Putting together a tool kit for our road trip was an interesting challenge. It’s a trade off between weight/space and being able to fix anything on the road. I did a lot of research online to see what fellow riders were carrying on their trips. I was aiming for a balance of having enough tools to handle most events without going overboard and trying to bring too much.
The stretch was probably the tire changing gear. Besides the tools (tire irons, lube, bead breaker, etc) Diane also carried two spare tubes for her tires which took up quite a bit of space, in case we couldn’t patch the existing one. Not sure how I would have handled a road side flat. Since we were never that far off the beaten path we probably could have done without the tire changing tools, except for the plug-kit for my tubeless tire.
The portable, 12v tire pump really worked out great. With an adapter to fit into the BMW plug I was able to adjust the tire pressure anywhere without having to find a gas station with a working air pump – not to mention the requisite quarters needed to operate the air pump. I’m glad we had it, a good investment and sure to come along on our next trip. NOTE: Be aware of time zone changes and respect the “quiet time” at campsites. One morning, not realizing we were in a different time zone, I fired up the pump (which is quite loud) only to find out afterward that it was only 06:30am. Oops. :-).
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- left pannier with laptop bag removed
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- tool roll, WD-40, chain lube for the F650, tire change bag, misc. bag, long bag with camping items
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- detail view of tool roll
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- wrenches from 10-19mm, sockets in the same size, 1/4″ and 3/8 ratchets and extensions…
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- pockets for nuts
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- loctite and UV resistant zip ties
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- 0.15mm and .30mm valve feeler gauges
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- needed SAE hex wrench (bought on the road) for a nut on Diane’s panniers (US made)
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- torx (BMW favorite)
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- contents of tire changing bag:beed popper, rim protectors, tire lube for mounting tire, valve stems, clamps to help with tire mounting
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- misc. parts: tube repair (again for Diane’s bike), instant steel putty, specialized tool to pull spark plug wire on R1200GS, spare fuses, extra 24mm nut
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- torx and hex nuts.
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- most important tool of all – the pocket knife that was in my Camelbak Blowfish backback – used almost daily during lunch, slicing cheese and cutting bread, vegetables.
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- most important tool of all – the pocket knife that was in my Camelbak Blowfish backback – used almost daily during lunch, slicing cheese and cutting bread, vegetables.
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- most important tool of all – the pocket knife that was in my Camelbak Blowfish backback – used almost daily during lunch, slicing cheese and cutting bread, vegetables.
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- another ofter used tool – the 12v tire pump. Since the correct tire pressure is important for good bike handling and long tire life I checked the pressure and adjusted it every 3 days or so. Very useful since I didn’t have to find a gas station but could do it anywhere, running of the bikes battery.
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- another ofter used tool – the 12v tire pump. Since the correct tire pressure is important for good bike handling and long tire life I checked the pressure and adjusted it every 3 days or so. Very useful since I didn’t have to find a gas station but could do it anywhere, running of the bikes battery.
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- insurance – home made jumper cables (~10ft/3m long)
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- thankfully didn’t need the tire irons, no flats during our trip
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- thankfully didn’t need the tire irons, no flats during our trip
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- another shot of the knife – very lightweight
I think there was a special nut (I don’t remember exactly which one it was), that would deserve a special introduction 😉
Thomas