I have spent many years riding motorcycles and as a rule i own and ride older machines, some of these have come into my possession with a craftsman motorcycle tool kit into the bargain, all in with the price of purchase, what a deal.

Most tools to do the Job.

To be honest you get most things you need to carry out basic maintenance and repairs, i am not quite sure the kits i have inherited are complete, as they have been around for a while by the time i get my hands on them, but some look like they have seen little use, others look like they have been in a mechanics tool box for years so there is a big contrast in condition of the tool kits at times.

Old machine or New ?

If your motorcycle is young in years and is not exposed to extreme weather conditions and is maintained as it should be, the need to carry an extensive tool kit, especially if your not travelling big miles, touring Alaska or mainland Europe, is not really necessary and to be honest most of us will have some breakdown cover, just in case.

If you have a maintenance manual "read it"

Alternatively you may ride a machine that is both long in years, cover big miles and in all weathers over long periods, in which case to carry nothing more than standard issue took kit would be a big mistake. Knowing the machine and being familiar with the maintenance requirements is essential. The manual with the machine if you have one will guide you through these and advise on tools required to carry out this work, some of which will not be possible at the roadside for various reasons in the event of a breakdown, so game over. Others may be.

Taylor your Motorcycle tool kit

All motorcycles are made of similar components to a degree, frame, engine, forks, wheels and all the other items required to bring it all together as a functional machine that does what it designed to safely. Lots of parts particularly the same make, use generic parts, components which can simplify things, but if you have owned many machines or own several you will need to taylor your tool kit to suite the motorcycle. If your used to doing repair work its easier as you are more familiar with whats required to carry out certain tasks.

What can or may go wrong ?

Firstly think what issues you have had, if any, are they likely to happen again, if so what will you need to make a repair, or temporary repair to get you out of trouble, on my FJ1200 i carry an inline fuel filter, the pump failed once, but it will run on a gravity fed system, so if it were to fail again i simply disconnect both in and out off the pump and connect the too ends using the filter. A puncture repair kit with compressed air is a must and then put together a kit made up of the items needed to carry out various tasks, a selection of quarter drive sockets and bits, pliers, electrical tape, a foot of wire, a few scotch locks to join, socket, spanner to remove wheel nuts, some cable ties, some way to remove the tank and if you have one the fairing, or parts of it to allow access to certain areas, some bulbs, a spare spark plug, with spanner and possibly half a pint of oil.

All fits into a tank bag

Its best to have one or two items to many, it would be shame to have to call a stop to the run just because you did not take a 10mm socket or phillips bit. Motorcycle tools and accessories should be chosen carefully, think about their use, a good repair manual will help to choose, a good comprehensive kit will fit comfortably into the average tank bag or similar and can save you and your companions a load of inconvenience, not to mention the cost. Take time to prepare your trip, get tooled up, enjoy your ride.