[dsn_klr650] chain tech, nklr

[Mark Wilson]

> It would be a great help for off road newbies if the experienced riders > would share the benefit of their experience and list the tools & spares > that they carry when doing it in the dirt. I'll start off with my #1 > item: > a 1/2 roll of toilet paper in a water tight bag. > > Other suggestions? > > Professor > > ps: now if Tom at CycoActive would only come up with a waterproof > T.P. fender bag ... >

I thought that is what they make zip lock baggies for.... Gilligan

[Tom Simpson]

Jim Hyman wrote:

> It would be a great help for off road newbies if the experienced riders > would share the benefit of their experience and list the tools & spares > that they carry when doing it in the dirt. I'll start off with my #1 > item: > a 1/2 roll of toilet paper in a water tight bag. > > Other suggestions?

People laugh a me, but I am big on packing smoke grenages and rocket flares on the bike when I travel in remote areas. I tend to worry about being halfway down the side of a mountain and not being found. Also, an enhanced USGI first aid kit, one that is elaborate enough to cover major trauma reasonably well. -Tom '96 KLR 650

[Robert Morgan]

I have a tendency to carry too much stuff. Ask anyone I ride with! I am also usually the guy that has the tool and or the spare part to fix whatever broke or fell off the other guy's bike! I am not a paranoid but I have always firmly believed that true independence was the ability to handle your own problems. The toilet paper thing is important, so is a small trowel to bury it. Respect for the trail and the environment are critical. "Man who shits on road will meet flies upon return" old Vietnamese proverb. I carry a very complete first aid kit. I would like to add suture capability to it but haven't . I carry a lot of water, usually 2 days worth. Tools , tubes, tire irons are a must. I pack a big hat, I've done the skin cancer thing once already. I also pack bug repellant and sun screen. Dry socks, a second pair of gloves, either lighter or warmer, depending. If I have my visor on the helmet I pack goggles and vice versa. I have a compact "space blanket" and enough power and granola bars for a couple of days. A bandana is a must. The tool kit is very complete. I also pack a very small can of WD 40 and chain lube. A 8" crescent wrench is a Godsend when you bend a shift lever. A small 4by6 tackle box has nuts, bolts, fuses and wire and electrical. A small roll of duct tape (couple of yards) can be handy (improvising a splint). I always carry a map, and compass, a whistle , and a survival type knife. I have recently acquired a GPS which I am still learning to use. Sometimes I carry a cell phone, I have a small "Cobra" handheld 40 channel CB with weather band that stays in the tank bag. I usually have a pint flask of rum somewhere. See I told you I pack too much. Morgan

----- Original Message ----- From: Mark Wilson To: KLR650 DSN DSN_klr650@egroups.com> Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2000 2:08 AM Subject: Re: [DSN_klr650] OffRoad survival kit & spares, NKLR > > It would be a great help for off road newbies if the experienced riders > > would share the benefit of their experience and list the tools & spares > > that they carry when doing it in the dirt. I'll start off with my #1 > > item: > > a 1/2 roll of toilet paper in a water tight bag. > > > > Other suggestions? >

[Marcus Young]

I'll add to this growing list (pardon if someone else already mentioned this), Zip Ties. On countless trips both on and off road I've used these to hold a piece of body work to the frame when the bolt worked itself loose. Also, hose clamps. On two occasions I've lost exhaust clamps, and these work just great.

