These. Been using them now for 4 years and they fit in the bags and don't take away storage space as they are in the recessed areas at the bottom. Right side has tools, zip ties, blue loctite, spare fuses, small roll of duct tape. Left side has shock pump, tire repair stuff, spare kick stand spring and a couple of spark plugs and a small can of WD-40. Holds everything easily.

 

Cruz-Tools makes & sells several sets, I have one, plus if I take a long trip I add a
few more just because you never know.

 

If you are going to build your own toolkit, is there a good list somewhere of what it should have?

 

H-D do several tool kits. No surprise that they are darned expensive, but we can make up something similar without much effort. I have a long list of tools, but as my bike is far from stock I carry more than many owners would. It also depends on just how self-sufficient we want to be when on the road as to just how much to take.

A related topic is spares and if we were to carry the stuff some riders suggest we should carry there would be no space left for luggage! We must each determine which tools and spares we carry, according to whim. I don't carry spares, except bulbs, but plenty of tools.

 

I have had the storage pouches for about four years and love them. I can't believe how much stuff I can put in them I think I could tear this bike apart with what I have in them and the sit in the bottom of the saddlebags so you don't waste space in the bags.

 

Go to the Cruz Tools or HD site and write down the wrench sizes and other contents of their HD tool set that you want to copy...then make a trip to Lowe's or Home Depot. As some one else said you need to decide what spares and extras of what you want to carry with you. Here is a suggestion...

Fuses
Kickstand spring
Spark plugs
Extra battery for security fob
About 20-30 feet of bailing wire
Zip ties
Some duct tape
Small can of WD40
Pair of vice-grips
Leatherman knife
Adjustable wrench
Blue loctite
Stuff to fix a flat and small compressor, extra valve stem or two, plugs, etc.
Small flashlight (I have one that is one of those you can wear on your forehead to keep both hands free)

I probably have some other items that I am not recalling right at the moment.

I confess to being one of those guys who probably carries too much as I also carry one of the micro batteries that you can jump start with. I don't carry extra bulbs as I switched all my lights to LED.

Carry the stuff that will assist you in fixing potential problems that you feel confident addressing. There's not a lot of sense bringing stuff to fix a problem that you can't fix at the side of the road. An example is HD puts the wrenches in some of their tool kits to fit the axel nuts. You're really going to pull a wheel on the side of the road...on a 900 lb touring bike...by yourself? Better be a strong dude, carry a lift, or be able to flag down some help. If for some weird reason it needs to be tightened, adjustable wrench...which can be used on other things versus carrying some rather large dedicated wrench that can only be used of one thing.

I see a lot of "well my phone and roadside assistance is all I need" and if that is what works for them...more power to them. Personally if I can plug a tire and inflate it to get it home or to a shop to get a new tire on instead of sitting on the side of the road for hours waiting for roadside assistance, then I will. Ditto for other things that could go wrong that I could fix myself. If it's so bad I can't patch it up to get to a shop or home...then I'll use the phone.

 

use any of the above lists as a starting point for you. what I do is to use my bike toolkit for any repairs/maint at the house. if I don't have what I need to do the job, I then get it out of my toolchest. if I think it's something that i'll be doing on the road, I add it to my bike's toolkit. if not, then I leave it out.

 

I'll be the first to admit I have a few items in my tool pouches that I may not ever use on the side of the road. But if I am riding with a group a longer distance, they might come in handy for someone in the group.

Sometimes you just have to go with the odds when it comes to deciding what to pack, and still leave enough room for other things.
You can not carry every single tool and/or spare part.
So concentrate on the stuff that is most likely to give you issues.

As an example, you mentioned spark plugs.
In over 40 years of riding/driving, I have never once ever needed to change a spark plug on the side of the road.
But hey take up next to nothing for room, so very easy to pack.

Personal experience, level of mechanical aptitude, general condition of bike, ect. all comes into play when deciding what to carry.

+1

Very good advice when coming up with what to carry.
That is how I got mine started.

Then last year when a group of us rode to Sturgis, I added a bunch more.
A lot of it, I really don't need to be carrying around every day.
But in those pouches I pictured above (it all takes the same amount of room), so most is still there.

 

This is what I have, and I've added additional tools as needed. Really quality set.