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Toolkit suggestions for long trip?


motoadam

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Hello everyone!  Perchance... has anyone put together a list of tools to take on a long trip?  If so, please would you post?  Or if you can rattle off what you consider to be essentials, please go ahead!  Thanks 🙂

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Apart from the OEM toolkit (not the best quality but it will do)

 

  • Duct tape
  • Surgical gloves (keep the grease of your hands)
  • Head torch (so you can use both your hands in the dark)
  • Tiewraps
  • Multitool 
  • spare brake lever (you have a DCT so no clutch needed)
  • A metal/wooden plate for under your sidestand; affix a long string to it which you tie to your handlebar. This way you just reel it in when you leave instead of having to bend down
  • Maybe jump leads
  • Paracetemol (if the problem does your head in)
  • Fluo jacket (if you get stranded in a tricky spot)
  • Spare bulbs and fuses
  • Credit card
  • Duct tape
  • If you fit your side cases, topcase and tank bag, why not bring a
    • multimeter
    • some engine and shaft drive oil
    • tyre repair kit (for the good it just migth do)
    • tyre pressure gauge
    • fuel hose so you could syphon some off 
    • kitchen sink

 

 

 

 

 

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All good stuff Dutchy.

 

I also take a portable phone battery charger and plug adapter if you are visiting different countries. Spare bulbs can be handy too, plus we always take paper copies of insurance and bike docs plus breakdown and I put copies of these on my phone too. I put a copy of emergency contact details, clearly labelled in the clear top of my tank bag in case Mrs Skids and I are unconscious etc - we also wear medical tags with details of our blood groups/allergies etc. You can get them so they're secure and present the info in different languages. Mrs Skids carries the spare bike key too.

 

And of course, these days you'll need face masks, hand sanitiser and surface wipes.

 

Where are you planning to go?

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If you’re going to France don’t forget the compulsory stuff - hiviz tabard, complete set of ALL bulbs, spare spectacles and 2 alcohol breath tests ....

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On 8/19/2020 at 9:12 PM, squirrelman said:

i wouldn't ride far on a vfr without 'lectrickal tape, some insulated wire, and a small multimeter. nature of the beast !

5th and 6th Gen yes. 

 

7th & 8th......Nah! Well, maybe the tape cos it has hundreds of uses.  :beer:

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I always put a 14mm, 12mm, 10mm and 8mm socket along with 3,4,5,6, and 8 mm allen wrenches/hex keys. Those alone will take apart most of the bike 

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Are there any compulsory 2-week "stopovers" at borders? Or are you planning this post-Covid?

 

Most of those countries are on the UK red list so if we visit there, we have to self-isolate for 2 weeks when we get home.

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My kit includes some of the items mentioned above, but I also carry zip-ties, tissues, and a small first-aid kit.  As for insurance card, I keep a copy in my wallet and one under the seat.  I also keep a $20 bill under the seat, just in case I lose my wallet.  For touring, I also toss a spare set of keys in my tankbag, just in case I lose my regular keys.  (Do not lock your spare keys in a lockable hardbag!)

 

Also, for anyone who has frame sliders fitted to their machine, make sure you carry the tool you'd need to remove them so you can get a side fairing off, because that tool probably isn't in the OEM toolkit.  Without that tool, you won't be able to remove the fairing to get to whatever you need to check out or fix.

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On 8/28/2020 at 1:46 PM, RedlineDrifter said:

Wow! Trip looks really awesome!

...one way trip? Or if it’s a return journey will you retrace your steps and take the same roads, or maybe take an alternate route (perhaps closer to the coast) on the return?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll likely return via a different route - perhaps through Italy and then follow the coast.

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On 8/28/2020 at 1:48 PM, Skids said:

Are there any compulsory 2-week "stopovers" at borders? Or are you planning this post-Covid?

 

Most of those countries are on the UK red list so if we visit there, we have to self-isolate for 2 weeks when we get home.

I'm hoping to start the trip next week.  I live in Spain and, at the moment at least, there don't appear to be any border restrictions with any of the countries I'm planning to go through.

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Thanks for all your replies!  I'm planning on camping for most of the trip - staying away from groups of people as much as I can due to the COVID situation.  That kinda sucks, but I'm quite happy in my own company too - so that's good.  I'll post again when I return.

