't be able to seat a bead), and i like low-tech, so i carry a foot pump. The more multifunction tools the better, to save weight/ space, like the double ended toyota spanners (8/10, 12/14mm) etc.IMG20220927120614.jpgIMG20220927120517.jpgIMG20220927120816.jpg
 

Bill_C

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Central Valley California
Great advice. Which tools should I include in addition to that? I bought all these tool sets but I am not sure which ones tu include in the tool roll.
I don't carry too much. I carry a set of spanners from 8mm to 14mm, a large adjustable wrench, a set of metric allen keys, needle nose pliers, regular pliers, diagonal cutters, multi-tool, mini volt meter, tire patch kit and electric pump.
Let's be honest, most of the time, if you have a patch kit and pump, there is no reason to remove your wheel. With the old fashioned rope plugs you can even stuff enough of them into a sidewall to seal a gash and limp to the nearest town. Maybe not ideal, but neither is pulling a wheel off to carry into town and back.
Everything else that is going to cause issues can be addressed with a basic small tool kit and some creativity. We're not trying to fix it perfect. We're trying to fix it enough to get to civilization or at least to some place with cell phone coverage.

There are some on here (like Sheikyourbooty and Tobasco for example) that use their bikes as intended to explore remote areas and I can see carrying everything needed to pull a wheel in their case. Most of us are not those guys.
 
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kjetil4455

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Colombia
Great info guys, thank you. I live in south america and I wish to travel through the mountains down in chile and peru, but not right away. Within some years though. Gotta prepare as best as I can.

Will set up the toolkit as per your guidelines above guys, thanks again
 

fac191

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London
My tools were mostly 3/4 and 1/2 drives. Nice at home but heavy. So I started getting 1/4 drive gear. Im not a mechanic i can do oil service brake pads, I put Arrow headers on etc. It saves me money and makes me look around my bike to see what's going on. I am not in the league of many people on here. And i don't do the kind of riding they do either !. So i just take what i would have the knowledge to use. If i need something i get it, ie an aircraft spanner for the yolks. You can drop a fitting into a spanner and you have a ratchet drive ECT. I use allen bits instead of keys or drives as they are small. For my purposes it keeps it compact and light which also makes the tools easier to handle. I have mobility problems with my right hand so the lighter and smaller the tools the better is it for me. Obviously i wouldn't be able to repair anything much but am prepared for what I can do. I do include the pertinent sockets and large Allen's specific to the bike though as if you do get stuck and someone stops to help at least you have the bits if they have the drives ECT.
 

StefanOnHisS10

Converting fuel into heat, noise and a bit motion
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Great advice. Which tools should I include in addition to that? I bought all these tool sets but I am not sure which ones tu include in the tool roll.
It’s a Yamaha, bring the keys. Leave everything else at home ;). Just kidding ofcourse. Depending on your travels, you adjust. You bring whatever gets you out of the possible situations you might get in. Going through the grocery store? None. Going days from civilization? Anything that keeps your bike going, the bike is gonna get you outta there and needs to keep going. The bike is not likely to breakdown so prepare for a flat, a crash, getting stuck, basics like a fuse and tape and tywraps. Emergency kit for yourself? Please don’t overpack, a heavy bike is PITA to ride.
Enjoy your travels!
 

kjetil4455

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Colombia
It’s a Yamaha, bring the keys. Leave everything else at home ;). Just kidding ofcourse. Depending on your travels, you adjust. You bring whatever gets you out of the possible situations you might get in. Going through the grocery store? None. Going days from civilization? Anything that keeps your bike going, the bike is gonna get you outta there and needs to keep going. The bike is not likely to breakdown so prepare for a flat, a crash, getting stuck, basics like a fuse and tape and tywraps. Emergency kit for yourself? Please don’t overpack, a heavy bike is PITA to ride.
Enjoy your travels!
Thanks! Emergency kit is important, and wasn't on my list!
 

fac191

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Thanks! Emergency kit is important, and wasn't on my list!
Should be first. I also carry an emergency shelter and bag ( plastic ) packs down very small for what it is. I don't ride in the middle of nowwhere like others on here but I do ride mostly solo. So if i breakdown and have to plot up somewhere I am dry and can keep warm.
 

