Top 65 Adventure Tool Roll Items - Must have tool kit

Top 65 Adventure Tool Roll Items

Make your own ultimate 'must have' tool kit...
OK, so lots of requests have come in for more packing lists and practical advice. Although advice is sometimes hard to give, and should always be taken with yourself, and the adviser in mind, it is essential to have.

We have already posted a very popular and well received medical kit packing list which can be found >HERE<, and we are both medical doctors so that one is  a goodie, give it a read. What follows below is the packing list for our tool kit, now I am not a mechanic, but I am also not shy to work on the bike, for this, YouTube is also included as a vital component of the tool-kit. Please also remember, that when you make up a tool-kit for your bike, make it up for YOUR bike. Every kind of bike has its own little niggles and needs its own specialized parts etc. A tool-kit should also be shaped to the length and location of your trip in order to keep weight and volume to a minimum
So here it goes! Let me know if you agree / disagree / or have any suggestions.

The Ultimate tool-kit

1. Spare inner tubes

Only one is pictured here, but you need a spare for each tyre. These spares can be normal inner tubes, as then they will then take up less space. We travel with enduro tubes on the front and rear that are 4mm thick to prevent punctures, but these land up being MASSIVE if you try take them as spares. They are put in a plastic bag and then wrapped in duct tape and labelled. This has the advantage of keeping the size down, protecting the tube, and always being an emergency source of duct tape.

2. Go chain wax

 This is amazing stuff: Minimal fling, water-based and solvent free, compact, easy to apply, doesn’t pick up grime, and it is 100% biodegradable. The squeeze bottle application also prevents you from spraying chain lube on your tyres, brake discs and the like. I always carry a little bottle in the tank bag or on me so I can top up when we put in petrol or stop for a break, really convenient. Check their products out >HERE<

3. Tie-downs / straps

 We always carry some spare straps and tie-downs, and they always come in handy, for carrying anything from shopping, to firewood, to spare-tyres. We have used them to put up a tarp in the rain, keep the F800GS upright when removing the front wheel and I have even used them to keep my bike in one piece after being hit by a taxi in Lesotho.

4. Rag

 Ya gotta have a rag. What mechanic doesn’t have a rag!? Seriously, this is actually really useful,  so many uses that I wouldn’t even dare go into it.

5. Insulation / Electrical tape

 Apart from insulating electrical connections, its can be used to waterproof things and containers, etc. etc. Its tape… use it as such…

6. Strong double sided tape / No More Nails

I have needed this more times than I can count, useful for a wide variety of repairs and tweaks

7. Gaffer tape

Strong as all hell, this stuff is duct tape on steroids

8. Hella to 12V cigarette lighter port converter

 Used to plug into the Hella port next to the key socket so we can charge gadgets if need be, used with a GoPro USB to cigarette lighter port converter

9. 12V Compressor

 Have you ever tried to pump up a rear bike tire with a hand pump only to find the puncture is leaking… again…? You will use up every foul word in your vocabulary, possibly give yourself a heart attack and land up with one massive bicep. I don’t travel without one of these on any trip. But a hand pump is a good idea as a backup NOTE: These babies will not run off the Hella port on your BMW F800GS, the ECU limits the amps, and therefore it wont run. To combat this you need to install a 12V converter kit which runs straight off the battery, bypassing the ECU. You can get a good kit from Wild@Heart

10. Duct tape

 An old classic, used by plumbers, mechanics, adventurers, DIY men, and the revered by kidnappers and criminals worldwide. The uses are endless, take enough.

11. Work gloves

 Call me a sissy all you want, I will always have a pair of these on me. Its amazing how painful your hands and fingers can get whilst trying get a tire off a rim at -1°C. Also used extensively from collecting firewood to using as glorified oven mitts.

12. Rubber gloves

 For the dirty work, especially out in the field where its difficult to clean grease and oil off your hands before sliding them back into your riding gloves

13. The Adventure Motorcycling Handbook, by Chris Scott

 The Bible for adventure bikers, it has everything in it, everything. Its a great read and it makes me feel better to carry it.

14. WD40

 If it moves and it shouldn’t, use masking tape, if it doesn’t move and it should, use WD40. I always carry a can, the uses are endless, also a great degreaser.

