improperly, don’t we?
The products or services mentioned
below are suggestions only; there are
often alternatives which might be
just as good. I just don’t know them
well enough.
MOBILE PHONE
First of all, take your mobile and
make sure it’s charged or you can
charge it from the bike. My Ducati
Scrambler, for instance, has a USB
socket under the seat for that purpose
and my Sportster has a cigarette
lighter socket for which I carry an
adapter. Failing that, get an Australian
MOTORCYCLIST Magazine Power
Bank either from our website http://www.
ausmotorcyclist.com.au for $19.95 or
free if you subscribe.
A mobile can replace almost all
of the other gear I have listed here,
under most circumstances. I know
you’ll be carrying it anyway, but if I
didn’t mention it I’d get letters again.
Remember that phones will still allow
you to make emergency calls if you’re
outside your provider’s coverage – as
long as you’re in someone’s coverage.
Telstra still has the biggest footprint
in Australia.
TYRE REPAIR KIT
MotoPressor Tubeless Tyre
Repair Kit $69.95
Tyrepliers Tube Type Tyre
Repair Kit $262.90
Motul Tyre Repair $22.90
A tyre repair kit of some kin
goes without saying, even if it s just an
aerosol can. You might be knocking
the ozone layer around, but at least
you’ll get home out of the now-
dangerous sun. Bastard.
All right, here’s how we roll: the
MotoPressor kit is good for tubeless
tyre repairs, and I tend to carry one of
these when I’m out on the Scrambler.
I like the multitool that comes with
it, and the way it is packed into a neat
neoprene (nobody ever seems to use
oldoprene) bag. You can replace both
the “strings” and the CO2 cylinders
if you use them, so the kit has a
practically unlimited life. See http://www.
rockycreekdesigns.com.au. It might
seem a bit expensive but it looks to
be a quality product. And it’s pretty
cheap compared to this next one...
Tyrepliers has offered tough, high-
quality products for a long time and
we have been using them for nearly
as long. Tyrepliers gear is for when
you’re not mucking around, out
the back of nowhere and counting,
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the cost. This kit for tubed tyres is
designed to get you out of trouble
no matter how much you’re in; unlike
pretty much any other kit it includesa strongly made bead breaker and
impressive 300mm long tyre levers as
well as replacement valves and even a
complete valve with a patch attached.
If you run out of CO2 cylinders, you
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I unreservedly recommend Tyrepliers
products; read more at http://www.tyrepliers.
com.au.
Finally, here’s salvation-in-a-can.
Apply the nozzle of your Motul Tyre
Repair aerosol can and moments
later you will be on your way. Motul
says that unlike some other similar
products, theirs will not harm the tube
or tyre. Get it from most motorcycle
shops, and if you want more info read
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website. Maybe you ought to carry one
of these at all times. You know the
story: if you’re prepared, nothing will
go wrong. Hah.TYRE PUMP
MotoPressor Pocket Pump $49.95
It’s small and light, and it will save
you a lot of time and effort when you
need to pump up a tyre or anything
else. You may need a specialised pumpIf you’re riding one of these, you might need some dowel
rod, a wood chisel and plenty of Aquadhere.Power Brick is not something you’d usually carry, unless
you’re worried about the state of your battery. But for
long trips, especially camping, it would be on my list.