Offroad tool kit essentials- what do you carry?

[TonyBKK]

I'm sure there was another thread on this topic, but I can't find it...

Breaking down in the jungle, miles from civilization can really ruin your day, but if you carry essential tools and parts the most common mechanical problems can be sorted on the spot.

Everyone has their own preference and I'm interested to compare notes and see if there are any critical items I'm missing. Here's what I carry:

In no particular order:
8,10,12mm spanners
8,10,12,19,27mm sockets
16mm spark plug socket
Socket adapter and extension
Allen keys
Flat head / Philips combo screwdriver
Box cutter/blade
Small locking vise grip
Needle nose pliers
Lighter
Spark plug
Thread lock
Super glue
Tube patches and glue
21" front tube (can fit in the rear if needed)
Tire irons
Valve core removal tool
Compact air pump
Duct tape
Electrical tape
Assorted zip ties
Fuel line
Small container of engine oil
Gear change pedal
Oil filter (if deep water expected)
Disposable cotton gloves
Flashlight/lantern
Ratcheting tie down
Clutch cable
Throttle cable
Tool bag/belt
A small assortment of extra bolts (not shown)

What do you carry?

I carry enough tools and parts (gear pedal, spark plug, tubes and cables) to get me out of most any "common" mechanical bind. I mean really, a set of allen keys and 8,10,12mm spanners is about all you need to completely tear down a KLX. The 19 and 27mm sockets are to get the wheels off, and could be replaced by a crescent wrench. It's really a very simple bike. In the event of some kind of catastrophic failure, like a broken cam chain, busted rod or valve, etc. there's no way you'd fix that in the jungle. But these are tough proven bikes- if you keep up with scheduled maintenance the chances of catastrophic failure are quite minute.

Unlike some goofballs who feel the need to haul a whopping 8 liters of extra fuel around :crazy: I have never needed to carry extra gas- it's important to know your range and plan accordingly but I'm constantly amazed how, even in the most remote of areas, you can pretty much always find gas.

 

[TonyBKK]

bikesncats;297562 wrote: Tell that to the dozen fellas that were found weeks later dead of dehydration after they ran out of fuel in the Australian Outback...or the guy I towed for almost 200Km in the Sahara because he knew his range and planned properly...to find that where he wanted to gas up had been closed a year earlier and was bone dry except for some diesel LMAO

Dude, in case you haven't noticed, we're in SE Asia and my toolkit and fuel needs are based upon my location, dig? :mrgreen:

Here's the comical thread from the know-it-all wanna-be who carried all that extra fuel in places it absolutely wasn't needed:

[h=3]Wolfman Saddlebags with 8X 1 litre MSR fuel bottles[/h]

 

[TonyBKK]

bikesncats;297568 wrote: Why even mention fuel LOL ... here any granny will find you a hong thong bottle filled with gasoline for 50baht, no matter how remote you go LMAO

Exactly. I mention fuel because a lot of people ask me if they should carry extra fuel when riding in remote parts of Thailand/Laos/Cambodia Many are not be aware of the fact that you can find fuel just about anywhere. I know a fella who carried so much fuel in a rotopax bolted to the tail of his KLX that he managed to snap off his subframe. So again, for SE Asia, unless you're riding a bike that has an incredibly small tank, I really don't think it's necessary to carry extra fuel here.

 

[Lakota]

good Thread. reminds me to get that spare brake & clutch cable. I find the toolkit that comes with the KLX surprisingly good for changing tyres so don't carry a Socket wrench, although If I could find a strong , small one I probably would.

As a GoofBall I carry a 1 litre MSR fuel bottle in a Wolfman bottle Holster. It's useful for when that last fuel stop place has closed due to a party, wedding , funeral or just celebrating the new year. someone is celebrating new year here from November to may so it does happen. also useful for rescuing damsels in distress :wink:

The Non Goofballs amongst us can just use the bottle Holster to carry a bottle of 'scotch' or fill it with 'Ganja' :shh:

Smoking !!! :crazy: .......... :smile1:

 

[TonyBKK]

Lakota;297584 wrote: good Thread. reminds me to get that spare brake & clutch cable. I find the toolkit that comes with the KLX surprisingly good for changing tyres so don't carry a Socket wrench, although If I could find a strong , small one I probably would.

