Shake the kit down before the trip
The only way to know your kit works is to use it in your driveway, where a missing socket costs nothing.
What you need
- — The exact kit you plan to carry
- — Your service manual
- — A caliper or a set of keys
Steps
- 01Pull the front and rear wheel using only the kit. If you can't, the kit is wrong.
- 02Adjust the chain, remove a side panel, drop the skid plate and check the plug — all with the kit only.
- 03Note every tool you reach for that isn't in the roll, and every tool you never touched.
- 04Check every fastener size on the bike with your keys, and remove the sizes your bike doesn't use.
- 05Weigh the roll. If it exceeds what you can comfortably carry, cut optional items, not tire repair.
- 06Repack so the tire kit and first-aid kit are reachable without unloading the bike.
Watch out
- — A kit you've never used is a kit you don't know is missing something.
- — Check patch glue and epoxy before every trip — both dry out in the tube.