[quote] -----Original Message----- [b]From:[/b] Robert Morgan [mailto:robertlmorgan@...] [b]Sent:[/b] Thursday, May 25, 2000 8:09 AM [b]To:[/b] KLR650 DSN; Mark Wilson [b]Subject:[/b] Re: [DSN_klr650] OffRoad survival kit & spares, NKLR     I have a tendency to carry too much stuff.  Ask anyone I ride with! I am also usually the guy that has the tool and or the spare part to fix whatever broke or fell off the other guy's bike!  I am not a paranoid but I have always firmly believed that true independence was the ability to handle your own problems.     The toilet paper thing is important, so is a small trowel to bury it. Respect for the trail and the environment are critical.  "Man who shits on road will meet flies upon return"  old Vietnamese proverb.     I carry a very complete first aid kit.  I would like to add suture capability to it but haven't .  I carry a lot of water, usually 2 days worth.  Tools , tubes, tire irons are a must.  I pack a big hat, I've done the skin cancer thing once already.  I also pack bug repellant and sun screen.  Dry socks, a second pair of gloves, either lighter or warmer, depending.  If I have my visor on the helmet I pack goggles and vice versa. I have a compact "space blanket" and enough power and granola bars for a couple of days.  A bandana is a must.     The tool kit is very complete.  I also pack a very small can of WD 40 and chain lube.  A 8" crescent wrench is a Godsend when you bend a shift lever. A small 4by6 tackle box has nuts, bolts, fuses and wire and electrical.  A small roll of duct tape (couple of yards) can be handy (improvising a splint).      I always carry a map, and compass, a whistle , and a survival type knife.  I have recently acquired a GPS which I am still learning to use. Sometimes I carry a cell phone, I have a small "Cobra" handheld 40 channel CB with weather band that stays in the tank bag.     I usually have a pint flask of rum somewhere.     See I told you I pack too much.     Morgan ----- Original Message ----- From: Mark Wilson To: KLR650 DSN DSN_klr650@egroups.com> Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2000 2:08 AM Subject: Re: [DSN_klr650] OffRoad survival kit & spares, NKLR > > It would be a great help for off road newbies if the experienced riders > > would share the benefit of their experience and list the tools & spares > > that they carry when doing it in the dirt.  I'll start off with my #1 > > item: > > a 1/2 roll of toilet paper in a water tight bag. > > > > Other suggestions? > Visit the KLR650 archives at http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 Support Dual Sport News... dsneditor@... Let's keep this list SPAM free! Visit our site at http://www.egroups.com/group/DSN_klr650 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@egroups.com

[/quote]

[Zachariah Mully]

Robert- Thanks for the great list of tools and other necessary items... I will be saving this thread for when I begin to put together my own kit. Where oh where do you store all this stuff... I assume something like Cycloactive's glovebox wouldn't be large enough and the Kawi tank isn't that large either... I am wondering if you're a firm believer that saddlebags should never be empty, regardless of whether or not you have something to put in them I found myself doing that all the time on my BMW, I would keep all my tools and oil and rope and extra clothing in my saddlebags and then just strap whatever I needed to carry at that moment to the luggage rack. Saved my ass countless times... And being that I was often way layed by a poorly designed shift-linkage sponatanously losing nuts (-damnit I just tightened them before I left!-) I found that a handful of bolts and nuts came in more than I ever could have imagined. Would anyone be willing to post a complete breakdown of their survival kit? It would be of incredible use to many of us without your years of experience offroad. Zack Robert Morgan wrote:

> > I have a tendency to carry too much stuff. Ask anyone I ride with! I am > also usually the guy that has the tool and or the spare part to fix whatever > broke or fell off the other guy's bike! I am not a paranoid but I have > always firmly believed that true independence was the ability to handle your > own problems. > The toilet paper thing is important, so is a small trowel to bury it. > Respect for the trail and the environment are critical. "Man who shits on > road will meet flies upon return" old Vietnamese proverb. > I carry a very complete first aid kit. I would like to add suture > capability to it but haven't . I carry a lot of water, usually 2 days > worth. Tools , tubes, tire irons are a must. I pack a big hat, I've done > the skin cancer thing once already. I also pack bug repellant and sun > screen. Dry socks, a second pair of gloves, either lighter or warmer, > depending. If I have my visor on the helmet I pack goggles and vice versa. > I have a compact "space blanket" and enough power and granola bars for a > couple of days. A bandana is a must. > The tool kit is very complete. I also pack a very small can of WD 40 > and chain lube. A 8" crescent wrench is a Godsend when you bend a shift > lever. A small 4by6 tackle box has nuts, bolts, fuses and wire and > electrical. A small roll of duct tape (couple of yards) can be handy > (improvising a splint). > I always carry a map, and compass, a whistle , and a survival type > knife. I have recently acquired a GPS which I am still learning to use. > Sometimes I carry a cell phone, I have a small "Cobra" handheld 40 channel > CB with weather band that stays in the tank bag. > I usually have a pint flask of rum somewhere. > See I told you I pack too much. > Morgan > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Mark Wilson > To: KLR650 DSN DSN_klr650@egroups.com> > Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2000 2:08 AM > Subject: Re: [DSN_klr650] OffRoad survival kit & spares, NKLR > > > > It would be a great help for off road newbies if the experienced riders > > > would share the benefit of their experience and list the tools & spares > > > that they carry when doing it in the dirt. I'll start off with my #1 > > > item: > > > a 1/2 roll of toilet paper in a water tight bag. > > > > > > Other suggestions? > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Find long lost high school friends: > http://click.egroups.com/1/4056/5/_/911801/_/959263852/ > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Visit the KLR650 archives at > http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 > Support Dual Sport News... dsneditor@... > Let's keep this list SPAM free! > > Visit our site at http://www.egroups.com/group/DSN_klr650 > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@egroups.com

[Jeffrey L. Walker]