As a GoofBall I carry a 1 litre MSR fuel bottle in a Wolfman bottle Holster. It's useful for when that last fuel stop place has closed due to a party, wedding , funeral or just celebrating the new year. someone is celebrating new year here from November to may so it does happen. also useful for rescuing damsels in distress :wink:

The Non Goofballs amongst us can just use the bottle Holster to carry a bottle of 'scotch' or fill it with 'Ganja' :shh:

Smoking !!! :crazy: .......... :smile1:

Haha you sound alright!

I agree with you that some of the Kawasaki tools are great- in particular I really liked those compact 19 and 27mm axle nut wrenches, but I, ahem, lost them...

For rescuing "damsels in distress" like Trent I carry an extra fuel line with which I can siphon fuel out of my tank to share with others if needed.

Is a "bottle holster" something you wear on your belt or hip? I'd worry about landing on it in a crash...

I always carry a a small flask or a couple airplane minis of single malt for special occasions too!

 

[Lakota]

The Bottle Holster is strapped to the rack on the KLX. I did have the fuel bottle from another life

Just gives me peace of mind, hopefully wouldn't need to use it :wink:

 

[SilverhawkUSA]

Tony, after your most recent experiences, and your truly epic post, don't you think it wise to carry a hidden handcuff key? :clap:

 

[Lakota]

SilverhawkUSA;297595 wrote: Tony, after your most recent experiences, and your truly epic post, don't you think it wise to carry a hidden handcuff key? :clap:

and something to protect his Virginity :smile1:

 

[TonyBKK]

SilverhawkUSA;297595 wrote: Tony, after your most recent experiences, and your truly epic post, don't you think it wise to carry a hidden handcuff key? :clap:

Reckon a bullet proof vest might be more useful as they all carry guns but I never saw any cuffs... :lol:

 

[TonyBKK]

Lakota;297597 wrote: and something to protect his Virginity :smile1:

:lol-sign:

Well, after choking down a tin of sardines for breakfast that morning I think my breath would offer all the protection I'd need

 

[TonyBKK]

It's getting HOT out there!

Ok, so this is not a "tool" but it's something I always carry when I'm riding offroad- a quality water filter:

I've had this MSR for YEARS and it's never let me down. Ceramic filter removes all bacteria and giardia, but possibly not the smallest of viruses so as an extra precaution I add a few drops of iodine to the filtered water and let it sit for ~15-20 minutes.

Excellent vid showing how easy it is to service and maintain this filter:

 

[TonyBKK]

Not easy to find water filters in Thailand, but here's a cheap one from TrekkingThai.com:

Only 700 Baht! :shock:
Link: http://www.trekkingthai.com/cgi-bin/shopping/show.pl?P0799

I'm pretty sure this is the filter that Brian bought- how do you like it Brian?

 

[John Aero]

Lakota;297584 wrote: good Thread. reminds me to get that spare brake & clutch cable. I find the toolkit that comes with the KLX surprisingly good for changing tyres so don't carry a Socket wrench, although If I could find a strong , small one I probably would.

As a GoofBall I carry a 1 litre MSR fuel bottle in a Wolfman bottle Holster. It's useful for when that last fuel stop place has closed due to a party, wedding , funeral or just celebrating the new year. someone is celebrating new year here from November to may so it does happen. also useful for rescuing damsels in distress :wink:

The Non Goofballs amongst us can just use the bottle Holster to carry a bottle of 'scotch' or fill it with 'Ganja' :shh:

Smoking !!! :crazy: .......... :smile1:

Yes nice discussion! Just to answer your question Lakota re small socket set best I have found is the 1/4 drive Teng (T1419) almost cigerette pack size with 8 to 13mm sockets and some bits and ratchet handle - if you add a 1/4 double ended screw driver handle (as an extension) and converter have a good set. Aside from wheel nuts thought 13mm big enough. If you have the Teng set with couple of Motion Pro T 6 combo aluminium tyre lever/irons and axle nut wrench you would avoid carrying heavy steel sockets, 3/8 drive wrench and steel tyre irons. Just a thought.

 

[Lakota]

I'll have a look at those Teng Socket sets. thanks.

Those Water Bottle/Filters look Ideal. they are about 250 baht in the UK :?

 

[brian_bkk]

TonyBKK;297612 wrote: Not easy to find water filters in Thailand, but here's a cheap one from TrekkingThai.com:

Only 700 Baht! :shock:
Link: http://www.trekkingthai.com/cgi-bin/shopping/show.pl?P0799

I'm pretty sure this is the filter that Brian bought- how do you like it Brian?

