Carrying tools on the bike?

[jrswanson1]

Seriously, grab a good tank bag. You'd be amazed at how much shit you can cram in one. Well worth the $30-$75 investment.

I finally broke down and bought a tank bag for my Ducati Monster 696. Guess how much it cost? :'(

The tank bag I got for my Honda Nighthawk works on all of my Hondas with steel tanks, it cost me $35. That's big enough to carry most of the tools I need, plus a bunch of other crap.

 

[socalmike_cb72]

Yea not keen on falling and getting a screwdriver stuck in my abdomen. But just the weight issue alone, will be nice to get the tools secured to the bike.

Not sure if this should be a different thread, but what do you use for a tool case, and how/where do you attach it to your bike?

Lets see some pictures!

 

[Maritime]

I'll see if I can get pics later but I made a tool roll out of courdura nylon for backpacks etc. I sewed slots for all the various tools and put velcro closier on it. It unrolls flat, you grab what you want, then roll back up neat and tidy when done and it fits in the GL compartment in the false tank, also fit strapped under the seat on the 450 when I was riding that more than 50 miles. It would easily fit in one of those little fork bags you see at swap meets etc and that bag could be attached almost anywhere out of the way on any bike.

 

[suthern]

I'll see if I can get pics later but I made a tool roll out of courdura nylon for backpacks etc. I sewed slots for all the various tools and put velcro closier on it. It unrolls flat, you grab what you want, then roll back up neat and tidy when done and it fits in the GL compartment in the false tank, also fit strapped under the seat on the 450 when I was riding that more than 50 miles. It would easily fit in one of those little fork bags you see at swap meets etc and that bag could be attached almost anywhere out of the way on any bike.

would be interesting to see. I like the idea of a roll out tool kit, and it seems like it would keep everything semi-organized.

 

[johngofast]

Another tool I carry is clamping hose pliers.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CRAFTSMAN-HOSE-CLAMP-PLIER-SET-WATER-FUEL-RUBBER-PINCH-/161036313541?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item257e8323c5&vxp=mtr#ht_819wt_905

 

[HerrDeacon]

I usually put a few zip ties in there as well, lot of uses and don't take up any space.

 

[onetruepunk87]

When I bought my CM400 it still had the Honda tool set with it under the seat. I kept that after I sold the bike and its now under the seat of my CB750. It has various size metric wrenches, JIS screwdrivers, spark plug wrench, spanner wrench and probably some other stuff I'm forgetting.

 

[DeanJ]

But mostly I carry a cell phone haha

;D I second that !

 

[crazypj]

When I was racing Enduro's I made a couple of multi tools which got more bits welded to them over time as I found I needed different stuff. I stopped carrying tools on street bikes around 1980 as I was spending more time fixing other peoples breakdowns or even basic stuff like clutch and drive chain adjustments
I sometimes carry a small folding Allen key set, but that's just to remove or adjust position of Go-Pro camera mount ;D
I'm pretty sure I've only had two breakdowns where I needed truck to pick me up which isn't bad in about 400,000+ miles (I didn't get a car licence until I was 28 8) )

 

[Rich Ard]

If you want to see cool tool setups search at ADVrider

 

[Drewski]

I only ride with guys with tools pacs, 'cause I don't have one. : ;D

 

[Tim]

On long trips I fill my saddle bags with spare parts. For the ride to the Spring Thaw it was almost silly. I had everything in there. As it turned out I needed the spare front tube and the tire irons in my BMW's tool roll. The saddle bags are frankly in my case best for parts, and I carry my clothing in duffle bag across the back of the seat.

The BMW is a no brainer, as it has underseat storage and an awesome tool roll. So spare fuses etc. are all there.

For the XS, which has no storage at all, I sometimes carry a small man-bag with some tools in it. At minimum a 10mm wrench and spare mini-blade fuses go with me to take the seat off and replace the one 10A fuse if need be (haven't had to yet in 4 years).

Aside from that the most important tool I carry is my CAA/AAA card. Costs me $100 a year or so, but I get 4 x 200km tows (120 miles) annually. Last summer I had my brother's broken mini-van towed 195KM into town after the transmission puked. That one tow paid for at least a few years of the membership.

 

[Scruffy]

Like Alpha's kit, with a set of spoke wrenches thrown in. I kept the tools from my VN800B (Classic) after I wrecked on it and sold it (to a bike breaker that sold it as a runner). Small tool roll hooked to the lower triple tree. Worth every penny, and even worth the swap from bottom mount to side mount headlight. Added a 1/4 drive ratchet, sockets and extension, kept the oem Suzuki spark plug tool.

For the CLs, if I ever get them running again, the only "tools" would be pen and paper to leave a note saying "It died, you can have it". Which reminds me, Sonic, come get that green piece of junk 250 out of my shop, it's in the way.