Tool kit

[lucky1958]

Looking for ideas for a basic took it
I ride a BMW K1600
thanks for input
7K ride coming soon

[Sport-Touring]

[micah2074]

BMW...That's easy.
VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express...

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Seriously, bikes these days are super hard to work on (IMHO). Other than a tire patch kit, I wouldn't even know where to begin in setting up a tool kit

[rajflyboy]

Shoot

BMW motorcycles never break down  

[Sport]

Looking for ideas for a basic took it
I ride a BMW K1600
thanks for input
7K ride coming soon

Well, there’s not too many nuts and bolts that are visible on the K1600GT but here’s what I do.  On my 12 yr old Hayabusa with over 60,000 miles, I’ve never needed even a screwdriver so the factory tool kit is all I take in addition to my Visa and the best towing service around, RVRoadhelp.  They’ll tow whatever you’re riding or driving to wherever you have to go to get repaired.  For my 39 yr old CBX with nearly 70,000 miles on it I walked around it with a set of metric hand tools and tried every bolt I could find, 8mm to 14mm.  As well as needle nose pliers and screwdrivers I take a set of sockets and open end wrenches, some zip ties and tape.  In all those miles I’ve never needed more than one wrench to tighten a banjo bolt.  I feel better taking them anyway and they don’t take up much room or weigh too much.  I also take a tubeless tire repair kit and have used it twice successfully so as not to be stranded just for a flat.  Good luck on your tour!

[FJRider]

Tire patch kit
CO2 Inflators
Assortment of Hex Keys
slotted and Philips screwdrivers
Leatherman tool.
Fuses
Electrical tape
Duct Tape

That's about it. I'm not carrying this for my bike. I ride and FJR and never need tools. This is for my bud's who ride BMW's with me.

[slvrsprint]

I would take what FJ listed along with some cable ties and whatever it takes to get to your battery.  You'll need an oil change on a 7000 mile trip.  Are you planning to do that yourself?

[greench440]

I take tire repair kit and the tools I need to remove the wheels for a tire change in case the flat can't be fixed.  

Add to that a small can of WD-40, zip ties, electrical and duct tape, a couple small rags and a couple pairs nitrile gloves.

Anything else can be fixed by a credit card and cell phone.

[HipGnosis]

Small LED flashlight with a good alkaline battery.

[Jetpilot5]

Take the bike's tool kit, tools to fix a flat, a credit card and a cell phone. Service interval on my RS is 6,000 miles, I imagine it's not much different on the big K bike so I'd do the oil change before you leave and not worry about it while on the road. If you feel the need to take additional items look your bike over carefully and take what will work. I don't think there's a single Phillips or slotted head screw on my bike anywhere but lots of Torx and socket head screws.

I own a GS911 that I can use to read fault codes etc and some guys travel with them but I'v never taken mine on a trip yet. I suppose it could save the day depending on the problem but I just figure if it's so bad that I need to start running diagnostics I'd better try and get it to a dealer. YMMV.

[zebraranger]

I carry the basics in tools, set of Allen wrenches, small socket set, one four way screwdriver, pliers, spark plug wrench and a small roll of electrical tape, probably a couple of other tools that I'm forgetting about. I also carry spare fuses, zip ties, tire plug kit with co2 inflator cartridges similar to the one below, and a small portable lithium jump starter with built in flashlight & USB charger that's about the size of a smart phone, but thicker. I've had to use the tire plug kit once on my rear tire after picking up a small screw. I was surprised that it took 3 cartridges to get it to almost 30 lbs.  Not the optimum pressure, but enough to get me home. I've never needed to use the jump starter myself, but did jump start another riders bike once, and a couples car at a restaurant, it worked like a charm.

[Jeremy Z]

This ranges a lot by rider and what he's comfortable with packing.

I take less than Zebraranger but more than Jetpilot. Jetpilot, what did you take when you had the XX?

I walk around my bike and take sockets, Allen wrenches and combo wrenches for each size fastener that I can find. NOT the whole set. My bike only needs even size sockets from 8mm to 14mm. Sure, buy a whole set, but just pack what you need in a cheap tool pouch from Home Depot. Then a quality multi-tool, zip ties, tire plugging kit with CO2 inflators. To my delight, most fasteners I'd need to get to on my CBR500 are 5mm Allen, and the factory "tool kit" included an excellent fitting 5mm Allen wrench.

One of my local dealerships, a nice, 2nd generation family-owned place, keeps a box with factory- supplied tools they've collected over the years. They let me assemble my own kit out of that for $20. I really did it up properly. Got every wrench that might ever fit any bike I'd buy. Even down to a nice small axle nut wrench with the matching torque-boosting extension.

Not trying to be snotty here, but my understanding about modern BMWs is that they're not easy to work on, (esp. afield) so you might take less for your bike and just invest in good towing service instead. Also, they use better fasteners; Torx instead of metric Allen, for example. You'd need a specialized kit. Probably, Cruz Tools makes one with BMW in mind.

Might want to ask on a BMW-specific forum, too.

One other idea: I found the factory service manual for my bike online in PDF format. That is quite "packable" in my phone and gives you a better chance of knowing how to do stuff when you're out and about.

[Jetpilot5]

I take less than Zebraranger but more than Jetpilot. Jetpilot, what did you take when you had the XX?


One other idea: I found the factory service manual for my bike online in PDF format. That is quite "packable" in my phone and gives you a better chance of knowing how to do stuff when you're out and about.

I took just what I listed above. It's a Honda, what's going to break?

When I bought my first BMW I was at the dealer and asked them to order me the accessory tool kit. The parts guy looks at me dead serious and says "What are you going to fix?". To a degree he has a point. If it's truly a problem that has your bike dead at the side of the road I think with most modern bikes you're probably going to need a tow. Except for flat tires and dead batteries. If you find a weeping hose clamp and have the tools to give it a quick tighten that's great and sure handy but it wasn't going to leave you sitting either.

All this assumes a road tour not a long ways from civilization. If the plan is to ADV to South America you better be pretty self sufficient.

I like the idea of having the service manual on your phone. Unfortunately the BMW service manual is a DVD and not compatible with Apple products so that leaves me out.

I like that little jump starter. That might be worth having and I've not seen one that is so compact. Any more information on that? Seems like a better idea than a set of compact jumper cables.

[PatM]

All of the above plus Torx instead of allen keys.
Odds are you won't need it but it's still great to know you have it. I carry all of that but only rarely use it.
And if your bike is under warranty, you get the full treatment from BMW, including towing to the nearest dealer, etc.

[lucky1958]

I would take what FJ listed along with some cable ties and whatever it takes to get to your battery.  You'll need an oil change on a 7000 mile trip.  Are you planning to do that yourself?

Thanks but it will go 7 on fresh oil!
Its synthetic

[lucky1958]

thanks for all the input
it helps