Photos: The Bear
When I bought my first BMW, a second-hand R 60/2, it came complete with a hand pump. Not ever having seen anything like that, I found that pretty funny – until I thought about it. After all, the bike had a comprehensive toolkit – BMWs in those days did, and even less well equipped bikes carried a passable selection of tools – so it made sense that it should carry the one tool you’d use most, apart from a 10 mm socket.
The jump starter, the pump and the various bits and pieces that fit into the case.
I don’t know if you’ve checked lately but modern motorcycles carry only the most elementary of tools, often a single Allen key. This allows you to, er, do nothing much. They certainly have no way of dealing with a flat tire. Now I do realise that this makes a lot of sense for average riders who stay within shouting distance of civilisation. If one takes a little care with tires and replaces them at the appropriate time, flat tires are actually very rare.
I added a set of fuses and a basic tire repair kit to the case.
Were you riding in the mid-‘60s? I suspect you will have vivid memories of crouching next to motorcycles deprived of one wheel, muttering incantations like “stick, damn you” to black rubber patches with red outlines clamped to a tube while you burned peculiar blocks of inflammable material over them. Had you done this in the Dark Ages you might well have found yourself burned in turn, as a witch.
All right, that might be taking it a little far depending on how far into the back country you are. Even so, although it is a lot easier to fix a flat today with tubeless tires, it’s still a pain. And you still need the same element: air. There are people who get their inflation from CO2 cartridges but not only is their volume limited, but they get cold enough to burn your hand. Ask me how I know.
It’s a neat, easily packed kit that will get me out of all sorts of trouble.
A pump is better. And air is not the only thing you might need. Electricity can show up short (sorry) as well if your charging system decides to take a day off. There is no simple way to cope with this, unless your bike is running a magneto ignition which is unlikely these days. A jump starter is what you’re looking for here. As well as air and electricity there is another element that you might find yourself lacking. Like the others this has little or nothing to do with tools, but is just as important as air in your tires and a spark in your plug. It is of course fuel.
What got me thinking along these lines was a comment by a friend whom I’d told about a recent crash out on a farm road. “What,” he said, “and you were out there alone?” Yes I was. I spend a lot of time riding empty gravel roads alone. What would I do if I ran out of any of those three elements? I can pick up a bike by myself even if it takes a little while given my aged bones. I carry a toolkit, a combination of the pathetic but specific tools that come with the bike plus a high quality set sourced from Snap-On. This allows me to do any work I might want (and be able) to do on the road on the F 750 GS, but I’m sure you’ve noted that it would not help me if I lacked air, power or fuel.
The F 750 GS without panniers shows the tidy fitment of the auxiliary tank.
Time to see about fixing that. The bike holds 15 litres, my canister carries 2 more and I have a 7-litre auxiliary tank from Nomad Fuel Tanks (nomadtanks.com.au) for the rack. These are rugged, high-quality Australian-made tanks for all sorts of dirt and adventure bikes. They come with all hoses, straps, studs, tap, filter and `T` piece. Okay. Twenty-four litres is what the bike should have held in the first place. I am unlikely to need more. Sorted, if I’m actually carrying the spare fuel. Note to self: carry spare fuel.
Australian accessory supplier Rocky Creek Designs (rockycreekdesigns.com.au) offers various ways of providing air and power and has fulfilment centers in the US and the UK. Out of the range of air pumps, I chose the small MotoPressor MicroPUMP. This is a cordless rechargeable tyre pump which is tiny, measuring 78x35x80mm. The whole kit including hose and cables weighs just 323g.
“It will pump to 130PSI and will inflate a 150/70 R18 tyre twice (0-36psi) and a 90/90 R21 tyre once (0-27psi) on the single charge,” says Rocky Creek. “You can set and save 3 pre-set pressures and the pump will automatically shut off once the pre-set pressure is reached. Recharge from most USB adapters… The kit includes an inflation hose, USB C charging cable, Presta valve adapter, storage bag and operating instructions.” The pump kit costs $126.95 in Australian dollars. Currently that’s US$81, CAD114.96 and Eur77.05.
Rocky Creek can also provide power if your charging system or battery let you down. Their 500A – MotoPressor Mini Jump Starter Battery will ensure that you are never left stranded. It can start petrol car engines up to 5 litres with a battery capacity of 10,000mAh and a starting current of 500A. It can also charge things like your phone or tablet. The complete kit weighs 715g and packs neatly into a carry case (184x140x70mm). It costs $208.90. I haven’t calculated that in other currencies because they can’t send these overseas. The lithium batteries are too powerful. You can, however, buy much the same thing wherever you live.
The case on the seat of my Triumph Street Twin. It is not bike sp-ecific and I use it with both of my bikes.
Now here’s the trick: I have managed to fit both the pump and the starter into the starter’s durable case, along with a set of fuses and basic tire repair stuff. (I used the little Alpine ear plug bag because it was empty.) All I need to do now is slip that one case into my pannier and I can deal with shortages of both air and power no matter where I am on the road.
Out of this nettle, danger, I have plucked this flower, safety because I thought about it.
