| Author | Message | ||
     Sound_uly |
I just got back from a 5 day trip that traveled through Washington, Oregon, and Idaho covering 1672 miles 112 of it on dirt.  I have to say the Uly IS an adventure touring bike. While on the dirt I rode just about all conditions including loose gravel, deep ruts, mud  , large rocks, tree roots, and steep hills. The bike handled everything just fine and kept up with the big GS's in all conditions.  There were a few minor breakdowns in the group and one of them was the Uly. The small bolt that holds the shifter linkage together came out and left me without a shifter for a short bit. Luckily one of the guys was riding a KLR and carried an emergency repair kit including some common nuts and bolts, one of which fit the bill. This has got me thinking that I need to put together an emergency repair kit myself. I am going to include a small compressor since I did reduce the tire pressure for the off road part. Has anyone put together such a kit? If so, what all did you include? Did you include some common nuts, bolts, screws? Any and all advice will be much appreciated.  Ron, (a very dirty) Ulysses in Seattle | ||
| Ulywife |
Good post - I've been thinking about the same thing for Carlos. Parts; small, (hopefully) inexpensive, but necessary.....shifter, brake and clutch lever?? others??? | ||
| Jlnance |
brake and clutch lever? What are you implying about your husband? | ||
| Ulywife |
Me,imply......you know me better than that! If I've got something to say, I just say it! Come on, it's been 10 months since we've had to buy parts! I figure, better to have than to need, especially on a trip like you guys like to do. The number of Ulys is growing within C3! | ||
| Daves |
shifter shifter linkage spare bolts for shifter Frt brake lever clutch lever tools tire repair stuff cell phone! | ||
| Teeps |
SLIME MICRO PUMP http://www.speedwerks.com/catalog/c0m0bm0b0s1pn0p5476np0 | ||
| Sound_uly |
Thanks for the input! Great advice. I'm trying to put together a comprehensive list of items to carry to cover most any anticipated emergency. Things that won't necessarily fix a problem as much as just get me to civilization for the permanent fix. Dave, would you also think that something like a clutch cable might be a good idea to carry? Thanks again for the input. Ron, Ulysses in Seattle | ||
| Jim_sb |
Some more thoughts if you really like to ride in out of the way places... Genuine Innovations Tire repair kit - once the CO2 is used up the 'gun' doubles as a hand pump. Very handy if you run out of CO2 Spare plugs (and tools to swap them out). Qwik Steel - punch a hole in your primary or swingarm oil reservoir and this can get you home. Spare drive belt (and tools to swap the belt). Swiss Army knife and/or leatherman tool. Overnight emergency gear / extra water / emergency food. I sometimes bring beef jerky and/or energy bars. Ball end allen wrenches, SAE and metric (it's a Uly, you need 'em both) Battery tender harness and the Battery tender jumper cables - enable you to quickly give or receive a jump start. Tow strap, flashlight, zip ties, oil, octane booster (some out of the way fuel stations don't carry premium), spare electrical wire, electrical tape, duct tape. Medical supplies (band-aids, bandages, aspirin, etc.). Good walking shoes. If none of the above work. Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Sleez |
loctite | ||
| Brad1445 |
duct tape | ||
| Ka5ysy |
Satellite phone for non-cell areas, and EPIRB for the really bad accidents where you are hurt without buddy riders around. | ||
| Xbimmer |
All the above are good ideas. I'll add bolts and screws! There's nothing like being in the middle of nowhere and having something flopping around and ready to bail because a threaded fastener has taken flight... With some thought you can pick a few sizes to do the work of many, and you don't have to stash the $3+ factory parts, get high grade hdwe store stuff. That'll get you home, pretty or not. Teeps, how thick is that compressor? Looks like it could replace my pack of CO2 cyls in my tool pack. | ||
| Teeps |
Xbimmer Posted on Wednesday, September 27, 2006 Teeps, how thick is that compressor? Looks like it could replace my pack of CO2 cyls in my tool pack. 2.5 to 3" it fits in the Uly under seat storage area but takes up most of the usable space. | ||
| Xbimmer |
Thanks Teeps!  | ||
| M2nc |
Craftsman Motorcycle Tool Kit 12v Air Pump | ||
| Paochow |
I'm considering switching to some real handguards before I start offroading the Uly so I don't have to pack extra levers. I have the genuine innovations pump and while you can use it without CO2, it takes a while to inflate a bicycle and an awful long time to inflate a full size motorcycle tire. Carry enough CO2 or consider picking up a 12V. For those that ride really out of the way... -Handgun .22 for survival; 9mm or larger for self defense -Compass and/or GPS -Extra Water -Ridding buddies -Magnesium Firestarter | ||
| Windrider |
Sound Uly, Vise grips. Don't go without them. They can be a tool or a replacement shifter or brake lever in a pinch. The little needle nose ones are especially versatile. Happy Trails | ||
| Ka5ysy |
Trailer to carry all of the above. Since we are now here, how about a TIG welder to fix broken stuff. Don't forget the generator to run it!  Wait a minute.... we are talking about a "Long Way Around" support situation here !!! Yikes!  | ||
| Red_chili |
You forgot baling wire. | ||
| Chinook |