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15 hours ago, motoadam said:

Thanks for all your replies!  I'm planning on camping for most of the trip - staying away from groups of people as much as I can due to the COVID situation.  That kinda sucks, but I'm quite happy in my own company too - so that's good.  I'll post again when I return.

Plenty of photos en-route please!

 

Enjoy and stay rubber side down.  :beer:

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20 hours ago, motoadam said:

Thanks for all your replies!  I'm planning on camping for most of the trip - staying away from groups of people as much as I can due to the COVID situation.  That kinda sucks, but I'm quite happy in my own company too - so that's good.  I'll post again when I return.

I don't camp, but I'm generally a loner during my motorcycle tours.  Very little human interaction, so I didn't have to adjust too much for social distancing during my tours this year!  😉 

 

Ride safe and have a great time!!

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Well...  I'm a few days away from departure and I'm concerned about the situation regarding crossing borders.  I don't want to find myself stuck in a country unable to get home for months. 

 

Mmmm - gonna keep monitoring the situation.  I've been checking these websites daily:

 

https://www.kayak.com/travel-restrictions

 

https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/coronavirus-travel-updates/

 

Any insights much appreciated!

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Getting back to your home country should be straightforward as I assume the Spanish Govt publish a list of countries that you will need to isolate after visiting, but where you get the info for multiple countries getting from one to the next I have no idea.

 

Difficult though it is, Mrs Skids and I are not entertaining any foreign travel for the foreseeable future.

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Dutchy and the rest have a good list, but there's not much of a reason to have a tire plug kit unless you pack a small 12v compressor.  If I missed it on someone's list, I apologize. 

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On 8/27/2020 at 6:43 PM, RC1237V said:

I always put a 14mm, 12mm, 10mm and 8mm socket along with 3,4,5,6, and 8 mm allen wrenches/hex keys. Those alone will take apart most of the bike 

And he will only return with 14mm, 12mm, and 8mm sockets, even if he doesn't use them.

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The last couple riding seasons I have made it a point to carry  puncture repair plugs and insertion tools along with co2 tire inflator with cartridges.  It takes about 6-16 gram cartridges to get the back tire up to 25-psi.  This is enough to get you to a place to top off the tire pressure.  20 and 25 gram cartridges are available which would reduce the number of bottles to carry around, but they are much more expensive per psi.  I keep all this stuff in the rear cowling area where the taillights hang out.  Haven't had to use them yet, but on lonely roads I feel much better knowing a flat tire will not strand me (in most cases).  Have a great ride.

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On 8/28/2020 at 2:20 AM, motoadam said:

Thanks all for your replies!  Duly noted.  Attached is the gist of my route.  Spain to Bulgaria. 🙂

Screen_Shot_2020-08-10_at_19_35_12.png

For this route, I’d suggest wine bottle opener as a must 🙂

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Aw, you didn't tell us this was your route... You'll need one of these:

 

 

IMG_5521.jpg.e8d7600557929d3de2dab25cc08bb9ac.jpg

 

 

Please send pictures from the trip, for the rest of us who can't get to europe.

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I had been packing a CO2 setup in the event a flat tire during my travels.  The main problem with that is @ 6 cartridges your rear tire is only at around 25psi, probably enough to make it to a gas station.  It works. but not the optimum solution.

 

Yesterday I came across a 12V dynaplug micro air compressor while browsing around.  Looked at a few reviews and for $30 at CW it looked like a pretty good solution for dealing with a flat tire.  

 

This thing is really small and ends up taking about the same space as the co2 setup.  The pump, hose, and cord easily fit under the seat without having to jettison any other essentials.  Drained my rear tire and put the pump on it.  10 minutes later it was at 40psi.  Also has a led light on it for night time work.  My battery voltage started at 12.6 and after disconnect back at 12.6v.  Hardly any battery drain.  Another nice feature is a second air port on the pump that allows you to check pressure while the pump is still hooked to the tire and running.

 

A hardy recommendation for this product, and no I don't have any stock in the company.

 

http://www.dynaplug.com/microproinflator.html

https://www.cyclegear.com/accessories/dynaplug-micro-inflator-v2-air-pump-compressor?gclid=Cj0KCQiAlsv_BRDtARIsAHMGVSbK4cPfJbU5qvdDKIJgWwh2WtTGSQ0-CE0I41Zqh8jfm8g-yHNpxa8aAicTEALw_wcB&sku_id=1282449

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