Stuff to carry on your bike

[WingAdmin]

I came across this article in Motorcyclist magazine and found it interesting:

Nothing puts a kink in traveling by motorcycle like an off. One second you’re blissfully carving unknown asphalt, the next you’re skidding across it, your bike shedding pieces. But just because a few things are bent and broken doesn’t mean the ride has to be over. After a few unscheduled ballistic re-entries of our own, we’ve gathered up the perfect kit to keep going.

1) Compact first-aid kit
This cheap collection is the same one we carry. It comes with enough bare essentials to take care of minor abrasions and the like, and doesn’t take up much space.

2) Zipstitch laceration kit
Lacerations happen. The ZipStitch Laceration Kit saves a well-trained rider the hassle of contending with the local, possibly unreliable emergency room, and works much better than our previous go-tos: super glue, duct tape, or butterfly bandages. Throw one in the first-aid kit as cheap insurance.

3) Gorilla tape
Forget duct tape. This stuff is the real deal: more adhesive, more weather-resistant, and easier to work with. It’s perfect for patching torn gear, seats, or saddlebags. No need to pack a full roll. Simply wind a few feet around a pen or wrench and unroll what you need when you need it.

4) J-B Weld steelstik
Asphalt loves nothing more than to grind through an engine case. This epoxy putty is perfect for quick fixes, setting in five minutes and curing completely in around one hour. It can also tolerate heat of up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Have a hole larger than the epoxy alone can contend with? Get creative. Pennies make great filler.

5) Zip ties
Our generation’s duct tape, quality zip ties are the ultimate multitool. We keep a few dozen discreetly hidden away on every bike we own. They can stitch together body panels, secure lights, hold boxes closed, and even keep knobby tires from spinning on the rim when your tube is flat.

6) Silicone sealing tape
There’s a reason the U.S. military throws a roll of this stuff in every Recovery and Battle Damage Assessment and Repair Kit. It can handle up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and 950 psi, which means it’s perfect for repairing punctured radiator hoses. It’s also a great insulator, and when wrapped around damaged wiring, it can keep aggravating shorts at bay.

7) Mechanic’s wire
If it can’t be glued, taped, or zip-tied, it can be wired together. And in a pinch, wire can replace missing panel bolts, keeping things in place until you can find a hardware store. Like the Gorilla tape, there’s no need to bring a whole roll. Peel off a small coil and pack it away.

I carry a lot of these things already, but a few I hadn't thought of. After reading it I looked at the Zip stitch kit, and decided instead on this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CR ... UTF8&psc=1

I think it's far more useful and adaptable for these types of injuries, at least as far as first aid is concerned.

I have some generic duct tape, but I agree, Gorilla tape is far superior, so I'm going to replace my duct tape with Gorilla. I also never thought of the J-B Weld being a "carry along" item for my toolkit, but in that form, it would work well. Zip ties I already carry a ton of, so no worries there. Silicone sealing tape I have a roll already, I've used this many times and it works amazingly well.

Lastly, the mechanic's wire is an excellent idea - I have a small spool of stainless wire, and I'll just toss that in my bike. It could easily fix things which are just too much for zip ties.

Any other ideas of what might be a good multi-purpose takealong?

[Aussie81Interstate]

For use on the bike - I think I pack some of those in normal use - not the stitch kit or JB weld or wire, but everything else I have. I also keep spare fuses, spare headlight and tail bulbs, a few paper towels - toolkit - some occy straps - a few Velcro straps, a couple of large drawstring garbage bag liners- just in case it rains and I have to cover my carry bag, a small multimeter. At least one bottle of water and a few muesli bars, and some lollies (I am a diabetic).

When younger and living in far western NSW - and travelling by car on many outback dirt roads - I carried a supply of canned baked beans - a six pack of beer and a few toilet rolls - just in case...

[quasi2008]

add an air pump, plug kit, and a mini booster pack to the list.

[Viking]

If you are carrying stainless wire rather than mechanics wire, perhaps throw in a small pair of needle nose pliers. Stainless is hard on the fingers.

[landisr]

Aussie81Interstate: After pondering the beans-n-beer combo, I can certainly see the need for the t-paper.

Ron in AZ

[Overdog]

I can't sew worth a hoot....if I have to deal with a bad laceration:.... #3) Gorilla Tape

[Alan_Hepburn]

I can't sew worth a hoot....if I have to deal with a bad laceration:.... #3) Gorilla Tape

...or Super Glue - it was developed to close wounds on the battlefield after all! And it's being used in place of stitches and staples for many medical procedures now...

[keithg64]

I never thought of jb weld and the silicone tape I haven't heard of but why not. I just bought a dynaplug and have a small air compressor.
I carry a small set of tools to do about anything I need on the road including a multitool. I also carry the knowledge on how to use everything.

[DenverWinger]

The JB weld would have saved us a trip with the pickup truck back in the '80s.

A friend of mine and I took a trip up the Colorado Mt. Evans road (Highest paved road in the US, summit 14,264 ft). He on his CB-750 and me on my Suzuki GS-550. We had reached the summit, took pictures and whatever else we did up there and suddenly a cloud with misting rain blew up the mountainside. So we started on our way down.

