Realistic Tool Kit 2012 R1200RT

I'm putting together a tool kit for my 2012 RT and looking for suggestions on what to put in the kit. Last year I put together a tool kit for my GS; it's bulky and heavy but I can get away with it because the aluminum side cases are big enough and the GS can better accomodate the weight. I don't want to do the same with the RT, especially since the RT side cases are so much smaller. I'd like to put together a tool kit for the RT that has the basic stuff for roadside repairs and for basic maintenance when I'm away from home. Actually I'd like recommendations for the GS, too, so I can cut down on the size and weight. Thanks in advance for your helpful suggestions.

You'll need a pair of pliers for stop n go tire plugs.

Sorry, thought it had something to do with RadioShack...

The short answer to your question is that I carry all the tools I'd need for jobs I'm willing to do on the side of the road, so my tool kit would be different from yours. Mine weighs about 18 pounds.

Not to be a smart ass, but the credit card is my main tool (and I'm a 100% work on my bike guy). That being said, I carry:

A set of torx drivers. It is a combo tool like a swiss army knife but it is torx drivers.
crescent wrench.
Combo screwdriver (the kind with multiple blades for one handle).
Duct tape and wire ties
Vise grips
I also carry an antenna ring (for EWS failure) and a spare used fuel pump pressure regulator board. And a tire plugging kit with CO2 (big CO2).

I figure if I need something beyond that, I will get it from the home depot, etc., on the road.

I replaced the BMW tools with quality Torx sockets and a socket handle. To break loose those bolts for wheel removal I added a 12" long piece of steel tubing (EMT) as an extension for the socket handle. Then added a couple of things I needed for routine maintenance etc, a tire plug kit, and I'm good to go. Some Iron Butt riders carry an entire final drive but that's a bit excessive for me. My credit card and BMW Roadside assistance card could be my most valuable tools.

Cool avatar, apexal. The moon is still up there but not the Old Man, sad to say.

pete
2011 R12RT

A wrench for the lugnuts on the rear wheel.

Stop-n-go plug kit and mini compressor and Cruz BMW tool roll have been good for me. I've replaced selective tools after every trip if I found existing one lacking. (Eg. Fenix led flashlight. Bigger set if vice grips, etc.)

That set of tools, some stout zip ties and duct tape and I'm set.

dmftoy1 said:

Stop-n-go plug kit and mini compressor and Cruz BMW tool roll have been good for me. I've replaced selective tools after every trip if I found existing one lacking. (Eg. Fenix led flashlight. Bigger set if vice grips, etc.)

That set of tools, some stout zip ties and duct tape and I'm set.

Click to expand...

+1

GS not RT but

good for thought: click

tommcgee said:

The short answer to your question is that I carry all the tools I'd need for jobs I'm willing to do on the side of the road...

Click to expand...

Exactly right.

Used to be the OEM toolkit was good for just about anything. Those days are gone.

Airhead tool s

My old /7 R100 has a great tool kit and many tools cross over. Not all have an older Airhead around but that's a great idea. Access it. So many multi purpose tools exist now, so shop for those, eliminate weight this way. I carry a dual sided wratchet, multi unit as example for my sockets and torx stuff. Zip ties are one few think of, I carry many. E.Tape a must. Mini knife of some sort and these are multi tool oriented. Hand cleaner in a tube, as toothpaste like tube. Those blue paper shop towels are in my bag, folded small and flat at bottom of bag. A generic plug kit found anywhere in an auto parts store (about 5$), with sticky snakes and fresh rudder cement. If ya run tubes, I highly recommend a small bottle of Slime for tubes, as it can save you hours along the side of the road. I've done this a few times, works really good, change tube later at a safer locale. My mini compressor. Some are not tools per say I list, but! Multi tools, the more you find the less you carry in weight. NOT a tool, but a horrible day happens when you get broke down and NO water to drink. I always keep water on board. Works for "radiator" too, if ya spring a leak. OH, almost forgot my Volt Meter I always carry on trips. A very tiny one from Radio Shack I've had for years, no bigger than a pack of smokes. I don't smoke. A mini light tester with needle point to E. test is easy to pack and are very tiny too, if ya shop. The ONLY BMW part I pack along is the Ring Key Reader for the "ignition key", as they have failed on many freinds bikes, not mine. Its a day or more ending affair if you have no replacement!!! Cheap enough and it lives on my bike as a new spare and easy to repair alongside road. Randy

Some great feedback. Thanks.

