Tool Kits

[Stuart]

With some of us about to set out for Hamm I thought I'd bare all and post up the contents of my Tool Kit. I'm hoping it'll get me out the smelly stuff should something bad occur Are you brave enough expose your's

[Sphere]

Not everything is clearly visible, might be useful to accompany the photo's with text? Those small tyre irons seem to be especially useful: big enough to actually change a tyre, but small enough so you don't accidently murder the rim.

[oldbmw]

I have had some surprises with my Electra X.
First, to remove the rear wheel I had to buy a 24mm flat ring spanner.
To adjust the chain I needed to buy a 30mm flat ring spanner. These are big and heavy...
Also both 14mm and 18 mm are much used which were not in my set of metric spanners.
Currently I seem to need the Enfield toolkit, my original BMW toolkit (more useful) and a big selection of other tools needed but in neither kit.
Spares include a spark plug, tube, and set of cables ( all new) also a second hand well worn chain.
tape.

I have to say I find Hamm a bit cold, was nice here again today 35c again, and we havent had rain since before the UK meet. Last week we had a cold snap and it went down to about 25c

[Dan J]

Larry - welcome to the joys of Enfield ownership. Instead of a 30mm spanner I keep a 30mm 1/4" socket in my right toolbox - useful for possible emergencies and a lot more compact.

A couple of things I have are...

i) an emergency tyre foam filler/inflater which should I get a puncture that the slime doesn't sort will at least get me home
ii) a side stand support/puck as I've been caught out on soft ground before
iii) something I can recommend to anyone, regardless of bike... a set of handwipes. Mine came from Halfords and are a pack of individually wrapped wipes that will remove oil and grease from your hands and I can heartily recommend getting something similar (along with some dry tissue paper as well). It's great having a few tools with you so you can do a spot repair at the side of the road. Not so great as you look down at your oil covered hands that you now need to use to make a phone call to say you'll be late, ride home and stop for fuel along the way!

[Stuart]

Ah, yes, I forgot I do have hand wipes and even plastic throwaway gloves incase I get covered in grease. Plus spare chain lube and puncture repair kit
Sorry everything wasn't clear enough for you Shere If I was using the original Hemp wrap there would have been so many holes in it that you've have no trouble seeing the complete kit. As it is I'm using a BMW wrap. Larry should have spotted that

[johnfireball]

Hi,
A length of wire should always be included as I found out last year.
John.

[johnfireball]

Good luck all going to Hamm, would love to go but due to economic difficulties and my near enough unemployment situation I'm grounded.
John.

[Diesel Dave]

Larry your 14mm and 18mm are Whitworth sizes for which there should be a spanner in the Enfield toolkit as is a short handled 24mm for the rear wheel nut.

What's more annoying is the std Enfield tommy bar won't fit through the hole on the rear axle to hold it fast whilst you tighten the nut - you need to turn it down a bit on a lathe.

From my experience swapping 19" Avons and Mitas tyres - you need a lever a foot long, especially if they have been on the bike a while and stiffened up. Throw away the tyre levers supplied with the Enfield toolkit - seriously.

Of you have a farm supplies shop locally like Earnest Doe then buy your puncture repair patches, solution and french chalk from them as the range they have is huge, ever seen the size of tractor patches available? French chalk comes in a 6" stick for about a quid.

Carrying spare cables makes sense, but take a spare lever too, it weighs little but if you drop the bike the Enfield does not have any 'breakaway' section so the lever snaps at the pivot.

Spare bulbs are a 'must carry' on the continent.

Carry a spare chain link and spring clip - I've had one 'let go' on the road.

Best of luck
Dave

[Sphere]

Well, I'm not as experienced (yet) so if you intend to serve everyone, it might be useful. Seasoned Enfield riders should have no trouble recognizing eveything, but mine is still being built and I would like to have the tools with me, when I break down, not having to buy them afterwards

Sorry everything wasn't clear enough for you Shere

[oldbmw]

As it is I'm using a BMW wrap. Larry should have spotted that

Ah! yes, but mine is so much more shiny

I found out that the 14 and 18 were whitworth sizes, as I still have most of my Triumph tools. Although you will rarely find anything hexagonal with a whitworth thread in/on it, more likely to be BSF
Have used wet wipes for some years... and carrying a roll of kitchen paper has been my habit for a long time.

[smokyjoe]

How about an "Engineer's Pump"? It is easy to make one using a clip-on tire valve chuck (or a screw on one from an old bicycle pump), length of small diameter hose a few feet long, one-way check valve and a special pipe fitting to screw into the glow plug hole in the head (if you have one. The fitting can be made by hollowing out an old glow plug and soldering in a hose nipple). Y'all with electric start will have it easy (be careful not to blow the tire up!) but it makes it fairly easy to pump up a tire and takes up little room even if you have to kick, pull, or crank. Of course, you could use one of those fancy CO2 inflators, but if you want to go cheap and don't want to run out of CO2 cartriges this is the trick.

[Sphere]

Wow Joe, every diesel bike should have that

Unfortunately the generator types won't have this hole

[Diesel Dave]

Every diesel motor will have an injector hole Sphere

I think it's a bit of a pain to remove the injector and loosen the high pressure feed pipe at the pump end, also unless you have a means to cut off the fuel supply it's going to go somewhere.

It makes more sense in a multi cylinder petrol motor where it's easy to pop out a spark plug and fit one of these, the commercial ones I've seen have a free piston pump in the middle of the line taking in fresh air so your tyre does not end up full of petrol vapour

It's far easier to strip the casings from one of those little 12v pumps and bolt the works inside a toolbox or similar, then you can fit one of those ultra-loud air horns you see fitted to bicycles.

Still it's a good point -without a tyre inflator there's no point having a puncture repair kit.

Dave

[Stuart]

Glow plugs or injectors I should have included a pic of my bicycle pump. A tiny one about 10". Hmm I don't have any spare chain split links to take...hmm
Remember the couple who turned up at the Bat & Ball at two in the morning and wanted to pump their matress up by connecting it to his exhaust I told them to go wake everyone in the pub as they revved the nuts off their diesel bike late into the night God knows what would have happened if they'd have sprung a leak. Maybe I'd have had 2 dead diesel bikers on my hands But I digress..
Just recovered to spare main fuses the bikes builder (Colin Clarke) secured in a large blob of blu-tak. This had been soaked with grease and oil and was an unholy mess. But they are now pristine!

Roll on Hamm

[smokyjoe]

Another good thing to bring along on any ride are some good buds who will have the tools that you've forgot!

Have fun at Hamm, someday I hope to make it there. Take some good pictures for all to see.