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Guess I'm a little uninformed. I am unfamiliar with Heim joints. Would you give additional details?
See attached. Pic #1 is of the heim joint. Pic #2 is of the ball and socket covered in rubber that is stock. After repeated up and down shifting (especially by those that do it hard) they are prone to fail.
Check out this link: http://www.storagepouches.com .
You can buy the pouches empty or buy them with the tools inside. Even if you don't buy them there is a good list of tools to have and pictures of it all laid out. Great storage solution that makes use of some awkward space.
On my 09 RG I don't have ABS so there is also a lot of room behind the side panel that I make use of. I found a small socket set that was in a square case so it fits in that area perfect with some small bungies.
The only roadside repair I have had to do on my Road King in the last 3 years (40,000 miles) is reattach the shifter linkage. ( I used a hair-tie which held the shifter linkage together for another 1000 mile till I could replace it with himi's) I carry more then what's on the list and know how to use them. I loaned the large adjustable to someone at a motel one morning. His oil drain plug was about to fall out (the dealership did an oil change and didn't get it secure enough).
Here is some good advise:
Don't leave on an extended ride right after doing work on your bike. Ride your bike locally for a week or so before leaving on your vacation ride to shack out the bugs.
One thing I didn't see on the list was a 10 mm wrench for the battery.
10 mm is in my kit but very good advice. While on the road about 6 weeks or so ago I decided it was time for a new battert so bought and installed an Odyssey.
Originally Posted by orbiker
The only roadside repair I have had to do on my Road King in the last 3 years (40,000 miles) is reattach the shifter linkage. ( I used a hair-tie which held the shifter linkage together for another 1000 mile till I could replace it with himi's) I carry more then what's on the list and know how to use them. I loaned the large adjustable to someone at a motel one morning. His oil drain plug was about to fall out (the dealership did an oil change and didn't get it secure enough).
Here is some good advise:
Don't leave on an extended ride right after doing work on your bike. Ride your bike locally for a week or so before leaving on your vacation ride to shack out the bugs.
One thing I didn't see on the list was a 10 mm wrench for the battery.
I think way too many people over think this, IMO. For example, if you take 10 riders I'd suffice to say that maybe only 1 would actually make what I would classify as roadside repairs (i.e. replace a belt, change a tire, replace a cable). Then there's about 4 that would patch the problem somehow to get off the road to a dealer. The other 5 would stand on the side of the road with a cell phone and credit card and get towed to a dealer for repairs. Having said that, determine which category you fit into and build a kit from there. It also depends on what precautions you have taken to prevent the most common mishaps like broken shifter linkages. If you are a preventative type of person and replaced your linkages with heim joints then you are slightly ahead of the game. The HD toolkit that came with the bike with a few add-ons is generally enough. I digress...........
cell phone
credit card
zip ties
electrical tape
spare 1156 and 1157 bulb
spare plugs
torx bit flip tool
adjustable wrench
tire plug kit
slime tire pump
spare fuses
Those things will generally get you off the road and to a dealer with most of the minor mishaps.
One of my requirements besides some basic tools is a cig charger for the cell phone. Another useful item is a GPS with a list of all the Harley dealers. Last year on a 4 day ride one of the riders laid his bike down on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The bike was rideable after securing the fender with a couple of zip ties but needed some minor repairs. Without a list of the dealers in the GPS we would not have know which direction to go for the closest dealer since we were 300 miles from home. The dealers are listed in the HOG atlas but the GPS was still easier.
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