Tool kits! How many parts, tools, and which tools, should you take on a ride? This will
depend on a lot of things. Some guys hate being weighed down with any tools and will take the risk
of walking out then rescue their bike later. Or if you aren't riding far from your base,
your riding buddies can always head back to grab the needed tools or parts. Then there are the lazy
sods who just rely on their mates for parts and repairs. Also there is no point in duplicating
too many items - for example I will often bring the first aid kit and tow rope on longer rides,
and the other guys will split the required tools among themselves to lighten the load.
Lets start with the basics. The stock tool kit is a bare minimum of course. You usually need to
carry a fair few extra tools. A helpful exercise is to imagine typical problems and what you need
to fix them out in the forest - flat tyres, broken hand levers, a drowned bike, electrical issues.
Or a good practical exercise is to work on your bike at home, but only using
the tools that you ride with. You will quickly learn what is missing from the stock tool kit!
So at the very least you will want to add the following to your stock tool kit.
Star/Torx bolts, Allen keys, Spark plug, Spare levers, Tape, Wire, Cable ties.
Like just to be better prepared? Or you're riding a bit further? We suggest getting set
up for puncture repairs, just pause to read. It's worth including a tow rope.
Walking more than a few miles in dirt bike boots ain't a lot of fun.
Carry a pack of bolts that suit your bike, there are aftermarket packs of
these for most models. Include spare bolts for your handguards and other aftermarket bits too.
Some guys also replace many of their bolts to get them all matching so less tools are needed.
JB Weld or Quick Steel is handy for patching up a broken crankcase
well enough to limp back to your base. A pair of worn brake pads can be worth
carrying if you forgot to replace those brake pads before the ride.
Your bike should have spare fuse or two, but these take so little
space it is worth having plenty of spares. A basic first aid kit is always useful if you
will be travelling some distance from your base. It's rare for a well maintained chain to
break, but just in case, carry a chain breaker, two joining links and a few spare links as well.
The extreme toolkit! If you like to be really well prepared or are going
a long distance in a nasty terrain it's worth carrying enough tools to get you
out of sticky situations. Along with the JB Weld or Quick Steel mentioned earlier,
we would suggest some thin bits of alloy plate or an alloy can to help patch up broken crankcases,
along with some solvent to prepare the surfaces and spare engine oil.
Carry some spare rubber hose for broken fuel lines and radiator hoses.
A sharp knife can be useful for cutting those hoses, and all sorts of other stuff too.
A voltmeter and spare electrical wiring is handy if you run into tricky electrical problems.
Carry a more comprehensive first aid kit for longer rides. Include a whistle in
case you are lying in a ditch somewhere as your friends ride past trying to find you.
Include a space blanket with your first aid kit in case you are forced to sleep
out overnight in cold weather. Water purification tablets like
Aquatabs or Puritabs are great if you are badly dehydrated and can only find a muddy puddle.
And you never know when a cigarette lighter might come in handy.
If you are riding alone or together in extremely remote areas make sure you've got the best phone
coverage possible and look into trackers and emergency beacons for getting rescue services
to your location quickly for emergencies. And learn some basic first-aid too. Finally,
make sure your tools can't hurt you! Wherever you store them,
make sure those sharp bits can't dig into you in a big accident. Things like tool rolls or
a sturdy bum bag are safer and also keep a nice low center of gravity. In Australia,
a longtime favorite has been the Kelly bum bag which gets a lot of overseas sales as well.
Any extra ideas? Let me know I'll include them here. So ride safe guys, and hopefully a bit of
preparation will mean riding that broken bike home instead of rescuing it later.