Best Motorcycle Travel Tool Kit
We've put on a lot of miles while touring through the backcountry of Colombia and we learned a bunch of stuff along the way. My friend Alan (pictured on the right) knows a ton about gear. If you're looking for the best motorcycle emergency tool kit check out his tips and product recommendations below.
What to look for in a Motorcycle Travel / Emergency Tool Kit:
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Small - One of the most important things is to have everything be in a small size. If your tool kit is too big it won't be able to fit comfortably in your pack and you may think that since its so bulky it's not worth the hassle to take along.
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Lightweight - I used to think that big heavy-duty products were the best to bring along on a trip. That was until I tried using it in the field. Imagine that you have a flat tire in the rain and mud. You don't want to be stuck messing around with all sorts of heavy, bulky gear. Quick, simple, and lightweight is the way to go.
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Cheap - The cheaper the better my dudes. This stuff is for emergencies, not working on your Mercedes AMG CLK GTR1 that you have in your garage. The tools don't have to be of the absolute best quality. They just have to be good enough to get you out of the situation that you're in.
Craftsman Metric Wrench Set - Need to change a motorcycle tire or get some bolts off? We recommend this metric wrench set. Its cheap, good quality and small enough to put in your tool roll.
Slime Tire Inflator - This was a real game changer for me. I used to use bicycle foot pumps but got tired of the bulky size and the time it took to fill up a tire. Then thought about getting a big electric tire inflator but I thought that it was too big to take a long. My friend Alan turned me on to this mini-tire inflator pump and it changed my life. This thing is so small you wouldn't believe it and it only takes about 3 minutes for it to fill up a tire. I take it everywhere with me and use it every chance I get.
Nelson-Rigg Tool Roll - Nelson Rigg makes some really high quality equipment for a good price and lots of their products come with a lifetime warranty. This tool roll is a perfect fit for your tire irons and wrenches and rolls up nice and neat to fit in your bag.
Tire Spoons - There are lots of different types of tire spoons out there but these are what I use. They are long enough to get good leverage so you can easily pop off the tire from the rim and they have smooth round edges so you won't puncture your tire tube when putting the tire back on.
Nelson-Rigg Motorcycle Rain Suit - It can get really cold out here, especially when riding through the mountains in the rain. Hypothermial can be an issue so we recommend protecting yourself by bringing a good quality rain suit. These Nelson Rigg rain suits offer high quality and a great value for the money.
Bondhus Allen Wrench Set - For portability, a folding set of hex wrenches is nice to have. These were the least expensive ones we looked at, but they had the most comfortable handle and the most useful features. We liked how the wrenches can also be stopped at 90 degrees from the handle, which helps to quickly loosen or tighten a screw. These are also covered by a lifetime guarantee.
Olympia Motorcycle Rain Suit - This is another option that offers great quality for the money. It's breathable and it has enough of that green neon color facing forward and backwards for safety in low visibility conditions, like rain. It also has built in reflectivity.
Craftsman Screwdriver Set - Small, simple, compact and lightweight. Fits great in the tool roll. Comes with a Philips and flat blade so you're good to go for all situations.
Olympia Motorcycle Rain Pants - Same thing as the top but it's the pants. This is another option that offers great quality for the money. It's breathable and it has enough of that green neon color facing forward and backwards for safety in low visibility conditions, like rain. It also has built in reflectivity.
HTS Screwdriver Set - If you don't want to spend the money for the Craftsman name this one is just as good and it's half the price.
Paracord - Paracord is Light weight, strong and cheap. Military uses it. I like it as an emergency tow rope. Need to tow your bike? Maybe the lid of your top box broke and you need to tie it down. This is the way to go. Keep 50' feet of it in a zip lock bag and you won't be sorry.
Craftsman Adjustable Wrench Set - These are great for taking off the nuts holding on the wheels. Good for all sorts of other stuff too.
50L Waterproof Dry Bag - 30L is to small 65L is too big. 50 liters is pretty much the right size for a 1-2 week long trip. Tie it down to the passenger seat with some Rok Straps and you're ready to go.
Rok Straps - Another game changer for me. I used to try to strap everything down with bungee straps and ratchet straps. These are basically quick release bungee straps. I only need to use two of them to strap my dry bag down and they come right off. Makes loading up a 10 second process.
Gorilla Duct Tape - Duct Tape fixes everything. Recommended to have in your kit.
Pliers - You need these to remove the cotter pin from the axle nut. We recommend these more than needle nose pliers because they have better grip strength and will do most of what needle nose will do. Needle nose are nice for getting into super tight places. But that's not always going to be an issue in the field.