Basic Tools To Carry

[Audigier]

I don't have an oem toolkit and I can't bring my whole toolbox as it would be too heavy.

This is simple, what should i take with me? What's the most common sizes of socket and wrenches sizes on a 2002 vfr??

Carrying the whole set of sockets, wrenches and Allen sockets would make the luggage too heavy.

[Guest]

Vice-Grips, Duct tape, baling wire.

Tire Plug kit.

[Switchblade]

plus tie wraps all sizes ....

[joneill]

Cellphone...Visa card

Seriously,

Tire plugs (walmart sticky worms)

Air compressor - (cheap one, if you can't fit it under the seat, take it out of the plastic case cut off the cigarette lighter plug and solder on some alligator clips. It packs smaller and you can connect it directly to the battery)

8mm, 10mm. 12mm wrench

Allen wrenches, I think there are only two required for most everything on the bike

Philips and straight screw drivers

fuses

tape (duct, electrical, self fusing - whatever you want). You don't need the whole roll, a partial roll is smaller, easier to pack and probably enough. Besides it gives you something to do with all those left over rolls of tape in your toolbox

bailing wire

A couple of large tie wraps

All of this fits under the seat in several ziplocked bags. It stays on the VFR. If I have to think about packing it, I probably won't, and that will be he time I need it.

and I wasn't kidding about the cellphone and visa card

[spud786]

A cell phone/credit card would be most important, you cant do much on a vfr without those 6mm allen wrenches. Having said that a Plug kit and air compressor, would be the most frequently used , if at all.

Lets face it, what's the biggest threat in vfr failure???

a stator going out, and in that case Im towing it to the nearest honda dealer and over nighting a stator, cause Im not doing that crap on the side of the road.

a 3 amp trickle charger would be of use in the event of a stator failure as you can disconnect the headlights, find a fuel station with a electrical outlet , charge the battery and go a good 50 to 75 mile, with a full charge, less with a one hour charge.

Other than loose bolts, which vfr never seems to have issue with, why need tools at all.

[Bad Boy]

I would buy an OEM tool kit from Honda or Ebay. Ebay has one now for $31.45 + $15.00. It is $60-$80 from Honda. There are better tools and cheaper tools but this has just what you need, it fits the fasteners best, and has special tools that are hard to find. It fits under the seat and does the job.

Like mentioned, add a tire plug, air compressor kit and you are covered for most common needs.

On long touring trips I also carry a ratchet w/ 19mm and 22mm to remove wheels for cheaper tire changes. Zip ties, tape, fuses, needle nose pliers, electrical wire, wire connectors, multi meter.

[The mailman]

Either a single socket or a single wrench to loosen/tighten your pinch bolt so you can adjust your chain. - The spanner wrench is an obvious one here too. - and a small can of lube because I have cooked a brand new chain once on a two week ride.

[MaxSwell]

Either a single socket or a single wrench to loosen/tighten your pinch bolt so you can adjust your chain. - The spanner wrench is an obvious one here too. - and a small can of lube because I have cooked a brand new chain once on a two week ride.

I recently threw a chain and the 17mm wrench that loosens the adjustment nut did not provide enough leverage to get the job done away from home. So I've started to carry a good ratchet wrench, a 17mm socket and a two foot carbon fiber pipe for leverage. (It was once part of a hikeing stick on my racing catamaran.) (I'm sure there are other substitutes incl. a metal pipe. Point is to have a long lever. That nut requires 54 lbf-ft of torque.)

Aerostich sells a mini-compressor for $47. It runs off your battery. Looks good but I've yet to use it. I bought it so I could check my tire pressure on the fly. Usually I loose air when I check the pressure. This insures against that.

This is in addition to the items others have mentioned above.

[JeffInFranklinTN]

Didn't think something like this existed until I purchased the 00 VFR. It came with the bike and fits nicely under the seat next to the tool kit.....

http://www.genuineinnovations.com/motorcycle_atv.html

[The mailman]

I've used the CO2 canisters before and you better have a fist full of them to do the job properly. They DO work but it takes more than two to go from flat to ridable. My daughter picked up this palm sized compressor for me as a stocking stuffer for Christmas. It comes with a standard cigarette lighter plug which is easy if you've installed a powerport or you can simply cut off the plug and alligator clip it directly to your battery. It also has a small flashlight built into the base if you're in need of a little extra light. Slime brand, only $9.99 at Walmart, claims to inflate a car tire in approx 14 minutes. Check your local Walmart, Target, etc or Slime.com.