Rob bought it first as I had the Lifestraw.. We used it when we rode Chiang Mai to Bangkok the long dirty way down.
https://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/showthread.php/39374-Chiang-Mai-to-Bangkok-The-Long-Dirty-Way-Down

Mostly filtered and boiled the water from the stream where we camped.. But I was out and drank straight from Rob's water filter and lived another day.

After we made it back from that trip I went and bought the same filter.
The recent trip with Tony and Oddvar.. I drank from my filter and it was fine. (The sickness I had was from food poisoning and could feel my stomach slowly giving in over two days)

I like the Lifestraw.. But that is more for emergency use.. small and light and good to carry for day trips.
eg..
Run out of water in Khao Khiew and there is a stream and we are passing out from heat stroke.. Like last time with Rob.

Cheers
Brian

 

[David]

Bump for the guy who emailed asking for recommendations

 

[rcm273]

This is pretty perfect .. Awesome info .. not too much, just enough.

I'm no expert but if the rear wheel has to come off, can you rely on a 1/4" drive + converter ? I have a custom 20cm 1/2" sliding T-Bar with a home-made extension handle.

Then I carry a cheap & light 1/4" plastic handled T-bar socket with 6, 8, 10 and 12mm sockets, for those times when there isn't sufficient rotary movement for a spanner.

What is 20ml of oil going to do for you ? ( just curious )

Couple of add-ons ..
[list type=decimal]
[*]A tyre pressure gauge ( in tank bag )
[*]A magnetic wand
[*]A foot of insulated 12 gauge wire along with a few inches of thin shrink tube ( way easier than wrapping insulting tape )
[*]Bag of fuses & waterproof connectors
[*]Couple of cotter pins for the rear nut.
[*]A set of home made jump leads ( 2m of 10 gauge wire, 90mm crocodile clips ) as the missus refuses to bump the bike the next time I run the battery out when fixing the connector to the halogen spots.
[*]Something from another forum - a plastic tube of epoxy putty ( My local Big C is selling it off for 100B a roll )
[/list type=decimal]
I keep my anything that isn't straight (27mm socket) along with glue / puncture kit / putty / loctite in a "waterproof" foam lined "pelican" case to stop it getting crushed. Nothing worse than gummed up, blue tools.

I'm also searching for the perfect combination screwdriver, I have both Kawasaki and Honda factory kits and the reversible drive always jams in the socket, bit of a pain when its time to use the other end or store the kit.

 

[brian_bkk]

I am pretty hopeless with mechanics.. But slowly learning.

If riding alone. Carry two rear tubes and one front. If a group. Share the burden on tubes.

If a puncture and can be repaired. Keep it and get it patched until I can find a new tube.

Cable ties. Small sturdy bicycle pump.  Few additional tools that are easier to use than the tools provided by kawasaki. Tape to hold things together or patch a broken hose etc.

Still more things I need to add.

Cheers

Brian

 

[brian_bkk]

I am pretty hopeless with mechanics.. But slowly learning.

If riding alone. Carry two rear tubes and one front. If a group. Share the burden on tubes.

If a puncture and can be repaired. Keep it and get it patched until I can find a new tube.

Cable ties. Small sturdy bicycle pump.  Few additional tools that are easier to use than the tools provided by kawasaki. Tape to hold things together or patch a broken hose etc.

Still more things I need to add.

Cheers

Brian

 

[rcm273]

Your not the only hopeless mechanic out there.

I figure that carrying a kit such as Tony's
[list type=decimal]
[*]I guess that someone else will always know how to use it.
[*]That if required, someone else will benefit.Riding back from Laos, some young kid on a CBR150 waved me down looking for way to open his chain case. I have one of these at home in the garage, you need an 8mm socket, a spanner just slips off and there isn't even an 8mm ring included in the OEM toolkit. I felt like i real idiot when I looked into my expensive aluminium panniers and was without a 100B tool undo a small bolt for him.
[*]It's not always about bikes. I was grateful for my needle nose pliers yesterday when the zip jammed on my jacket and i needed a bit of extra leverage.
[/list type=decimal]
Tony has omitted a small can of WD40 too .. Why do we always carry a can of WD40 ? and very rarely use it.