15. Tyre fill

Only in dire emergencies, I haven’t used it yet and I really hope I never do

16. Spare fuel hose

 I think this is pretty self-explanatory

17. Tow-strap

 Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER travel without a tow-rope. NEVER!!!

18. Jumper leads

 Also very important, sure, you can bump-start a bike… but not in deep sand you can’t and you can’t bump start an F800GS, it’s a long story but I refuse to believe it’s possible, I have tried my arse off and never gotten it right. So if you can, you are probably a high-warlock of some sort and you need to send me a video or I will never believe you.

19. Siphoning hose

 You really don’t need a specialized siphoning hose, but you do need something that will do the trick, getting it from the fuel pump does not work in all cars. Try get a clear one so you can see the fuel, unless you like a mouth-full of delicious petrol.

20. Spare chain links

 You need at least  three spare links to fix a chain.

21. CO2 cartridges or ‘bombs’

 These generally come in 2 sizes, the smaller can give you some extra pressure if you need it, but I prefer to carry the big-boys that the 4×4 guys use, they will completely fill up any motorcycle tire in a hurry.

22. Mystery item

I packed it, so it must be useful, but I cant remember what it is for the life of me from that picture [edited supplement: this should be replaced with a pack of condoms, in case of random strange emergency bang, of course].

23. Plastic lubricant [Ahem..]

 This minute little bottle came with my Arai helmet, its meant to be used for the hinge on the visor, I could think of lots of other applications, and it’s really small, so I brought it along, you can never have enough lube.

24. Patch kit

 For punctures, make sure you have some good (fresh) glue, Tip Top is a good brand, also plenty of patches, large and small, with some sandpaper. Another good idea is to cut a large strip off of an old inner tube, this can be used if you need a larger or longer patch than what you have available.

25. Hose clamps and rubber bands

Also self-explanatory, hose-clamps for repairs and replacements to the various piping on the bike, and elastic bands because why not.

26. Spare brake pads

 Front: Only essential for longer trips obviously, it can be a huge problem to be stuck without brakes.

27. Spare brake pads

 Rear: As above

28. Piece of wire

 Wide variety of uses

29. Spare oil filters

 Only needed for longer trips into remote areas

30. All purpose glue

 Very strong, for sticking things that need to be stuck

31. Loctite

Very important for securing screws in place, essential when riding long stretches of bumpy, corrugated gravel.

32. Pratley Steel

For sticking metal that needs to be stuck

33. Rubber cement and super-glue

 See above

34. CO2 cartridge valve

 Used with the bombs

35. Spare split pins for brakes

 Maybe I’m paranoid, but I wanted spare, losing one of these and not having a replacement seemed like a bit of a ‘mare to me.

36. Spare screws, bolts and washers

 Specially for bikes, with hex-key socket and the right size for all the holes in the fairings etc.

37. Leatherman Supertool

 If you ride an adventure bike, you need to own a leatherman, and the Supertool is my favorite, used every single day

38. Leatherman Crunch

 This Leather-man is unique in the fact that it has an adjustable vice-grip instead of needle nose pliers. A vice grip is a big, heavy thing to carry, so having a nice compact one that also sport a variety of other uses is a win in my book. A vice grip is a really really nice tool to have, and has been used on a number of occasions

39. Cable repair kit

To repair cables.

40. Small(er) cable ties

 Another essential item, there are ALWAYS cable ties on my ride, no matter how long or far the ride. I’m convinced you can actually build an entire motorcycle from these things

41. Very fine metal strainer

 For straining fuel, necessary when filling up out of a canister or bottle in dodgy areas with low quality fuel. This can prevent massive headaches down the road. What we also use are ATG Kahawa coffee filters, very fine mesh, they work amazingly as fuel filters and as coffee strainers (just not the same one!)

42. Ratchet Sockets

 With small ratchet (54). Carrying a smaller ratchet will also prevent you from over tightening everything, which 90% are prone to.