[Yokel]

I've used the CO2 canisters before and you better have a fist full of them to do the job properly. They DO work but it takes more than two to go from flat to ridable. My daughter picked up this palm sized compressor for me as a stocking stuffer for Christmas. It comes with a standard cigarette lighter plug which is easy if you've installed a powerport or you can simply cut off the plug and alligator clip it directly to your battery. It also has a small flashlight built into the base if you're in need of a little extra light. Slime brand, only $9.99 at Walmart, claims to inflate a car tire in approx 14 minutes. Check your local Walmart, Target, etc or Slime.com.

I've got one of those but with 4 different types of wire to hook it up to a power source. Works like a charm, fits in the bottom of a saddlebag.

Aside from that, I'm a tool whore and carry a full compliment of tools if I'm leaving the metro area. My rule of thumb is that if I'm out of the "calling in a favor with a friend" range, I'd better have a tool kit. Tire plug kit, compressor, full set of metric wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, hex wrenches, socket set, the works. I've got it just under 7lbs for the whole bit and frankly, the peace of mind is worth it to me.

Tool overkill.

Naturally, the one tool I'll be needing on a small two-lane highway won't be in there... Never fails.

[JeffInFranklinTN]

I've used the CO2 canisters before and you better have a fist full of them to do the job properly. They DO work but it takes more than two to go from flat to ridable. My daughter picked up this palm sized compressor for me as a stocking stuffer for Christmas. It comes with a standard cigarette lighter plug which is easy if you've installed a powerport or you can simply cut off the plug and alligator clip it directly to your battery. It also has a small flashlight built into the base if you're in need of a little extra light. Slime brand, only $9.99 at Walmart, claims to inflate a car tire in approx 14 minutes. Check your local Walmart, Target, etc or Slime.com.

Thank you for that info. Here I'm thinking what a way to air up a flat and you have one for each tire....well not if it takes 3 or more C02 cartridges to do one tire. Having a little compressor like that tucked away in a tank or tail bag is a good idea.

[2thdr]

I had a flat on my ST one time (rear), that I needed the CO2 blast to get it up to where it would hold air with the compressor...

[JeffInFranklinTN]

What kind of amperage do ya think that little compressor would draw? More than the charging system can put out at idle?? I have a throttle lock on mine...maybe setting the engine speed at 2K rpm's would suffice?

I had a flat on my ST one time (rear), that I needed the CO2 blast to get it up to where it would hold air with the compressor...

If I understand you correctly...the bead was losing it's seal? Yep, that would suck...a lot.

[2thdr]

Yeah, I was loaded up on a trip...we were on the I-40 slab and before I realized it, it was way flat. I couldn't get it up on the centerstand by myself even after unloading everything. A Goldwinger stopped and helped me...luckily he had the CO2 cartriges.

What kind of amperage do ya think that little compressor would draw? More than the charging system can put out at idle?? I have a throttle lock on mine...maybe setting the engine speed at 2K rpm's would suffice?

I had a flat on my ST one time (rear), that I needed the CO2 blast to get it up to where it would hold air with the compressor...

If I understand you correctly...the bead was losing it's seal? Yep, that would suck...a lot.

[spud786]

I have one of those little mini slime air compressors Ive used it about 1/2 dosen times. I wouldnt try to fill a 40 psi tire in one shot, break it in half like 5 minute runs, its just barely adaquate and it will start blowing black smoke , if you try to fill in one shot. Course it might do it a time or two in one shot, Im just suggesting for the longevity of the pump, you really dont want to see black smoke coming out.

I do keep it on the bike, but only for emergency, I have other pumps for normal use.

one a side note, if you have room the car slime pump with built in guage, is a far better pump, and will cut the time in half, no longevity issues with that pump.

