Touring Toolkit Must Haves When Touring

1. AA/RAC etc...recovery membership.
2. Tubeless repair kit (for tubeless tyres obviously) with valve tool and spare valve cores. If you have tubed tyres, then a spare tube (for the AA/RAC man) and possibly some of that gelatinous, supposedly puncture sealing shite.
2. Spark plug wrench.
3. Duck/Gaffa tape and nylon zip ties
4. A small generic toolkit with a multipoint screwdriver of some description, small pliers and a few small spanners etc.
5. Head torch

My Grandad would have said, "Always carry a penny, a piece of string and a pen knife, they'll get you out of anything".

 

Yep, on the spanners and heads look at things on your handle bars and bike that can work loose, eg mirrors and make sure you have what you need to nip them up.

 

Under my seat...

• Allen keys
• Mini compressor (in the tank bag)
• Tyre repair kit
• Electrical tape
• Cable ties
• Screwdriver with a variety of bits
• Microfibre cloth
• Windex/windowlene in a small spray bottle

 

given the small tank on my speedy i carry 2L fuel

 

I carry most of what has been mentioned above plus:

• A small can of chain lube
• A torch

 

What bike are you going to tour on Rob and does it have tubed or tubeless tyres, as that will have an impact on what you need to take

 

I'd leave out the battery pack, plugs and plug spanner.
If you're on a reasonably newish bike you're very unlikely to need these items. If you're on a new bike (under 2 years old) I'd just take a puncture repair kit and a compressor as well as having breakdown insurance.
I tour on a well kept four year old bike with breakdown cover, puncture repair kit, compressor and 80/90 gear oil for lubing the chain every 300 miles. That's all I need. No point in overloading your luggage. It's easy to overthink these things.
Just relax and enjoy the ride.

 

A few pairs of disposable nitrile (not latex) gloves are also useful for oily/greasy inspections/adjustments and invasive body searches and take up virtually zero room.

 

A trailer to carry all the spares, on a more serious note however, give the machine a proper service, by that I mean not just the oil and filter change, well maintained modern machines (and classics) tend to not breakdown when serviced correctly and on time, apart from either a tubeless or tubed puncture repair kit you shouldn't need anything other than the tools that come with the machine, membership of a good breakdown/recovery service in the event of an accident. I have just completed the 12,000 mile service on my bike at 10,000 miles prior to heading to the MGP, (and what a line up it is for the Classic Superbike Manx GP race, I predict new lap and race records, with plenty joining the Classic 130 mph club), it is time consuming, especially the valve check as there is so much to take off prior to removing the cam cover, at least it gives the opportunity to inspect such things as the wiring and terminals at hard to get at places that may present a potential problem. Triumph have certainly upped the game with regards to the ignition coil sticks, these are interesting to extract compared to older machines, no chance of water ingress down to the plugs that corroded the centre spark plug solid on numerous other early models, these seal perfect. Ride safe all from an ageing Rocker

 

Only thing I have ever needed was a puncture kit, duck tape and chain lube (gear oil and toothbrush) on my many tours. Thats all I bother to bring, don't get bogged down and go enjoy yourself.

 

I think the reality here in the UK, certainly if you have some sort of recovery contract, is you're never going to be that far from help. If you're touring the Yukon or similar then it's a different ball game.

 

spare cables: clutch, throttle, brake, if relevant. Tape in place alongside existing ones.

 

Rob has already been spotted leaving Malvern