> I have a tendency to carry too much stuff. Ask anyone I ride with! I

am

> also usually the guy that has the tool and or the spare part to fix

whatever

> broke or fell off the other guy's bike! I am not a paranoid but I have > always firmly believed that true independence was the ability to handle

your

> own problems. > The toilet paper thing is important, so is a small trowel to bury it. > Respect for the trail and the environment are critical. "Man who shits on > road will meet flies upon return" old Vietnamese proverb. > I carry a very complete first aid kit. I would like to add suture > capability to it but haven't . I carry a lot of water, usually 2 days > worth. Tools , tubes, tire irons are a must. I pack a big hat, I've done > the skin cancer thing once already. I also pack bug repellant and sun > screen. Dry socks, a second pair of gloves, either lighter or warmer, > depending. If I have my visor on the helmet I pack goggles and vice

versa.

> I have a compact "space blanket" and enough power and granola bars for a > couple of days. A bandana is a must. > The tool kit is very complete. I also pack a very small can of WD 40 > and chain lube. A 8" crescent wrench is a Godsend when you bend a shift > lever. A small 4by6 tackle box has nuts, bolts, fuses and wire and > electrical. A small roll of duct tape (couple of yards) can be handy > (improvising a splint). > I always carry a map, and compass, a whistle , and a survival type > knife. I have recently acquired a GPS which I am still learning to use. > Sometimes I carry a cell phone, I have a small "Cobra" handheld 40 channel > CB with weather band that stays in the tank bag. > I usually have a pint flask of rum somewhere. > See I told you I pack too much. > Morgan > > > Right on, But here is what I'd add to your list:

Unstead of a small hand trowel, I'd use a military entrenching tool, (E-tool). It digs better holes, and with the shovel blade folded 90 degrees, you can sort of perch your cheek on it when you do the dookie business. (speaking from much experience here, makes squating much more comfortable.) Also, I'd add a goodly length (say 20 feet minimum) of 550 or parachute cord. The inner strands can be used for sewing, stitching and fishing line. The outer sheath is pretty good cord on its own. You can use it to rig shelter and rig snares to trap food, and it has a test strength of 550 lb. The basic minimum survival gear I carry is a length of cord, a good knife, and a sure fire method of starting a fire, like waterproof matches or a lighter or a striker. The rest is a compass, a poncho (space blankets are good, but not a practical, where you can repeated use a poncho for many things besides shelter. And just how much water is enough for two days? In the desert, at a minimum of one quart every other hour in the direct sun, that is a lot of water! I go out with my Camelback Mule full, and two 2-quart canteens, for about a gallon and a half total. If I get stuck out there in the open desert though, I will immediately make a sun brake shelter and severly limit my day time activity, because it just isn't enough water otherwise. A signal mirror, a pocket survival strobe light, flares, these are all good to have. Even a simple whistle would be great. Cell phone sure, but you have to make sure you are in a covered area, like maybe your PCS phone won't work in the "wilderness" where all they have is analog coverage. Map and compass.....Put the GPS away and learn how to use these instead, because they will never let you down, and I have yet to see a GPS that can show you what the terrain looks like. Learn how to match the contour lines on the map to the ground you are standing on. After you have mastered these, then add the GPS to the repetoir. I won't go into spare parts and tools....Truth be told many times I go out without them. But I never go out without a rescue plan. I tell my wife where I'll be (show here on the map even), how long I'll be gone and when to expect me back. I have done a thourough map recon, have planned several landmarks and refference points, and a general panic azimuth to a known boundary like a major road for in case I do get broken down and lost and have to walk out. (Actually, I never get lost, only temporarily misoriented.) Real men don't get lost, they have a planned route and know how to read a map. If you miss your next check point, turn around and head back to the last known point and start over. Also, a small hand book on survival skills and first aid to pack into your first aid kit. I usually take my personal bible, the Ranger Handbook. Jeff

[ephilride@aol.com]

robertlmorgan@... writes:

>snip The toilet paper thing is important, so is a small trowel to bury it. > Respect for the trail and the environment are critical. "Man who shits on > road will meet flies upon return" old Vietnamese proverb.

Thank you for the chuckle of the day!

> I pack a big hat, I've done > the skin cancer thing once already.

Ditto - I hate paying the dermatologist $25 bucks every times he hits the freeze button on that dang bottle of liquid nitrogen. "That will be $175 Mr. Knot. You know a large hat and sunscreen can prevent alot of damage. See you in 6 months. Don't forget to use that Effodex (chemical that peals your bad skin away -ooch)" Grrrrrr -Everyone knows the dangers of tobacco and makes their own choice. Our sun worshiping society is killing its hide and most don't realize it. Your high school Honey that always had that knock-out tan, now looks like a prune. Wear your sunscreen!!!!!!