space blanket --- in case i have to sleep by the road in my gear! | ||
| Jim_sb |
Interesting that some of you guys think this is funny; or that it's hard to do. It's neither. My dirt riding buddies and I carry everything I listed and more. On dinky little dirt bikes with no luggage racks. Spare inner tube, tire irons, chain breaker, spare master link, siphon hose, etc. I can patch a tube without pulling the wheel, and I can pull a wheel and replace a tube on the side of the trail if I have to. What are you prepared to do to keep your bike running? But then again at times we can be 40 miles or more from civilization in any direction. How far can you hike in a day in the hot desert? In the mountains? In your riding boots? Cell phones are cute but mostly they don't work. Sheesh, in Death Valley they don't work on the highway and we're in the back country a LONG way from the highway. What if you make a wrong turn? It's not like there are signs on all the trails and fire roads. It's not hard to bring along a good tool / spares / emergency kit. Chance favors the prepared mind. PS. Nobody likes dragging a noob around the mountains/desert who doesn't pack their own tools/spares/supplies and who can't work on their own bike. I've had my Uly in some out of the way places in Death Valley and the Carrizo Plain. Just because the road is gravel doesn't mean anyone will be coming by in the next day or two. There's a reason it's called Death Valley... If you're only riding on pavement in well traveled areas then fine. But if you're seriously going to put the "adventure" into your bike you need to prepare the right way. Best, Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Red_chili |
Hey- I wasn't kidding about the baling wire. It sounded funny, sure, but it really does have some uses! | ||
| Sound_uly |
Agreed Jim_sb. I want to make sure that I am not the one that's a burden to the group. If something breaks I want to have the ability to either fix it or at least jury rig the thing to get out. Where we were at I can guarantee you that my cell phone would have done no good at all. My incident was minor but one of the guys lost all electrical power at one point and if he didn't have the tools and experience necessary to fix it there would have been a large burden placed on the rest of the riders to get him and his bike out. I think most have taken the thread serious and have responded with some really good ideas and given great input. And wire is one of the items on my list to carry. :-) Ron, Ulysses in Seattle | ||
| Jim_sb |
Red Chili, my comments weren't regarding bailing wire (baling?). Any wire is good to have. I also bring bungees which are quite useful. I was a dirt riding noob 2.5 years ago. I got lucky and had the opportunity to ride with some very experienced expert dirt riders who have been looking out for me. The first thing we did was start building my tool kit / emergency kit. They all pack more stuff than I do. One guy brings along spare lever perches, countersprocket seal, etc. Why so much? Because he's needed all that and more riding in Baja. Stuff happens. When you blow your CS seal and your oil is coming out what do you do? Riding without a clutch or brake isn't easy or fun. The joke among our group is that one of our guys can rebuild a motor on the side of the trail. An exaggeration to be sure but you'd be surprised what we can (and have) fixed. Riding beats walking. Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Debueller |
Don't forget zip ties!! | ||
| Jim_sb |
One more point, there is nothing wrong with being a 'noob'. We've all been there at some point. Just have a good attitude, don't go wandering off into the back country alone, try to hook up with a more experienced rider and ASK them how to prepare and LISTEN. The guys that are good at this know WTF they are talking about and the ones I know are very willing to share their knowledge and experience. Also they're out there to ride and don't want to 'baby' someone all day. I've crashed as many as 8 times or more a day trying to keep up with my buddies in the desert but I always jump right up; pick my own bike up right away and get moving again. That kind of behavior gets you invited next time. They don't mind my crashing as long as they don't have to pick up my bike all the time.  One of my friends "iron-manned" the Baja 1000 on his XR650. Serious work there... Serious... Maps are essential. Compass, GPS (with spare batteries) are awesome if you have them. Unfortunately at times people get hurt and those GPS coordinates can be a life saver if you have bring in an air evac unit. Okay, don't mean for this to be a rant, back country riding is great fun whether it's on a Uly or a dirt bike. The better prepared you are going in the more fun (and less trouble) you're going to have. Good riding, Jim in Santa Barbara | ||
| Red_chili |
No offense taken, Jim. I've just used baling wire for the most unusual fixes... made a tie rod out of rebar, hose clamps and baling wire for a 4x4 truck once... he made it home. One good principle: if it has a single use, it might be worth the space/weight. If it has a double use, it's a winner. If three possible uses? You gotta have it. Come to think of it, that is the thinking Buell uses too. | ||
| Paochow |
Jim_sb: The advantage to riding with a noob is that your tools and parts have a price that is much greater than what they would cost in the city. When someone runs out of gas, $20 a gallon or a round of post riding beers for all is perfectly reasonable.  |
