Here's a good alternative to the cheaper chineese or dedicated MC pumps.
VW/Audi make (or used to) an electric pump that they used to supply with some cars, it used to sit in the spare wheel.
Anyway, you can cut off the plastic casing and it's a smashin bit of kit. Not too big or heavy and seems to last the distance.
As a back up there are some powerful mountain bike pumps out there which are quite small and durable
Dave.

Put all of your sockets on a length of bungie cord. (undo a bungie net for cheap cord) then you can get them to fit around other stuff but they're kept together. Get some heatshrink tubing (electronics store) then you can twist wires together and shrink it on with a lighter for a good bodge.

When checking wiring out, most of the time all you need to know is if there is power or not. With one piece of wire and an indicator bulb you can check this. Hold the wire against the side of the bulb, put the centre contact to earth and use the other end of the wire to test for power. (check the bulb works first!)

Depending on how you travel and where you are going there are two basic schools of thought on how many tools/spares you carry:
1."It is always possible to get a bust bike onto a truck or similar and taken to a place with tools" in which case you carry essentials only (tyre irons, spark plug socket and wheel adjustment spanners)
2."I will be in the arse end of the middle of nowhere and might need to rebuild my top-end in my tent" in which case you pack everything but the kitchen sink

Before I went away I stripped the bike to a certain degree and rebuilt it, marking essential tools with insulating tape (out of a halfords pro. tool set, very very good value at 100 quid for a fairly comprehensive set). This way I knew what I needed for each job so was confident I could do it all, plus got a very good look at the state of the bike and replaced a lot of crapped out bits as I went. Also sometimes one type of spanner might fit in a space while another wont, so you can't assume that your 12m ratchet spanner will do all your 12m bolts

Although overlanding isn't rallying it is still a good idea to lockwire all bolted on components onto the frame. Trust me, crawling through sand dunes in the midday sun in full bike gear searching for the footpeg that just snapped off is no fun!

Mole grips are useful for lots of things, take some!
Two universal joints and an extension bar makes a wrench, as well as being a flexible extension (very useful on a bike)
Lots of jubilee clips, store around a bottle/can/round tube of some kind
Gaffa tape-essential for all walks of life. Araldite adhesive or simlar (i.e. two part epoxy), take a few tubes - this can be used to repair plastics, broken fuel tanks and even holed exhausts (use a bandage from your first aid kit covered in it, then wrap it round tight, sets like rock, heat proof, tough and sticks to metal and plastic right well)

Both have their obvious advantages and drawbacks. A bike that has been designed as field maintainable would be a bonus. As an old friend who used to work on landy defenders for a living once said "I can remember the exact size of every bolt I put on those things........ they were 10 mil". A chieftain tank only has two tools, a double-ended spanner for all jobs and a huge one for adjusting the tension on the tracks, we should get the manufacturers to do an overlanding bike!

There is the small matter of the 10 REME guy's following behind with a few extra tools! I can still smell the diesel and burning oil now

a bit like the 'flawless' reliability of the Ducati powered dakar winning Elefants. I mistakenly bought one for overlanding only to remember far too late that they had Cagiva support trucks to service them every night.....

Still, swapping engines on a bike is a one-man job, doubt the same is true of a tank!

"There is the small matter of the 10 REME guy's following behind with a few extra tools!" - if by Extra Tools you mean a large Adjusi (adjustable in normal parlance), and a hammer - and if that didn't work, a bigger hammer... then yes, the REMF's would work wonders (or backload to 2nd line)!

I'm not going to rise to the bait of being refered to as a rear echelon MF. My experience was Tankies and REME alike had great fun spending those tax payers pounds, every last one. The biggest toys for the biggest boys!

Thanks for all your replies, in the end I got a TTR600RE for my trip.

I liked the post made by henryuk about striping the bike first, good thing to do I recon! Going to start doing all my work from now on, save loads and learn loads.

I’ve got to get one of those halfords pro tool kits for about £100 quid, and over time I’ll figure out the best tools and parts list.

Thanks for all the tips guys
Shaun

good choice on the bike, you will have a riot!

I snapped a torx bit out of my halfords tools the other day (using all my force applied through my foot so not surprising), took it into halfords and said 'this snapped' they replaced it straight away! Think they have some kind of lifetime guarantee. I always thought halfords stuff must suck because halfords is where clueless 17 year olds go to get fibreglass crap to glue to their vauxhall nova, but have been very impressed so far...

The more expensive stuff isn't bad at all. Better than Machine Mart anyway.

If you're very,very lucky, you may find a branch with a couple of staff who are genuine enthusiasts and know what they're talking about. If not, that Nova outside probably belongs to one of them.

Whatever you buy, remember that anything you buy cheap can and probably will break when you need it most, like when fixing a car on a Sunday night and you need it for work on Monday morning.

You’re so right!!

I gave up buying cheap a long time ago.

I’ve got a few basic sealey tools but it’s been a few years since I had a full kit. going to get a nice halfords pro set and one of them nice little boxes for 45 quid

You don’t need much. With the tools on this picture I can do all major service jobs and a lot more:


All tools packed, various chemicals and Tip-Top wrapped in plastic and goes inside the frame:



Packed in the toolbox, the Vaseline-box contains grease.

Take a look at Tools :: Prevent Or Repair :: Aerostich/RiderWearHouse Motorcycle Jackets, Suits, Clothing, & Gear they have some tools that will work. Dont like the idea of using your bikes motor to pump up a tire in the long run.
Price has little to do with quality check around for good used tools. I have tools I have used almost every day at work that are older than me or my dad. Got some from 2nd hand shops my grandpa and yard sails. I have cut down some tools to work for the job at hand like hex keys to fit a socket and wrenches to fit in areas that bigger ones will not go. A good used $.50 wrench cut down is a better way to go than a new stubby set for $50 when you only need one or two. Also a small pipe smashed down at one end to fit you wrench and give the extra force you need will go along way to making your kit smaller and more useful.

Get some bolts and nuts that fit your bike as well I seem to lose mine on the road from time to time a real life saver. Wire ties to.

The stock KLR tool kit will do quite a bit actually. Make sure you take a wrench for the front wheel axle - there is no wrench in the tool kit that fits it. I carry a 10" adjustable wrench which often comes in handy. Spare master links, tubes, tube repair kit spare bulbs, etc. All of these are a good idea. I also carry a small tire pump among other things.

Afternoon all,

I've been reading through this thread with interest and there are some great tips which I'll be sure to employ!

I've been looking into tools to buy for our UK yo Oz trip. Given that the stock tool kit in my XT is pretty rubbish and mu home set is 'sparce' I was thinking of getting a decent set and then doing a strip down/rebuild of the bike and putting aside those tools used for the trip.

Halfords have currently got sales on their Advanced Pro tool kits, 3 of which I've linked below. Which, if any, would you recommend as a home kit (source for travel kit?

Halfords Advanced Pro 120 piece (RRP £189, now £100)

Halfords Advanced Pro 55 piece (RRP £109, now £49)

Halfords 95 piece Tool set (£119)

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