Triumph · Road touring
Triumph tool kit for road touring
Tarmac days, motels and mileage. Tubeless repair, electrics and consumables matter most.
Generated for a weekend / few days on mixed wheels with chain final drive, carried in panniers / top box. 38 items, 8.2 kg total, 4.5 kg if you carry the essentials only.
Triumph: what to check before you pack
- — Tiger 900 Rally and Scrambler 1200 use tube-type spoked wheels; GT/road variants are tubeless.
- — Modern Triumphs are Torx-first — a hex-only kit will leave you stuck at the first panel.
Tools
Enough to remove a wheel, adjust the chain and pull bodywork — nothing you can't use.
- 1/4in ratchet + sockets (8, 10, 12, 13, 14 mm)essential420 g
8/10/13 mm covers the overwhelming majority of fasteners on a dirt bike; 12/14 pick up caliper and engine mounts.
Spec: A stubby ratchet plus a short extension packs smaller than a full socket set. Add a 1/4in-to-hex-bit adapter to share the ratchet with your bits.
Where to buy:Amazon
- Axle nut wrench / socket for your bikeessential220 g
Without it you cannot pull a wheel, which means you cannot fix a flat. Sizes vary wildly (22–32 mm off-road, 24–36 mm on road bikes).
Spec: Check both axles with a caliper before you leave. Combined tire-iron/axle-wrench levers save weight.
Sources: Tusk / Rocky Mountain ATV, Himalayan Rides
Where to buy:Amazon
- Headlamp (hands-free)essential90 g
Every breakdown eventually happens in the dark or under the bike. Keep the spare batteries with it.
Sources: JVB Productions
Where to buy:Amazon
- Hex (Allen) key set — 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 mmessential180 g
Most bodywork, brake calipers, bar clamps and engine covers on modern bikes are hex-head.
Spec: Ball-end long-arm keys, or 1/4in hex bits plus a driver if you already carry a ratchet.
Where to buy:Amazon
- Pliers with side cuttersessential190 g
Cut zip ties and safety wire, pull clips, twist wire, hold a hot exhaust bolt, grip a stripped head.
Sources: Enduro21, JVB Productions
Where to buy:Amazon
- Reversible screwdriver — JIS/Phillips + flatessential150 g
Carb bowls, clamps, bodywork and inspection covers. On Japanese bikes the cross-head screws are JIS, not Phillips — a Phillips driver cams out and rounds them off.
Spec: A 1/4in bit driver with JIS #2, PH2 and a 5 mm flat covers everything.
Sources: Motorcycle.com
Where to buy:Amazon
- Combination spanners — 8, 10, 13 mmrecommended210 g
You need two wrenches to crack a locknut (chain adjusters, cable adjusters, bar risers) — a socket alone won't do it.
Sources: Enduro21
Where to buy:Amazon
- Multitool (Leatherman-type)recommended240 g
Knife, file, saw and pliers in one — the tool you reach for when the repair isn't a bolt.
Sources: Adventure Spec
Where to buy:Amazon
- Nitrile gloves + shop ragrecommended60 g
Chain lube and gear oil on your palms ends up on your grips and visor.
Sources: Far Way Out, Sound RIDER!
- OEM under-seat tool kitrecommended400 g
Free, already fits your bike, and usually holds the odd sizes (axle, shock preload) nobody else carries. Treat it as a starting point, not the whole kit — the stamped spanners flex under real torque.
Spec: Keep the bike-specific pieces (axle wrench, spoke key, shock tool) and replace the flimsy generic ones.
Sources: Himalayan Rides, Enduro21
Where to buy:Amazon
- Small vise grips / locking pliersrecommended230 g
Becomes the lever, clamp or replacement gear lever you no longer have. Also clamps a split fuel line shut.
Sources: JVB Productions, The World Overland
Where to buy:Amazon
- Spark plug socket / wrenchrecommended120 g
Lets you read a fouled plug, clear a flooded engine and fit the spare you're carrying.
Sources: Enduro21
Where to buy:Amazon
- Torx bit set — T25, T30, T40, T45recommended90 g
European bikes (and Harley's T27) use Torx everywhere from bodywork to brake discs; a hex key will chew the head.
Spec: Add T50/T55 as a socket if your bike uses Torx axle or caliper bolts.
Sources: Stahlwille, Touratech, BikerGuides
Where to buy:Amazon
- Small adjustable wrenchoptional200 g
Covers the one size you didn't bring, and the sizes on someone else's bike.
Sources: The World Overland
Where to buy:Amazon
Tire repair & inflation
The most likely failure on any ride, and the one you can always fix yourself.
- Tire pressure gaugeessential60 g
The cheapest handling and puncture-resistance upgrade there is, and the only way to air down for sand and back up for tarmac.
Sources: JVB Productions
Where to buy:Amazon
- Tube patch kit + vulcanising glueessential120 g
Lets you repair the tube you just took out and keep a spare in reserve. Bring proper motorcycle patches, not bicycle ones.
Spec: Include a scuffer/rasp and check the glue hasn't dried out before every trip.
Sources: Sound RIDER!
Where to buy:Amazon
- Tubeless plug kit (sticky strings or mushroom plugs)essential200 g
Repairs a nail hole in ten minutes without pulling the wheel — the single highest-value item on a tubeless bike.