43. Small tire iron

 For sorting out flat tires, find which ever shape suits you, the spoon shape (next tool) I find is probably the best, carrying the least chance of pinching the tube and causing another puncture. Smaller irons can also be carried as welding shrapnel. Also used to keep brake calipers open when taking the wheel out etc. Handy tool for a bunch of different stuff

44. Size 17 spanner with spoon tire iron

 Size 17 spanner for removing the front wheel

45. Size 24 spanner

  For removing rear wheel and as a general whacker / hammer

46. Long tire iron

 Its huge, very long and doesn’t fit into a tool roll, but you wont notice it at the bottom of a pannier. Very few people bring such a huge iron, and I suppose it’s not really necessary, but I really like it, it has great leverage, and hooks easily under the disc when removing the tyre, making things a bit easier

47. Large cable ties

 You can never carry enough

48. BASIC electronics kit

 Just for testing the completion of circuits and checking charge. I am upgrading though to a proper multi-meter. It seems like overkill, but in a remote environment with no mechanics, you can check like your alternator, battery health,  stator etc etc. It can be a very useful diagnostic tool. Otherwise, the easiest thing to carry is a small bulb connected to two wires to test a circuit, it can also be useful

49. Allen / Hex keys

  In sizes to accommodate every socket on the bike

50. Torx keys

 In sizes to accommodate every socket on the bike, these are much better than the hex keys as they are much harder to strip, so its better to have all the screws on the bike as Torx rather than hex. You can also unscrew a torx screw with a screwdriver if you are desperate, which is much more difficult when using a hex key

51. Screwdriver heads

 Yup, that’s about it

52. Chain tool

For breaking the chain and replacing links, this is a nice compact one

53. Spare clutch lever

I have lost count how many clutch levers Megan has cruelly destroyed, we normally carry two just because of this. Now with proper hand guards, it has become rare for her to break levers. So get yourself a decent set of hard guards to prevent the vast majority of lever hassles

54. Small ratchet

 as explained above in (42)

55. Size 13 spanner

 For adjusting chain tension

56. Size 10 spanner

Some of the bolts require this size too

57. Tyre pressure gauge

Very important, especially if you are going to be doing any off-road or sand riding that requires you to drop your tyre pressure

58. Spare ring antenna

 OK so this is quite an important piece of kit for an F800GS, and I now carry one because I learned to the hard way, stuck for 4+ hours until 1:30 in the morning in the freezing cold because this thing decided to just stop working. Its a common occurrence with F800’s and if it malfunctions, the ECU activated the immobilizer and you are going NOWHERE. No amount of tinkering, tools, push starts, jump starts, prayers or soul-selling is going to get that bike to start. If you have one of these, it is as easy as opening up, plugging the spare in, starting up, and riding away. Its also actually surprisingly cheap, just the name “ring antenna” made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, but the bill only came to under US$ 50, not too bad.

59. Spare air filters

 One for each bike, important to carry a spare.

Not pictured in the big photo above:

60. Size 6 and 7 spanners or even better, spoke tools

 For adjusting spoke tension, can be essential for wheel / steering wobble or after denting the rim or losing / bending another spoke

61. Shifting spanner

Because it make me fell better. Also good for whacking things, and has already come in useful on the trip

62. Tooth-brush

 Useful for cleaning things, e.g: chain, brake pistons, sprocket etc.

63. Fuel pump

 A spare can be useful, it is also reported as failing in a few of the F800GS’s. Luckily it is very small, very cheap and very easy to find, so only necessary to carry if you will be spending a long time in the middle-of-nowhere. It is the same as the fuel pump for a 16V Nissan Sentra (pictured), which is also the same as for a lot of other common cars: (correct me if I’m wrong) Toyota Corolla and even the Toyota Hi-lux or so I have been told

64. Spare head-light bulb

 Also very easy to find, and the same as the majority of cars, but also very easy to carry

65. The Tool roll itself

K riega makes a great, one, also very popular and durable.
Some tools are a little long, but it rolls up nicely, with a strong velcro fastener
What we would really like, but can’t afford:
Color coded insulation tape: This helps me to always know which tools are mine, which comes in handy when helping someone else at the roadside. I have already lost tools to others in the rush and stress of packing up on the side of the road.
Markings on the tyre irons: Also visible in the picture is where I have marked the levers with the exact distances for the correct chain tension on the bike, this makes checking and adjusting the chain much easier
Once again, I am happy to hear any recommendations or personal experience you may have, its always nice to learn something new. Drop a comment if you agree with the above or not.
~Poodle
TREKGREATAMERICAN@GMAIL.COM

Dont forget to check out:

The Ultimate First Aid Kit for Adventure and Dual Sport motorcycle riding.

Learning the hard way to bring the right tools,
How to pack a tool kit for adventure Motorcycling