cable ties and or tie wraps and lots of em

 

Broke a throttle cable once, just turned in the idle screw as far as it would go an stumbled on home. A few times I'd reach down on the butterfly and give a little extra if it was a straight road. I try to keep things in good repair, but you never know.

 

+1 on vicegrips! Was rifding with a large group through Malaysia and a local RK rider started hearing a noise from the front end. We stopped on the side to listen to it (as he rode past us), and he thought he should limp home.

He just had a service done and brake pads replaced. The shop failed to change the left side pads, and during the ride the left front pads started rubbing the rotor steel to steel.

I got out the trusty small vicegrips I always carry and after spreading the pads off the rotor, used the v-grips to clamp off the hose on that side. He was able to stay with us through the ride with the right side front brake working fine.

 

Flat tire got me towed once.

When the stator went out on my RK I got a jump from a Goldwing that was in our group. I rode home two hundred miles only stopping for fuel. My bud had to man the throttle to keep it running while I put the gas in.

I take a CRUZ tool kit for all road trips out of town, added ties and a few other things.

 

I've never had a break down on my dyna, but back when i had my honda shadow ACE.
It had 3 yellow wires coming off the magneto into one connection.
This connection made for a lot of resistance in one spot and the darn thing caught on fire.
burned the other wires around it.
I spent the better part of an hour with a knife and some electric tape on the side of a highway.

 

Flat tire. Fix-a-flat. Three times on two harleys. Didn't work once since the valve stem had ripped. Any mechanical breaks only happened in the dirt in baja. Vice grips to replace broke shift lever. Got called McGuyver on that one. Several broken levers on many different bikes, never my own. Always carried spare parts to get home and always made it home.

 

Had 6 month old battery go out on me. Lights/speedo, etc. started blinking and then everything shut off. Did NOT have a multi-meter to test the electrical system. Clean and re-connected battery connections, lights lit up. Everything went dead when I would try to start the cycle. Was in BFE Oklahoma (Hwy 69) about 5 hours North of Dallas.

Fortunately a younger guy stopped as I was working on it and was helping me out. He had an idea, but no tools on him. Called his Dad. Dad came out with truck and trailer...and a multi-meter. Checked connection when starting - bad cell in the battery. The Dad went and bought me a new battery (reimbursed him when we went to gas station) and everything was good to go. Got home 5.5 hours later than anticipated, but got home.

Very thankful for their help. The son said I was the sixth person that he helped on that section of the highway. It is on his way home. As they say, pay it forward.

 

Ive broken down a few times because i was frying coils (3) and broken wires on the ignition control module.I carry a spare coil always extra plugs,wire,tie straps,sparkplugs,a knife,4 way screwdriver,combo open end wrenchs,sockets deep and shallow,a thing that looks like a socket extension with a handle and hole in the top so i use the scredriver to through the hole to turn the sockets,set of allen wrenchs,misc nuts and bolts and washers and a shop rag.Ive got a few more misc things and all this is in a small tool roll on the risers.

 

Maybe I'm ignorant but all I carry is the cheesy HD tool kit and a cell phone....I'm relying more on the cell phone.

 

As in "catch my dinner" ? Didn't think about that item -- but I've always been able to find food when needed -- at worst, a McD's. Maybe I need to get further out into the wilderness more.