Roadside repairs for relatively new bikes?

OldNuke said:

I carry a spare battery for my ignition fob. I've rescued two stranded riders with dead ignition fob batteries, one on a K1600 GTL and one on a R1200 GS.

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The ignition fob battery on mine 2015 just died. I always carry a spare, but this happened at home as I was getting ready to leave. Very convenient.

Is it possible to replace the fob function (sans key) with an app on an iPhone? “An app” which doesn’t exist yet.

bigjohnsd said:

What he said, but I don't have the air vest.
I do carry a small volt meter, several internal tire patches, and my Motoscan/OBD adapter cable.

MOA Anonymous Book - don't leave home without it!

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I was wondering when that would enter the conversation. The Anonymous Book/App, a cell phone, Platinum membership with Roadside assistance, and a credit card are the primary contingency items I ride with.

Depending on the mission, I will adjust my kit accordingly. Honestly, the majority of the contingency items listed in this thread (awesome thread btw) I carry and own, I just don’t carry them all the time, and use them primarily for other riders that I find stranded.

When I attended the Army ALSE course in 1996 we were given a questionnaire with a list of items to choose from for survival after you crash land in a desert. Afterwards, our choices were weighed against the statistical study on the survivability of a crew based on those items. Almost everyone would have died based on their choices, as it turns out, communication to rescuers was the highest priority items that facilitated survival. Signal mirrors, flares, and radios were more important than water in a desert, based on statistics. This, in my opinion is why club membership and the anonymous book/app concept is such a force multiplier for our members riding experience.

Ride safe out there... happy holidays.

Bibbs said:

Is it possible to replace the fob function (sans key) with an app on an iPhone? “An app” which doesn’t exist yet.

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All the keyless (remote) bikes come new with a spare key. The spare key does not require a battery, and, when held close to the dash it will start the bike. I assume there are owners who bought the bike used and did not receive the spare, or as often the case in my experience, a lot of riders didn’t read that section of their owners manual and are unaware of that functionality. I also carry spare key fob batteries, mostly for convenience rather than need.

Bibbs said:

Is it possible to replace the fob function (sans key) with an app on an iPhone? “An app” which doesn’t exist yet.

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For cars it does. My brother can start his Subaru Forrester with his phone and locate it as well. At the same time 'big brother' can do that too....

RIDERR1150GSADV said:

At the same time 'big brother' can do that too....

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I suspect ‘big brother’ can do whatever he wants.

Bibbs said:

I suspect ‘big brother’ can do whatever he wants.

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Yes. Just watched Citizenfour again last night.....

RIDERR1150GSADV said:

For cars it does. My brother can start his Subaru Forrester with his phone and locate it as well. At the same time 'big brother' can do that too....

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My Chevy has a app for the fob.
It can start the car, control the locks, lower the windows and turn on the heated seats in cold weather. Don't remember if it will turn on the cooled seats in hot weather.
Since my car does not sit outside for long in the cold or heat I rarely use the app.

I'm light on tools, aside from a simple tire plugging affair that I am equipped to handle. My tool of choice is a 6 X 12 cargo trailer that one of my friends/relatives can hook on to and come get me. I haven't had that need yet. But then I don't wander that far from home anymore either.

A GS-911 and a portable jump pack are probably more likely to be needed for a roadside repair on modern bikes rather than a heavy and complicated set of hand tools. The GS-911 will allow you to read and clear codes (I feel like I hear more "limp mode" breakdowns than mechanical failures). The jump pack will help you if the battery craps out. Other than that, you're probably there is a tire plug kit/inflator, CC and Cell phone.

I have a small case maybe 8x6x3 with tools that I have customized based upon tools I’ve used to make minor maintenance tasks and repairs. I’ve tried to duplicate the most used tools although my tool case version may be smaller or use bits with a driver handle rather than separate individual tools. It also has some electrical tape, wire ties, flashlight and an all-in-one tool that might be used for non bike repairs. I also have a flat repair kit, a battery jump pack and a GS-911. The battery jump pack also can be used to charge cell phones and other devices so it’s dual purpose.

So far the jump pack has been the most useful to carry. It saved me waiting an hour or more when I had a dead battery and I was back and running in 5 minutes, I’ve assisted another stranded motorcyclist as well as a couple of stranded motorists.

Typically this stays in my right pannier all the time with my rain gear.


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I carry "too many" tools, but when I needed to replace the rear axle tube and bearings on Voni's F800S in the motel parking lot in Chinook, Montana I only needed to buy a little butane torch and a 54mm wrench that was over two feet long.

The failure happened on a Friday. BMW got the parts to my Saturday. It was fixed early Saturday afternoon. Roadside assistance would have got it to Missoula late Saturday afternoon. They would look at it Tuesday. Get parts by Wednesday probably and have it ready on Thursday hopefully, they said. Sometimes the credit card and towing service are not the best answer.

No such thing as "too many tools" unless the bike can no longer carry you uphill...
I always carry a bunch, but they get used on friend's bikes.

PGlaves said:

Roadside assistance would have got it to Missoula late Saturday afternoon. They would look at it Tuesday. Get parts by Wednesday probably and have it ready on Thursday hopefully, they said. Sometimes the credit card and towing service are not the best answer.

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I've known a few well-heeled riders, when faced with this situation, simply traded the broken-down bike in on the spot for a new model and carried on with their trip. I don't think my credit card (or heart) could withstand that kind of stress!

motormike said:

I've known a few well-heeled riders, when faced with this situation, simply traded the broken-down bike in on the spot for a new model and carried on with their trip. I don't think my credit card (or heart) could withstand that kind of stress!

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I bought a K75 from Engle Motors in Kansas City which was brought in with an assumed transmission issue. A couple from Nebraska was two-up on the way to a rally somewhere in the southeast. Leaving their driveway they had dumped the bike. It seemed OK so away they went on their trip. It began jumping out of gear so they stopped at Engles late in the afternoon. Engles said they could get on it first thing in the morning. So limited for time they traded it in on a used K100 and off they went. I stopped by the next morning and Norman Jones told me they had a bike I might want. They hadn't even looked at it. Since I had a good K75 transmission at home I bought the bike. It turned out to just be a bent shift lever making it hard to shift and the almost shifts were causing it to jump out of gear. We had that bike for more than 20 years and I never did touch that transmission other than to put on a new straight shift lever.