[Guest]

I carry a decent tool load-out, however you know what has been used the most? (Mostly for other folks I find on the side of the road) Some form of knife and some zip-ties. The last guy I met just needed a couple zip-ties to keep his fairing from falling the rest of the way off.

Much more than that, and I'm calling in for help. Been lucky and haven't had a flat on a motorcycle, but I carry mushroom plugs and a compressor anyways. Cheap harbor freight multi-meter for peace-of-mind, and those small Yaesu jumper cables. (Already used once... worth their weight in gold when you need them.)

Not to mention extra Rok straps in case the two I leave strapped on the back seat aren't enough.

::EDIT:: Not really a tool, but a 12V socket under the seat, and a phone charger. You never know.

[swfarrar]

I agree with the idea of carrying a small compressor. I've had the basic kit from http://motopumps.com/ for awhile and have been very happy with it. I ordered it with an SAE connector rather than the cigarette lighter plug and it plugs into the pigtail I use for a Battery Tender. It's more expensive than the Slime pump but it seems well made and is stripped down to the bare minimum to save space and weight.

Getting a basic kit of a CO2 pump and cartridges is cheaper and is certainly better than nothing. I carried one before I got the compressor and, unlike the experience of some others who've posted, was able to fill a friend's completely flat rear tire on an FZ1 with enough pressure to ride 25 miles to the nearest gas station using only two cartridges. You do need to carry plenty of cartridges, though, in case your first, or second, attempt at a plug fix doesn't work, and by the time you bundle the pump, cartridges and plug kit together it's a bigger package than with the compressor.

Another advantage of the compressor is that often what you need is just to top off the pressure when you're on a multi-day ride or develop a slow leak. Most of the use of my compressor has been bringing fellow riders' tires up to pressure when they didn't check before leaving for the ride. I was on a group ride with a Magna carrying a couple and full camping gear on their first ride of the season. When we got to camp the first night the guy was complaining about how badly the bike was handling so I asked when he'd last checked the tire pressure. He said something like, "Oh, probably sometime early last year." Sure enough, he was running less than 15 pounds in the rear tire and the little compressor fixed him up. That was scary, especially considering some of the people in the group he was trying to keep up with on Olympic Peninsula back roads.

[Switchblade]

Cheap $35.00

[Auspanglish]

The Honda OEM kit is light and covers basics including:



8, 10, 12, 14, 17 mm wrenches (actually you get 2x 10, 12 & 14 between C and Eye wrenches). 2 sizes of Allen keys (5 & 6 mm). Sparkplug socket. Rear shock adjuster wrench. Rear excentric adjuster wrench (for adjusting chain tension). Extender handle for these latter two wrenches. Reversible flathead and phillips head screwdriver plus 8 mm box wrench (these all share a handle, which saves space). Pliers (I prefer to swap these out for some with a clamping ability). Feeler guage (0.7 mm) for checking calliper clearance on LHS front calliper when reinstalling front wheel.

I carry it under the seat and also try to carry in sidebags or tankbag certain other items such as:

Wratchet plus 8, 10, 12, 14, 19, 22 & 24 mm sockets. The last 3 for removing rear wheel, front wheel and Top Triple respectively.
Extension piece for wratchet.
Zip ties.
Gaffer tape and/or electrical tape.
Electrical Terminal Blocks (see photo below). My stator is currently connected to R/R via one of these, much more reliable.
Magnet on flexible extension (for recovering nuts & bolts dropped into hard to get places).
Multimeter.
Puncture repair kit. (Always meant to get slime compressor).
Spare bulbs.
Callipers (the measuring variety).
Tyre pressure gauge.
Locktite (the weaker one, blue over here in Spain).

Longer trips:
I used to carry a spare oil filter but now have the FLO reusable stainless steel one.
Chain lube.
Wet towellettes. (Not a tool but...)
Torx head socket/key... forget size but the one for removing the stator from the engine side cover.
12-gauge wire.
Extra fuses and the odd extra fairing clip, bolt and wellnut.
Battery tender.
Tap n Dye kit: 2 or 3 typical sizes for them knucklebusting stripped threads by the roadside moments.

I may be forgetting some items...

Photo of terminal blocks: