"the box"

[76shuvlinoff]

Going off on a tangent from gryphon's  diagnosing a problem thread.

Gryphon's "The box" sounds like a prepacked breakdown rescue kit. We can't carry everything all the time. Sometimes my shovel is stripped down to a single bare bones seat like the avatar and all I'm carrying for tools is a cell phone and a credit card. Other times (like now) it's fatassed with bags and all but you still can't carry the kitchen sink. The box makes it simple no matter who answers the phone. It could even be sitting somewhere a trusted buddy could grab.

What would you pack in the box? Tire repair kit? Spare ignition? Even a spare drive chain? Pint of bourbon?

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

- Mark

[gryphon]

I keep a spare coil, electronic ignition, voltage regulator, throttle cable, tire plug kit, 12v pump and an assortment of nuts, bolts, big fender washers, chain breaker and vice, and a few other things that I just dont have room for including a big pry bar. I also have a carry around tool box in the truck that contains nearly any tool I could actually make use of on the road. How many times have we been broken down and could fix it in a couple minutes if only we had, whatever. You can swap out a coil in 5 minutes but you can't fix a bad one.

[76shuvlinoff]

got a few old portable toolboxes around here. Maybe one could be "the box".

[gryphon]

Trying to describe parts and tools to a non motorhead over the phone can be aggravating. Even worse if they show up an hour later with the wrong darn thing.

[Older-twin]

My "box" would have the sae sockets and allen wrenches (only the ones that fit the bike); a big jawed Cresent wrench; small needle nose vice grips; a 6' coil of wire; 4265 plugs and wrench, plug wires, stock coil and electronic ignition setup; tire plug kit; tie down ratchet straps; 2 alligator clips; and a roll of electric tape.  I'm sure this list will get longer...

[76shuvlinoff]

OT, Except for ties downs that's pretty much what's in my shovel saddlebag roll.  I think if I have to leave that behind I'd move it to the box too.

Include chain breaker and master links, some electrical connectors spare tail light bulb.
Knocking wood, I quit carrying the points and coil some time ago but those would be box items.

[rbonner]

Seriously?

I no longer mess around.  Up until the OL let my AAA membership go away two months ago...  They just wrote yesterday saying BAAAAAAWWWWWWB where ya goin?  I was set and a cell phone...

Now I'm personally down to 5 bikes and my EZ-GO It would be next to impossible to have a rescue kit that could fix them all.  SO I let my fingers do the walkin...  BOB

[easyricer]

In one of my saddle bags, I have a small collection of tools (that are the most common on most bikes) a set of tire spoons, a small hand air pump, patch kit, a baggie with points, condenser and wiring connectors as well as roll of electrical tape. I have a screw driver that has interchangeable bits, with a very extensive bit collection. Channel lock pliers, and an assortment of  adjustable wrenches. Spare sparkplugs are in the holder mounted to the frame. I also carry several different chain repair kits.
The little rallies that I go to, here in Tx, when they see me, they call me AAA. I spend at least 2 hours every time working on someone elses ride to get them home!
EASY

[dusty1]

In the saddlebags i carry:tire irons,sm. bead breaker,small car jack,cement,patches/plugs,tire inflator,3/8 oil line,5/16 fuel line,clutch cable repair kit,spare throttle cable,spark plugs,points/condensors,14 gauge wire,tape,a variety of wire connectors,cable ties,a bag of misc. nuts & bolts,plug wires,extra coil,circuit breaker,spare advance unit,coupla extra springs....Saddlebags are HEAVY with not much room to put anything.I think i might leave bead breaker & jack at home,takes up way to much room.Nice to know im not the only "mobile repairman" in Tx!

[rbonner]

Seriously dusty...  Cell phone and AAA card.  Have them tow that sucker back into your driveway.   Skip hauling a saddlebag fulla stuff.

[dablaze]

I only ride to the local donut shop, so I can walk home to get spare parts.

Craig

[easyricer]

LMAO Craig! All that crap I carry around in my bags don't take up much space. just about the first 2 inches in the bottoms of them. I can still get quite a bit in either one, like both of our jackets and chaps.  I clip the tourbox on for long rides anyhow, so we live out of the tourbox. This last weekend we had all our clothes, my laptop, and all the whatnots in the tourbox. In the saddle bags we had extra water and that's about it.
EASY

[rbonner]

Seems like lately I only ride between my shop and the house.  Currently any parts are at the shop and any tools are at the house...  The estranged B**** wife didn't pay the AAA membership so that isn't in effect.  Only 4 miles between the shop and house, I could walk that and complain under my breath the whole way about the membership getting cancelled.

BOB

[76shuvlinoff]

Found out this week I need "the box" for the horse trailer too.  The county fair is this week and when the kid is backing "precious" out of the horse trailer, he catches his foot on the ramp loosening and then bending the shoe 1/2 hour before show time you better have the tools on hand to at least pull the shoes off.

Fortunately others already have "the box".

[rbonner]

Oh you have the horse problem too?  You probably mentioned that before but it slipped my mind.  We lessened that load about in 1989 when we eliminated the hoofs in our household.  I was out of town flying and we had a run of a week or two where the overnight lows hit -40 below zero and the wife had to get out and feed the critters before going to work and chisling the ice off the bolman cattle waterer.  Even it couldn't keep up with -40.

Yeah those were the days...  Walking into the corral at night and in the dark finding my 1YO colt with my hands outstretched and getting gut kicked.  The wife's Mare stepping on my running shoes and tearing ALL the skin off the top of my foot.

The crowner was the morning the horses broke out during a blizzard and I pulled out the 44MAG to end the pain.  Looking back I should have shot at the wife instead.

BOB

[dablaze]

Ahhh, the trailer box...We had a bearing go on a trailer when heading to Daytona a few years back. Was really munched and heat cured right to the axel. A coulpe of Good ole boys from Georgia pulled up and said they had just jumped in their truck and decided to go to bike week. Did not really clean the truck out.

In the back seat was a 6 foot wrecking bar, a sawzall, a couple of grinders, pneumatic jacks and about 2 feet deep of piled up tools. It was hard to describe, but these guys looked like they were both heavy mechanics that had just been kicked out of the house.

We sure did appreciate them coming along, cause that axel was ****'d! Still took us hours to get it travel worthy again.

Craig