long distance tour: what should i take?

[-Ali-]

In the summer i am doing a 12 000 ish mile tour. I'm looking at buying a suzuki gs 500. What basic tools/spares should i take with me?

[fire]

[Finglonga]

Credit card, AA, RAC or Green Flag type recovery zip ties and a roll of gaffa tape. Thats it.


What type of touring are you doing and where abouts are you going?
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Andy Sez....
F.Y.Y.F.F.

[mr.z]

I'd suggest pm-ing nath, he will no doubt have some very usefull tips (in fact diging out his thed might be a good idea)

For a couple of things..

Some sort of tyre plugging apparatus (you might not need it at all, but if you do you'll be glad you took it)
A compressor (maybe)
Spare cables (or spare nipples at least)
Oil (you'll need to be doing a fair few changes really, its a good idea anyway, but it will burn it along the way)
Headlight bulbs (ask nath why)
sure theres loads more..

Also maybe do some maintainance beforehand, chain and sprockets, oil change, CHECK EVERYTHING IS WORKING and test thoroughly any repairs you make before you go

Check https://www.anchorsupplies.com/ and get yourself a army kit bag, maybe two, these will take soooo much luggage its rediculous and are cheap and very hard wearing.


Anyways, good luck, where abouts are ou planning on going?
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>RidingSkills<->Tech Tips<->MyBikes<

[Steve M]

Have a look on here ... https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/

Esp. the trip planning section ... https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tripplan/ and the packing section https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tripplan/equipment/PackingList.php


It should have all the informaton, resources, and backup that you need to know about.

[-Ali-]

I'm going to Vladivostok in Russia. I've already found horizons unlimited. I won't be able to fix any engine trouble because i don't know how, so bearing that in mind i don't need to take them sort of tools.

[Steve M]

[mattsprattuk]

MUSIC PLAYER!!!!
thats a priority above all things

[EuropeanNC30R...]

Travel as light as possible, wash clothes while you're out there, buy oil in petrol stations (unless it's thirsty), use a travel towel and don't take any shit like compressors or laptops

[tatters]

12,000 miles will use a chain and sprokets up in no time on a chain bike like a gs500, what about a shaft bike like a gt550/750, ntv, cx500, old bmw etc.
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[Ariel Badger]

Condoms, good for carrying petrol and nobbing skanky French chicks.
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[mr.z]

Actually getting hold of an old shaftdriven monster of some sort would make allot of sense.. NTV's are cheap as now and not much to go wrong with them, there also reasonably modern.. (have somebody ready to post parts to you if you need to, this might prove in very handy)

Make sure its running well before you go and run it into the ground, unless your taking a brand spanker then shipping back from Vladivostok is going to be stupid tbh

^+ what 1930 ariel said, also handy for carrying water, take a pair of trousers and tie a knot in one end, put the filled prophylactic in there = water carrier..
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>RidingSkills<->Tech Tips<->MyBikes<

[iooi]

[Ariel Badger]

Te Govorish po Ruski yasak? Isli net u vas yest bolshoiya problema. Te nujna urokov ochen bistro!
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[TheDonUK]

Maximum respect, i did 2000+ miles in a week on my old knackered GS500.

I ragged the shit out of it all the way and the downpipes snapped off from the headers, lucky i was in scotland and they have efficient breakers up there, saying that even if they hadent i rode it around for a couple of days with NO exhaust, not even downpipes, it went slow like 50mph and chugged all the way there but my good did it sound mental...

Mine used to absolutely guzzle the oil, im talking 1 litre every 200-300 miles... mind you regardless of that fact i was never easy on it... Flat out all the time, on the return leg i just went into halfords about brought 5 litres and topped up whenever i filled up for petrol...

Speaking of petrol Careful with your tank range on a GS500.. 100-120 was what i would get, but as i said... ragged to fuck.

I wouldent worry too much about the engine, mine had 60k+ when i got it and never missed a beat through a year of abuse, bulletproof little bike... Just keep that oil topped up...

Cable tie replacement clutch and throttle cables alongside the current ones, i would go for engine bars or some crash protection, at the very least spare brake/clutch levers??

Rubbers like Ariel says...

err... Chainlube? what do they use out there? yaks piss? , or does some massive russian guy appear out of the woods, and pick up a larda and drain its oil into your chain somehow?/

[Ariel Badger]

As I sugested in my previous post he will need to learn Russian. A phrase book is not good enough. I have been studying the language for near 20 years on and off and it is a source of great pleasure but hard work.
English is OK in the big cities like Moscow and Peterberg but you is buggered in the rest of the motherland.
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[tatters]

[Ariel Badger]

Youth.
Vladamir Iluvaich Lenin looks like me. not me like him.
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[Itchy]

if you are buying a bike as Mr Z says get something shaft drive one less thing to worry about CXs and NTVs also have a much greater tank range and can carry an enourmous amount of stuff on the back , GS500s can but they don't take it so well.

the only real complication of NTVs is that they are liquid cooled while GS500s are aircooled, you lose a part you gain a part, I'd take a GT550 meself
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[Itchy]

https://www.northcrownriders.com/

maybe you should ask these guys , but then they took BMWs , big GS1150s, probably sells shaft drive very well
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[mr.z]

Ah, just thought of another..

12v soldering iron, solder and know how to use it.. (also obviously spare wire, duct tape, scotchloks as well are useful, spare fuses of every size)
Also douse any ignition leads with silicon spray before setting off..
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>RidingSkills<->Tech Tips<->MyBikes<

[-Ali-]

what sort of tools do you think i should take i.e. allen keys, socket set, adjustable spanner, pump and tyre repair kit is all i think i should take. Anyone got any more advances on this?

[mr.z]

Generally the standard toolkit SHOULD have everything you need to do most work on the road, a good place to start (but with stuff not made of cheese)...

no point taking a full allen key set if your bike only has 1/2/none on it.. same with spanners.. most of the time I'm using 8,10,12,13,14,17 rarely anything other.. you will need somehting to change spark plugs, or even just remove them if your bike becomes waterlogged.

Good set of properly sized screwdrivers (this way they wont get mashed) consider replacing screws with allen bolts (doing this sort of trip i would) also an excellent opportunity to check things are tightened, copper slip bolts and locktite ones that need it.

ALLWAYS useful are mole grips, take these anyway, 1 needle nose and 1 large, adjustable spanner too.

Your saying you don't know how to repair anything but you will have to learn! bare minimum would be chain changes, replaceing tyres, replaceing brakepads and keeping them maintained, being able to deal with water in the engine is also going to be needed, you WILL get it in there at some point.. the ingenuity of mechanics out there is legendary but it'll do you no good if your in the middle of nowhere, even the busyer roads you might be on your own for many hours.
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>RidingSkills<->Tech Tips<->MyBikes<

[Simple]

a mobile phone charger that's wind up/ solar or AA battery powered? or mayb a spare charged battery?

my phone always runs out when I need it the most...

Get your tyres glooped up, it doesnt stop all punctures but some so
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Insta - FemFeral

[-Ali-]

would you say it's necessary to take a socket set(only what i need) or should i just take the socket i need for spark plugs. I will be also be able to do what you listed, just not anything engine related. Sort add on what you've said onto my list and i should be pretty much set tool wise