Well, the top 1/4 of that road is paved with an asphalt mix with extremely high oil content and it gets positively greasy when wet, and of course it is full of sharp turns and switchbacks. So we are gingerly making our way down. I was in the lead. About 1/8 the way down I came up to a sharp 90 degree left turn, I was going maybe 10 MPH, barely touched the rear brake for the turn and the rear wheel slid out from under me. Down I went, breaking the handlebar mounted pexiglass windshield on the left side. I knew Bert was behind me, so I quickly picked up the 550, slipped and dropped it on the right side breaking the RF turn signal. Picked it up again, quickly got out of the way and looked behind me, Bert was already down and sliding toward me. His bike slid into the rocks at the side of the road smashing the headlight.

Well, his bike wasn't as lucky as mine, it had no crash bar, we picked it up, started it, and it was flinging oil all over the place. There was a crack with a small hole in the left side engine cover. Well, we carefully made our way back down the Mt Evans Rd, Bert just coasting his bike in neutral, and we left his bike at the Echo Lake gift shop at the bottom. Rode 2-up on my Suzuki the 90 minutes back to Boulder where we were living at the time to get Bert's truck....

JB Weld and a Penny would have been a perfect fix! Had JB Weld even been invented back in '85?

[keithg64]

Yep, jb weld started in 1969.

[WingAdmin]

I can't sew worth a hoot....if I have to deal with a bad laceration:.... #3) Gorilla Tape

...or Super Glue - it was developed to close wounds on the battlefield after all! And it's being used in place of stitches and staples for many medical procedures now...

It's not quite the same thing. Most superglues have solvents in them that are toxic to human tissue which is why it burns when applied). Dermabond instead has butyl esters that are bacteriostatic, to prevent sealing in bacterial infection. Dermabond also has a retardant that slows curing, to limit the exothermic reaction - to prevent heat from damaging the tissues it's supposed to be helping to seal.

That said, I've used superglue on myself, and had Dermabond used on me, both worked just as well.

[brettchallenger]

A box of Dermabond here in the UK costs over £200! We are never that far away from an A&E unit to make Dermabond a good buy.

In terms of things I carry, it's limited to puncture emergency repair gunge, a RAC (Royal Automobile Club) card and a credit card. Oh, and a St Christopher medal.

[oldmopars]

If I am on my bike, or with a friend and we poke a big enough hole that it needs to be stitched, I am going to use the super glue and Gorilla tape, then head to the nearest ER. At that point all I would be worried about is bleeding out. As long as I can stop the bleeding before too much blood is lost, the ER can do the fancy clean up work.
As for other carry items. My SE has a built in air pump, so for me, just the hose. But I do carry a tire plug kit.
A flashlight is a must in case you ever have an issue after dark.
As already stated, fuses.
I carry extra nuts and bolts. Not a lot, but just a few of the common ones for the bike I am riding.
The type of riding I do will also dictate what more I carry. When on my Adventure bike, I carried a lot more stuff, but I was way off the beaten path and out of cell range and normal traffic. So I had to be able to fix more stuff.

[DenverWinger]

I generally consider my motorcycles to be maintained well enough that they are every bit as reliable as my cars. A cell phone and a credit card will fix about anything. And I expect I will only be using those to say Hi to someone or buy fuel and lunch! Cars have spare tire and a jack. That's about it. My bikes generally carry very minimal stuff.

That said, on cross-country travel I usually throw a toolbox in the car, or the camper if traveling by bike.

The only motorcycle Road Repairs I've had to do were planned in advance, the drive chain on my old Suzuki GS-550 was still good but nearing what I would consider end-of-life, so I set of off cross-country to visit family and friends for two weeks, and replaced the chain working at my friend's house before starting the return trip. (I don't miss chain drive one little bit!) Same thing with a rear tire on the 1100, planned replacement while at my destination.

But there's NO Reason not to pack a basic first-aid kit in any and all vehicles, they're small, not expensive, when they are needed, they are needed "Right Now!" and you could save a life, someone else's if not your own.

[brettchallenger]

In many countries in Europe (inc Germany and France) there is a requirement to carry a first aid kit on a motorcycle, and in some cases you are obliged by law to stop and give assistance to injured persons. The penalty in France for not stopping is severe - up to five years imprisonment. The first aid kit carried on a motorcycle must meet a European specification DIN13167 - like this https://www.louis-moto.co.uk/artikel/mo ... 7/10010733. However, there are no rules about the required competence of the first aid provider. Quite what is considered a motorcycle in these countries I am not sure, and I am fairly confident that the little old ladies you see on small capacity mopeds etc in France don't carry one, neither I suspect, do riders of sports machines with zero storage space.

These rules are not applicaple in the United Kingdom.

[WingAdmin]

I generally consider my motorcycles to be maintained well enough that they are every bit as reliable as my cars. A cell phone and a credit card will fix about anything. And I expect I will only be using those to say Hi to someone or buy fuel and lunch! Cars have spare tire and a jack. That's about it. My bikes generally carry very minimal stuff.

To my recollection, I have NEVER had to use the tools and supplies I carry to fix my motorcycle or myself.

HOWEVER...I have on many multiple occasions used my tools to help another broken down motorcyclist, and my first aid supplies to help another injured person.

And...every time I have stopped and helped to fix another's motorcycle to get them home, it has always been a Harley.

Just sayin'.

[knotjohnson]

I'm a little late getting here, but I have a very useful item to carry. GOJO Fast Towels, individual packets with a paper towel moistened with a hand cleaner. Leaves your hands clean with no need to rinse. Good for cleaning most anything. I buy them by the case, 4 boxes of 80 packets each. I'll carry about 25 on the bike for a 30 day trip, they are packed all over the bike so there is always 1 close at hand. I don't like to put dirty hands in my gloves. A bit overkill but I like my stuff.