kjetil4455

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Should be first. I also carry an emergency shelter and bag ( plastic ) packs down very small for what it is. I don't ride in the middle of nowwhere like others on here but I do ride mostly solo. So if i breakdown and have to plot up somewhere I am dry and can keep warm.
Good info, friend
 

Jlq1969

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You can get a girlfriend with a lot of money, ride with her and any problem you have with the motorcycle, that she calls with her satellite phone for help and that they come to rescue you in the family helicopter….and voila, you would no longer have to carry with a lot of tools:)
You just have to accept the relationship between women and money…
-) if she has a nice face, surely she doesn't have boobs or butt
-) if she has beautiful boobs and butt, her face is ugly
- ) if she has boobs, a beautiful butt and face, she has no money
-)…. and if she has no boobs or butt and her face is ugly…surely she is a millionaire:)
 

RCinNC

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Super Teneres are stone axe reliable, but hey, stuff happens. During this year, I’ve had to plug three punctured tires (two of mine, one for a friend). I had to replace a headlight fuse. I had a battery fail during a trip, that required the removal of my crash bars so the battery could be removed. I had to jump start my bike during that same trip, due to the failed battery.

What you carry in your tool kit can depend on your skill level at fixing stuff; I’m not likely to be doing any major engine work in the parking lot of a motel because I don’t have those sorts of mechanical skills, so I don’t carry things like torque wrenches. I’m also not likely to be changing a tire in the middle of nowhere (mainly because I don’t carry a spare tire with me), so I don’t carry tools to remove a tire from the rim. I do carry the tools to take both the front and rear wheel off; if you have a flat you can’t repair, it’s a lot easier to be able to take a wheel off and catch a ride with a passerby to a shop to get it fixed, rather than spend hours trying to get a tow service to come out and get you.

What you carry is also going to depend on where you ride. If I was crossing some really remote areas with little chance of readily available support, I’d carry more stuff with me, like a spare tube and boot material to fix a tire with major sidewall damage. I ride a lot, but none of that riding is taking place in the Darien Gap.

When I was putting a tool kit together, I more or less just went over the bike, looked at the various components, and asked myself “is it likely I might have to fix/maintain this?”. It’s possible I’d have to change brake pads during a trip, or do an oil change (both of which I’ve done), so I carry the tools for that. I looked the bike over and noted the sizes of all the fasteners I could easily see, and carried tools to fit those fasteners. I carry stuff like zip ties and Gorilla tape, for those “get it fixed quick and keep going” type repairs.

So, based on all that, here’s what I carry, and how I carry it:




This is everything. It looks like a lot, but almost all of it packs into my tool tube.



This is a way I found to carry my sockets so, when you accidentally drop the toolbag on the side of the road, they don’t go rolling everywhere and get lost. It’s a piece of 1/4-20 threaded rod from the hardware store, with a flat washer and nut at each end.



1/4-20 threaded rod will fit through the opening of most 3/8” drive sockets (at least down to the 10mm size), so you can line them up on the rod and just finger tighten the washer and nut at each end to keep everything in place. Not all my sockets will fit on the rod; if I made the rod long enough for all of them, it made my tool bag too long and it interfered with other items in the tool tube. The 10mm and 11mm socket go in a heavy duty ziploc bag with the hex bits.



This shows where everything goes.



All the tool tube stuff fits into this tube on the right side of the bike.



This is the stuff stored under the seat.



And the mini jumper cables go in one of these crash bar bags.

I don’t have a knife included in the tool kit list, because I always carry a pocket knife. If you don’t, it’s good to carry something in the kit to cut with.
 

Gerard

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My solution is a bit more modest. I am utilizing the space between the top plate and mounting frame of the Altrider carrier and it holds the tool roll and tire repair kit including a compressor. modified the rack a little by increasing the height of that space with some spacers and fabricated an extension

20221112_165218.jpg
 

Boris

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midlands. UK
I’m pretty sure plugging the air compressor into the accessory socket, will blow the fuse. Unless it has been uprated.
 
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