Spec: Rasp + insertion tool + 5 plugs. Vulcanising strips are more durable than cheap rubber strings.
Sources: Sound RIDER!
Where to buy:Amazon
- 12V mini compressorrecommended550 g
Reinflates a repaired tire and lets you air down and up at will. Unlike CO2 cartridges it never runs out.
Spec: Wire an SAE/DIN outlet to the battery so you're not fishing under the seat in the rain.
Sources: JVB Productions, Prairie Peak Provisions
Where to buy:Amazon
- Spare valve cores + slotted valve cap toolrecommended15 g
A weeping valve core mimics a slow puncture and takes two minutes to swap. Almost no weight.
Sources: Sound RIDER!, Micapeak
Where to buy:Amazon
Spare parts
The parts that end a ride when they break, and the wear items you can't buy out there.
- Chain master link (+ half link) and chain breakeressential190 g
A thrown or snapped chain is otherwise unrecoverable. The breaker also lets you shorten a chain to limp out.
Spec: Match the pitch (520/525/428) and bring a clip-type link even if your chain is riveted.
Sources: Far Way Out, Enduro21
Where to buy:Amazon
- Spare spark plug (pre-gapped)essential60 g
Small, light, and the difference between a running bike and a tow after a deep water crossing or a drowned two-stroke.
Sources: Enduro21, The World Overland
Where to buy:Amazon
- Spare clutch/throttle cable or emergency cable repair kitrecommended220 g
Cables fray at the ends and always let go at the worst moment. A universal repair kit covers both if you can't carry model-specific spares.
Sources: Far Way Out, The World Overland
Where to buy:Amazon
Fluids & chemicals
Lube, sealant and glue: the difference between a bodge that lasts 5 km and one that lasts 500.
- Chain lube (small can) + brushrecommended200 g
A dry chain in dust or rain wears sprockets out in days. Rain and mud strip lube faster than distance does.
Sources: Enduro21, Far Way Out
Where to buy:Amazon
- Threadlocker (small blue tube)recommended20 g
Vibration is what actually loosens your bike apart. Blue on anything you refit trailside.
Sources: Mosko Moto
Where to buy:Amazon
- Two-part epoxy / steel puttyrecommended110 g
Seals a cracked case, radiator or tank well enough to get you to a town. Works on plastic, alloy and steel.
Sources: Far Way Out, Mosko Moto
Where to buy:Amazon
Electrics
A dead bike is usually a fuse, a connector or a chafed wire.
- Spare fuses (full set of your bike's ratings)essential25 g
A blown main fuse looks exactly like a dead bike. Grams, and it gets you home.
Spec: Check the fuse box lid for ratings; carry two of each plus the fuse puller.
Sources: JVB Productions, The World Overland
Where to buy:Amazon
- USB charging lead + power bankrecommended250 g
Your navigation, offline maps and emergency phone call all depend on a charged phone.
Where to buy:Amazon
- Wire, crimp connectors + electrical taperecommended120 g
Chafed looms and vibrated-out connectors are the most common electrical failure. Bypass a dead switch and keep riding.
Sources: JVB Productions, The World Overland
Where to buy:Amazon
Fasteners & bodges
Zip ties, tape, wire and bolts — the highest utility per gram in the whole kit.
- Duct tape (wrapped, not the roll)essential60 g
Cracked plastics, split boots, taped-up hands. Wrap it around a T-handle or a pen barrel to lose the bulky core.
Where to buy:Amazon
- Zip ties — assorted, 15–20 of themessential60 g
Holds bodywork, a broken bracket, a dangling cable or a snapped mudguard together for the rest of the trip. Nothing else in the kit is this useful per gram.
Spec: Mix small ones with 300 mm heavy-duty ones and add a few reusable ones.
Where to buy:Amazon
- Assorted hose clampsrecommended70 g
Clamps a split hose, splints a broken lever or bracket, and re-secures anything that vibrated loose.
Sources: Micapeak, The World Overland
Where to buy:Amazon
- Spare nuts, bolts and washers (your bike's common sizes)recommended150 g
Bikes shed fasteners constantly. Walk around your bike and duplicate the M6/M8 bolts you see most.
Sources: Far Way Out, Micapeak
Where to buy:Amazon
- Stainless safety wire (1–2 m)recommended60 g
Where zip ties melt or shear, wire holds: exhaust hangers, footpegs, luggage racks.
Sources: JVB Productions, Micapeak
Where to buy:Amazon
Recovery & contingency
For when the bike can't be fixed where it stopped.
- Spare key (stored away from the bike)recommended15 g
A lost or snapped key strands you completely; modern chipped keys can take weeks to replace.
Rider & safety
The most fragile component on the bike is you.
- Compact first-aid kit + tourniquetessential350 g
The most likely thing to break on the ride is you. Include a pressure bandage; bring what you know how to use.
Sources: Prairie Peak Provisions
Where to buy:Amazon
- Documents pack (licence, insurance, registration, roadside cover)essential80 g
Border crossings, checkpoints and the roadside-assistance phone number you'll want to hand.
Sources: Prairie Peak Provisions
- Water (hydration bladder) + snackessential2.0 kg
Dehydration is what turns a two-hour repair into a genuine emergency.
- Packable rain layerrecommended400 g
Repairs happen standing still, where cold and wet arrive fast.
Where to buy:Amazon