I used to think that a credit card and cell phone was all that I needed. But after a flat tire and a $300 bill to have my bike hualed 125 miles back home I realize that I need to be better prepared. I do carry an Adventure Designs micro tire pump repair kit on both bikes but I'm still not carrying a decent tool kit on the RT. I don't do much work on my bikes nowadays so I'm out of touch with what I really need to carry. So I'll use this feedback to put together a tool kit for the RT and maybe pare down my GS toolkit.

If anybody is willing, can you post photos of your tool kit? Thanks!

Photo below; stuff marked with asterisks was in the OEM toolkit.

3/8" ratchet handle
screwdriver handle*
flat screwdriver blade* and screwdriver extension* and Torx screwdriver bit*

screwdriver extension*

1" PVC, 6" long 10mm x 13mm wrench T40 wrench*
14mm wrench
10mm x 12mm wrench

3/8" extension, 6" long

oil filler tool T50 bit T45 bit T30 bit front axle tool 15mm socket hex keys: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6mm

misc zipties and a small wire nut left over from the new brake LED install

Rolled in the OEM wrapper, it's bigger than stock but fits in the under-seat recess.

Stored outside the tool pouch and under the seat: small roll of duct tape, spare fuses, nitrile gloves, a few paper towels, air compressor, jumper cables, nylon straps, spare taillight bulb, tire plug kit, tire gauge

Not shown: small diagonal cutters (they were added later). The metric wrenches and hex keys were left over from some older BMW toolkit, and I just couldn't leave them behind.

I took the simple route...

I bought the Adventure Designs kit specific to the RT. I have not needed any other tool since. I also carry a plug kit and CO2 inflator.

Scot

Tool Kit

+1 on the Adventure Designs Kit, I use it for all my regular maintenance too. I carry a GS 911, Nealey Tire Repair Kit, Cycle Pump, Spare EWS Ring, and a by pass cable for the fuel pump.

I started with the Cruz tool it, then took a few things out and added a few. I have tools for changing tires on the road, small slime air compressor, Genuine Innovations 45 gram co2 cartridges to seal newly mounted tires, GI tire plugging kit, Motion Pro Bead Pro tire breaker set, BMW spark plug puller tool, and oil filter wrench. I also have a fuel transfer syphon hose, GS911.

Your right, this stuff adds a lot of weight. And it is held in the left pannier all the time. For an RT, not sure you need all this stuff. Especially if your not traveling in the states, as help is usually just a phone call away. Oh, and don't forget your MOA book.

Gear on big trip - 1 year ago

1 year ago today I started on my 9,000 km trip west through the US and back to the Toronto area via Canada. First big trip, no camping, and I took too much. Too much in terms of tools, and too much other gear.

Did a blog entry on it - http://triumphantsblog.blogspot.ca/2012_07_01_archive.html
With pictures too!

Funny how we would hop into a car and take the same trip without much of a thought about tools and such. Our modern bikes are very reliable and our time is limited, so most of us don't go huge distances for months at a time. For those that do, their experience guides them well, and they take a larger complement of tools, likely.

I'm not likely to take anywhere near the amount of tools or personal stuff on my next trip. Especially if I also have to take camping equipment...not enough room!

On a new R bike I carry; Tire kit with air compressor, Jumper cables, Fuel transfer hose, 3/8 drive Front axel tool, 45 and 50 Torx bits, and the tool kit that came with the bike. My thinking is that I have a few things that will get me going and the tools that a bike shop may need to change a tire. There is one special tool, a short piece of wood dowel with tubing over one end to fit on the headlight connector, to help put a new bulb in place on the RT.

30300 said:

On a new R bike I carry; Tire kit with air compressor, Jumper cables, Fuel transfer hose, 3/8 drive Front axel tool, 45 and 50 Torx bits, and the tool kit that came with the bike. My thinking is that I have a few things that will get me going and the tools that a bike shop may need to change a tire. There is one special tool, a short piece of wood dowel with tubing over one end to fit on the headlight connector, to help put a new bulb in place on the RT.

Click to expand...

Do you have a pic to show the headlight tool you referenced?

Not much to look at, but those of you that have a RT know the hassle of replacing the headlight bulb. Slide the plastic tubing over one of the spade lugs, and now you have a "handle" to help put the bulb into its holder. Still a pain, but this does help.