ADV Toolkit

A great piece of advice is to use your travel tools to perform repairs at home. That way, you’ll quickly figure out whether your kit is complete. While we can’t say that we always follow our own rule, carrying high-quality tools on the bike makes us much more likely to do so. On the other side of that coin is deciding what to leave home. We’re always trying to pare down the volume and weight of our gear, but carrying a comprehensive tool set means we can fix our buddy’s bike too when it breaks down.

It also means carrying general-purpose tools like an adjustable wrench and locking pliers, for unexpected mid-trip mishaps. Nothing can beat vice-grips when you break off a clutch or shift lever. They’re also handy for turning rounded-off fasteners, holding blind nuts, and clamping things in place while the glue dries. Speaking of glue, J-B KwikWeld is another trailside miracle-worker. We’ve successfully patched holed radiators and engine cases, in time to make it to camp before dark. The protective container we include fits the J-B Kwik and Loctite, so you’ll never open your tool roll to a sticky mess.

For more typical repairs and maintenance, we include metric handtools in the most commonly-used sizes. The mini ratchet handle can’t be fully appreciated until you use it. Need more torque? We also include a sliding t-handle, which the screwdriver handle fits on like a cheater bar. Allen and Torx keys give you reach or leverage, depending on which end you use, and five combination wrenches turn bolts in tight places.

Add a few tools specific to your particular bike, such as the axle and spark plug wrenches from your OEM toolkit, pack a spare inner tube and a pump, and rest easy that you’re prepared for anything but the most severe mechanical breakdown.