This may have been posted in the past during one of my adsence, but would like to post it again.
Let's say your packing up for a long road trip and only have room for 4 tools. What 4 tools would you pack and why?
For Me:
1. Vice Grips...Can act as any wrench if need ...and a hammer
2. Allen wrench set...Most bolts on the bike seem to be Allen bolts
3. Common Screw Driver...For common screws and as a pry bar
4. Phillips Screw Driver...For Phillips screws and for a punch
Your pocket knife is a freebe, as long as it has no tools in it
Like to hear from the rest of you on this subject
Be safe out there
Night Dragon
ok i know this sounds bad to a degree but in 21 road trips in as many years i go over bikes before WE leave.me the trained Tech full service, tire thread depth checked if at 50 percent tire or tires are replaced i have a used tire rack at shop so if anybody needs a GET HOME tire i got'em most cases our trips average 4,000 miles an buying tires on the road SUCKS trust me then Dad does a check behind me its a good idea to have a friend check work an you check his as far as list of tools i take its very short
1. Cell phone
2. Cell phone Charger
3. Tire plug kit
4. plenty CASH
TRY working on a new Bike of any kind roadside or in campsite or hotel lot
no going to happen best to call nearest dealership if it gets past a flat tire !
[blockquote]Sunchaser74 said:
ok i know this sounds bad to a degree but in 21 road trips in as many years i go over bikes before WE leave.me the trained Tech full service, tire thread depth checked if at 50 percent tire or tires are replaced i have a used tire rack at shop so if anybody needs a GET HOME tire i got'em most cases our trips average 4,000 miles an buying tires on the road SUCKS trust me then Dad does a check behind me its a good idea to have a friend check work an you check his as far as list of tools i take its very short
1. Cell phone
2. Cell phone Charger
3. Tire plug kit
4. plenty CASH
TRY working on a new Bike of any kind roadside or in campsite or hotel lot
no going to happen best to call nearest dealership if it gets past a flat tire !
[/blockquote]
Speaking of flat tires......Every notice 9 times out of 10 when you get a flat on the road it's the REAR tire.
yep Dragon rear as we all know is the pull tire putting more froce to the ground froce = torque so the more force putting down the more objects tires will pick up plus most of the bikes load is on back as well thus the front goes over most objects most times while the back goes Flat which sucks cause a front much easier to change than rear AND to add to my last post being Harley certified tech i have a wallet card i show most dealerships an they will let me use shop at no or little cost but i have to buy parts luckly over the years i only have had to use THEIR tire equmient a few times
SAFE TRAVELS TO ALL
Hey Dragon, good question. 4 tools ain't enuff for this rider lol. My right bag is half full, I could do damn near anything with the tools I carry. I'm riding a '85 E-Glide so feel confident about almost anything.
If I was to pare it down to make some space... Combination boxend wrenches from 5/16 to 3/4 sae, 4" & 6" adjustable wrenches, 6" vice grips, 5/16 to 3/4 sockets, short and long extension and flex-head ratchet handle, the 3 metric sockets my bike uses (forget their size), roll of electric tape and 10-12 feet tiewire, LED flashlight, cell fone charger and spare battery (thanx Sunchaser), electric 12v test lite, lineman pliers... That's pretty much all I can think of.
Safe journey!
Edgeman
I only WISH I knew what tools to take besides the tire repair kit. It anything else goes wrong with these newer bikes most of the time you can't tell what it is; Module here, sensor there, yada yada.
Back in the day riding solo on my old shovel it was 1/4, 3/8, 7/16/, 1/2, 9/16, and 5/8 sockets and wrenchs, small and large phillips and flat screw drivers, allen wrench combo set, needle nose, extra tube, pry bar or flat bar, clutch cable, vice grips, flash light, chevy points, condensor, plugs, pocket knife, ballpean, and side arm.
I'm pretty confident in the ride-to-repair ratio on my Heritage, that preventive maintenance goes a long way, that HD shops are everywhere, and I have a good many friends whom I can count on along just about any route I take to anywhere. So then, aside from the tire repair kit: my knife, my sidearm, my cell, and the newest HOG map book. Since the shovel stopped being my main ride back in '98 I think I've only been "inconvenienced" 3 times; flat, busted shock, and a crank shaft module. And since I'm retired everything is more of a "wait time" than an inconvenience..
The 4 tools I would carry for any longer ride aside from the tool kit that came with my ride would probably be a large pair of pliers, allen wrench set, heavy gauge string, roll of duct tape.
For flat protection I run green tire slime. I have a tubed tire frnt & rear, the slime works great and have rode for miles after picking up a nail. Did not realize I even had picked a nail up till the next day at home & checked the rear tire pressure.And yes the rear always gets nailed in my experience.The one time I blew a front was coming down a hill & nearly lost control,doing about 35 and that was before I started using the tire slime.
Stay safe & enjoy the ride
[blockquote]blurplebuzz said:
The 4 tools I would carry for any longer ride aside from the tool kit that came with my ride would probably be a large pair of pliers, allen wrench set, heavy gauge string, roll of duct tape.
For flat protection I run green tire slime. I have a tubed tire frnt & rear, the slime works great and have rode for miles after picking up a nail. Did not realize I even had picked a nail up till the next day at home & checked the rear tire pressure.And yes the rear always gets nailed in my experience.The one time I blew a front was coming down a hill & nearly lost control,doing about 35 and that was before I started using the tire slime.
Stay safe & enjoy the ride
[/blockquote]
Question...By running the tire slime all the time will it degrade the tube over time?
Just wondering...Night Dragon
NightDrgaon
The tire slime works.The inner tube should not be degraded over time. I had it in my last reartire for two years.I barely get 12000 off a rear & maybe 5000 on the front tires, in that short of a time I never noticed or had any negative comment from the different shops that change out the tires over the years, I have over 76000 miles with her. I change out the tubes every other tire change.