Emergency repairs traveling by motorcycle

We propose 7 important points to keep in mind about your motorcycle

We will agree that the premise of a motorcycle trip should be to travel light. Achieve the lowest weight of the motorcycle-rider combination to enjoy the trip to the fullest. But it is also true that depending on the motorcycle and the destination, we may encounter more or less problems repairing our motorcycle in the event of a breakdown. Therefore, there are some basics that we should not leave to chance, both due to the difficulty of the repair and the high possibilities of it happening to us. Shall we review them? Below I have prepared a list of material that, although not everyone may need, can help you make a choice about what to bring and what not. Remember that if the trip is in a group, it is much easier to distribute this material among the different pilots. And if you have an assistance car, then everything will be even easier.

1-Set of tools

You should bring at least the essentials for removing your wheels, taking off covers, battery, adjusting handlebars, levers, etc. Add to that a good multi-tool like a Leatherman , with a knife, metal cutting pliers, cable cutter, and other tools. You never know how much you might need it until you have it.

2-electric kit

It is true that if you do not have much idea of ​​electricity, it may be a bit absurd that you carry an electrical kit but, as you know, our motorcycles increasingly have more sensors and circuits and, if you know how to understand them, this kit can help you repair your motorcycle . This kit would consist of:

• Mini tester or test lamp. Some bad ones you can make one with a light bulb and cable.
• Electric cable. If any area of ​​your installation deteriorates, you can repair it. It will also help you to bypass a sensor or activator and, of course, to tie whatever it is in case of need.
• Male and female fastoms, ground terminals of various sizes, heat shrink sleeve and a lighter. With this you will be able to make quality installations to continue your journey.
• Fuses of different protections and a relay. Find out about the model that your motorcycle uses. They come in various shapes and sizes.

3-Fixation and fastening

Never forget this material in your tool bag:

• Quality plastic ties, metal clamps the size of your hoses (at least 2), a small piece of copper tubing the inside diameter of your hoses. With this and 2 flanges you can solve a broken sleeve.
• Duct tape and electrical tape. With the first you can hold pieces that have fallen out of place after a fall, for example. It has countless uses. With the second you can tape and protect cables from your electrical installation among other things.
• Screw kit. If your motorcycle is Japanese, don't worry too much. But if you have a motorcycle from the KTM group (KTM, Husqvarna, Husaberg, GasGas), be clear that you are always going to lose a screw, and even more so if you have not remembered to retighten it before your trip. They always loosen up. A basic kit of screws, nuts and washers can help you continue with your adventure. But try to do a general re-tightening before every important ride.

4-Controllers

In this section we will talk about 2 important parts of the motorcycle. throttle and clutch

• Steel wires. Some motorcycles still have a gas and clutch cable. It is important to always have its interior housing greased, otherwise you could break the cable. In this case, it would be a good idea to carry a throttle cable and a clutch cable (with the heads protected) parallel to the ones you are carrying so that they do not take up space in your bag. If your bike is modern, probably the throttle is electronic and the clutch is hydraulic and you don't have to worry about that.
• In hydraulic clutches, the part that usually gives the most problems is the clutch pusher or slave cylinder. In this case, we recommend that before leaving, you place a pusher Oberon and avoid problems.

5-wheels

Nothing better than a good prevention to avoid punctures. Try not to rush the drawing of your rubber bands too much. Change the cameras for reinforced or super reinforced ones and if possible, do not hold them for more than 2 years. Use puncture preventatives whenever you can and above all, if you are not in a competition, do not drop pressures below 1.6 Bar to avoid punctures and rims.

• Kit tubeles / camera / patches. If your wheels are tubeless, you can fix most of your punctures with a repair kit. Although if the tire cracks, in a critical situation, you should try to vulcanize it on the inside and put in a tube. For this you will need some levers. Just like if your tires are tube or tubetype, you will need at least one camera (the larger of the 2) and self-adhesive patches. Some foams can also work well as long as the puncture is in the tread or Slime-type preventatives so that the gel acts only when it detects a puncture. Don't forget to always carry a compressor or a air pump that can go with CO cartridges and manual. Sometimes we may have to use it not only as an inflator but also as a compressor to clean a clogged tube or filter, for example.
•  If your motorcycle goes with a cardan; Moto Guzzi, BMW, Super Tenere 1200……you don't need to read this. But if your motorcycle goes with a chain, you can save a route by carrying a chain breaker and a chain link with clip closure.

6-Chemicals

The basics to take on an adventure trip are:

• WD40. This liquid is…..magical. With it you can from cleaning and lubricating your chain, using it to loosen everything, removing rust, cleaning sulfated cables. Some say that you can even use it to dress the salad. But I wouldn't do that...
• cold welder. 2-component epoxy putty is not appreciated enough until it is needed. Any type of crack, pore, break that can be generated, this putty can repair it and it dries in only 15 minutes. It is very important, yes, that the area is completely clean before applying.
• Oil. If you have space to carry 0,5 liters of oil, do not hesitate. You never know…
• leak cover radiator or sweet paprika. If you detect that your radiator has a small water leak, maybe you can repair it with one of these 2 options and continue on your way.
• Hand soap for workshop. If you're going to get really dirty, remember to take a little soap in a small bottle, and if it's Fuster, even better. Smells great and cleans better.

7-Electronics

Perhaps you do not know that many of the breakdowns in current motorcycles are due to the excess of electronics that they carry. Below I will detail some of the causes that can ruin your trip:

• Petrol pump. Whether due to lack of power or clogging due to dirt, they may stop working or not provide the necessary pressure. Entrust its inspection to a professional and keep its filter clean and if you are going to go to countries with poor fuel quality, install a pre-filter. Soon we will talk to you about the new filters and prefilters guglatech that we are going to start distributing. They will undoubtedly be a great option to protect your motorcycle.
• Regulator. Lately they don't fail so much anymore because they have changed their internal way of working, but if you know that your motorcycle could fail in the regulator, don't hesitate to put one in your backpack. Older regulators get extremely hot and sooner or later end up overheating and breaking the electronics. Check its connections before an important trip and try to place it in a place where it gets good air for cooling. If it isn't, relocate it.
• Starter relay. This is easily bypassable in case of failure, don't worry. You just have to know how to do it.
• Tilt or fall sensor. More and more motorcycles carry it. Its function is to cut the ignition in the event of a fall. They don't usually break, but if you fall and then the motorcycle doesn't start, it's normal. You have to rearm it. Simply turn the bike off at the ignition, jack it up and start again.
• Side stand sensor. Another of the most common causes of engine failure is the breakage of the side stand sensor. If this does not act well, the motorcycle stops when engaging a gear. In older mechanics, these sensors can be bypassed. But on modern KTM group bikes, these sensors are not easily bypassable and require an electronic override. It happened to us recently in Morocco and for this reason we are going to incorporate the entire range of products of the brand smartmoto that includes the side stand or kickstand sensor nullers for the main trail bikes on the market that need it. With it, in the event that your sensor breaks down, you will only have to disconnect it and connect this nullifier to be able to continue driving. When you get back to town, you put in a new sensor and save the emulator for another time. Remember that it is dangerous not to have the nullifier connected.

Do you know how to use all the material that we have told you about?

I hope you found this article interesting and that it helps you expand your knowledge so you can successfully handle any mechanical challenge. If, on the other hand, everything I've written sounds like gibberish, perhaps you need one of our mechanics courses. Contact us through the website or check upcoming course dates by clicking HERE.

Until next time!!