The Toolkit Thread

[CollinsB]

Originally Posted by Tails

Here is my setup. This is for multi-day solo trips.

My favorite setup here... Organized and tight. Nice job!

[cat]

Originally Posted by hilslamer

I also built a nearly duplicate kit for my Adventure, though, with specialzed stuff for that bike as you would assume, and minus the first aid stuff because I carry that all the time in a backpack I use daily whether I'm riding in to work or not, etc.

Maybe we should get you to do a thread on the first-aid kit sometime, if you've done a lot of work on it like you have with the toolkit. :)
So much of what i've seen is more orientated to band-aids for little cuts, not the kind of injuries you might want to attend to in the bike context. Basically, i don't see the type of wound dressings that would be good for bike crash wounds - big enough. I suppose some of the military stuff would be suitable but i haven't seen enough of it to know what to get.

[jesusgatos]

Think there are already a few good first-aid threads on here. Remember there was no shortage of info out there when I was putting mine together.

[_cy_]

lots of thought goes into my tool kits

[jesusgatos]

but not into your posts? haha. how about sharing something with us then? what'cha got?

[beechum1]

Shhh... thinking.

[team ftb]

I posted earlier about my Motion Pro multi tool failure.



The weakness was the socket driver that is manufactured in multiple pieces then pressed together I'm assuming with some type of adhesive. Those multiple pieces were slipping inside one another and thus providing no torque to the fasteners after two weeks of usage. In other words it did not work for shit.



The driver was spinning where I'm pointing to. i ended up having the Driver welded both above and below what looks like a washer (but is not a washer) and came out with this result.



The difficult part was getting the weld bead to the left of the washer looking piece to not interfere with the Driver mounting into the tool.



Luckily it was all done neat enough and fits snugly thankfully.

So those with these tools be forewarned that this same issue may crop up with your tool,

Now that I have had my confidence rattled in this piece i'm not sure that even though its now fixed, that I'll have confidence enough to pack it. Decisions decisions. Or do i just keep using my old reliable sliding T-handle, sockets, allen Keys and 4 bit screwdriver that this tool replaced??? A difficult decision as the MP tool packs really small which is quite nice when i'm heading off on a two week offroad ride next week to Laos.

[kpt4321]

Originally Posted by DR. Rock

No piston / crankshaft, but yeah, stator (about the size of a fist), a set of wheel bearings, and one set of fork seals. Front brake and clutch lever, extra clutch and throttle cables zip-tied to the originals, usually a set of brake pads, a few chain links, spark plug, spare carb jets. This is for 2 DRZ's.

I guess we just don't see eye-to-eye on this. I see absolutely no reason why a bike should be neglected so badly that you would need to worry about a wheel bearing failing in the field. Let alone getting one out trailside; do you carry a big hammer and a foot-long punch too? Same with carbs. Unless you need to retune for altitude (I've never bothered for a trip), a clean(ish) and properly setup carb should have no reason to need jets on the road. What about spare floats and needles? Brake pads should last 10,000+ miles on a DRZ under average conditions, not many people will do 10k in a 2 week trip... If you change your pads, do you change the rotors too?

I'd rather take a day to do my maintenance, than have it take 10 times as long ans be 10 times shittier on the side of the trail.

[DirtDabber]

Originally Posted by kpt4321

I guess we just don't see eye-to-eye on this. I see absolutely no reason why a bike should be neglected so badly that you would need to worry about a wheel bearing failing in the field.

Wheel bearings "never" just fail anyway......

http://advrider.com/forums/showpost....4&postcount=26

[DR. Rock]

Originally Posted by kpt4321

I guess we just don't see eye-to-eye on this.

Yep.

[MarkGS]

I see a lot of magnetic strips in these kits for holding sockets. Where do you guys get these? Are they the plastic / metal rails I see online with the plastic stripped away or can you buy just the magnetic strip itself?

[STisma]

http://www.levelchrome.com/ASAHI_bymfg_6-0-1.html

[Sledgecrowbar]

Hey everyone, first post. This thread is awesome.

I was re-visiting it (long time lurker) and saw the Asahi wrenches and figured it might be worth it to check Level Chrome, I didn't get my membership approval in time and someone beat me to it, I'm glad because I've bought from them before (Vessel screwdrivers to stop messing up my breaker points screws - JIS standards for old bikes) and the store was great to me. I remember on another forum (Garage Journal) when the guy opened that store up. For the old timers, he also carries Koken sockets (current stuff though).

Originally Posted by STisma

http://www.levelchrome.com/ASAHI_bymfg_6-0-1.html

Being a tool junkie, I also recommend Chad's Tool Box for German tools (not sure if it's common knowledge, but being that BMW is spoken here, worth mention). That and Level Chrome are my two toy stores for really nice import tools that impress fellow wrench turners.

I'm still new to long-distance riding, so all I normally carry is a flashlight and a multi-tool, though the one time I happened to have zip ties they came in handy. Lots of great ideas here, I've been working on a decent kit to fill the bottom of my saddlebags but haven't used tools on the road yet. Other than running out of gas twice in my years of riding (and not reserve thankfully), I've been lucky.

Does anyone have just saddlebags and no top box, and find that it matters to split your toolkit evenly? I don't use my bags for much that's heavy but I want to know before I put weight outboard that isn't even.

[kpt4321]

Originally Posted by DR. Rock

Yep.

You can find examples of ANY part failing on here if you search hard enough. I would hardly use that as a reason to carry said parts. As I said before, swapping wheel bearings is a non-trivial job. You'd need to carry circlip pliers and a long punch (and find a large rock to use as a hammer), at the bare minimum.

The same thing is true for lots of other weird parts.

Brake caliper pistons, pads, clutch discs, rings, air filter (and oil), oil filters, and a hundred other things...

[markjenn]

Originally Posted by Sledgecrowbar

Does anyone have just saddlebags and no top box, and find that it matters to split your toolkit evenly?

I never worry about this. I put clothes in one bag and toolkit, spares, and cooking kit in the other which is probably a few pounds side-to-side discrepency. If it makes a difference in the handling, I can't detect it with all the other factors. If you're really anal, you'll find most bikes have a little pull to one side or the other unloaded (ride hands off to discover which) so you can use the toolkit weight to trim the bike.

And you never want to put heavy stuff in a top box. I find using one is handy for trundling around town, but on tour, I don't want this weight up high nor the destabilizing aero influence, so the top box stays home.

- Mark