> The tool kit is very complete.

I would add a tow rope and small set of jumper cables. When I've had a tow rope, I've never had to use it. When I didn't have one, I needed it. Same with jumpers. Don't leave home without them. Knot - who was once a youthful bareback rascal, now paying for years of skin abuse. ps: No, I am not interested in an industrial size 20 cu. ft. cylinder of liquid nitrogen.

[Jim Jackson]

All great posts so far. Learned the tp rule when my girlfriend and I went out. She was NOT pleased. At any rate, the rescue plan and showing someone on a map is about the best advice I can think of. I would add that insertion and possible extraction grid coordinates (in and out) are immensely helpful once you have the hang of orienteering. If you tell someone that you will be 'here' on a map and that person doesn't know squat about maps they may get it wrong. If you say I'm going in at 84351245 moving approximately North-North-East the S&R team will know exactly where to pick up your trail. I have done some no-trail wilderness hiking in some pretty hairy areas in NC (yes we have cliffs down here) and my instructions were always "I'll be back by 10 pm tonight. If I'm not back by 10 am tomorrow morning and I haven't called in, call the Sherrif's dept and give them this number, this map and this azimuth. They can find me." Just makes me feel better that way. Hope I never need them. http://dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Outdoors/Orienteering/ is a place to start. Jim Jackson II A13 - South Carolina

>But I never go out without a rescue plan. I tell my wife >where I'll be (show here on the map even), how long I'll be gone and when >to expect me back.

________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com

[Dash Weeks]

I used to do a lot of backcountry hiking and also speilunking in abandoned mines. Get two maps, leave one and take one. Highlight your planned routes or places of interest on both maps. They have to start where you started and take your same route. Give or take a klic. If you are injured they'll find you easier. On a bike it is much easier to see if one has been thru to know if you have been there. Ok so there are 500 tread patterns. Take your bike an run over a white peice of paper and leave it with your map at home. A little bit of luck and you'll have the only one of that pattern for the day. S&R will be able to match yours and track you much easier. I don't leave coordinates for LZ's. A general rule for heading into the backcountry, while walking take two friends. One to suck the venom out of your butt and the other to run and get help (or two to carry you out) While on a bike, you'll need only one friend on his own bike. He'll suck the venom out AND haul you home. Email me off list if you want the definition of a buddy. Oh yeah those little tiny road flares are excellent additions to your kit. Those will start a fire with wet wood and can be used to signal. LaterZ Dash At 09:36 AM 5/25/00 PDT, Jim Jackson wrote:

>All great posts so far. Learned the tp rule when my girlfriend and I went >out. She was NOT pleased. > >At any rate, the rescue plan and showing someone on a map is about the best >advice I can think of. I would add that insertion and possible extraction >grid coordinates (in and out) are immensely helpful once you have the hang >of orienteering. If you tell someone that you will be 'here' on a map and >that person doesn't know squat about maps they may get it wrong. If you say >I'm going in at 84351245 moving approximately North-North-East the S&R team >will know exactly where to pick up your trail. I have done some no-trail >wilderness hiking in some pretty hairy areas in NC (yes we have cliffs down >here) and my instructions were always "I'll be back by 10 pm tonight. If I'm >not back by 10 am tomorrow morning and I haven't called in, call the >Sherrif's dept and give them this number, this map and this azimuth. They >can find me." Just makes me feel better that way. Hope I never need them. > >http://dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Outdoors/Orienteering/ is a place to start. > >Jim Jackson II >A13 - South Carolina > > >>But I never go out without a rescue plan. I tell my wife >>where I'll be (show here on the map even), how long I'll be gone and when >>to expect me back.

A2 - Da' Bomb No Longer Crashing for Beer Will wheelie for Virgin Oil

[Jeff Walker]

> At any rate, the rescue plan and showing someone on a map is about the

best

> advice I can think of. I would add that insertion and possible extraction > grid coordinates (in and out) are immensely helpful once you have the hang > of orienteering. If you tell someone that you will be 'here' on a map and > that person doesn't know squat about maps they may get it wrong. If you

say

> I'm going in at 84351245 moving approximately North-North-East the S&R

team

> will know exactly where to pick up your trail. I have done some no-trail > wilderness hiking in some pretty hairy areas in NC (yes we have cliffs

down

> here) and my instructions were always "I'll be back by 10 pm tonight. If

I'm

> not back by 10 am tomorrow morning and I haven't called in, call the > Sherrif's dept and give them this number, this map and this azimuth.

I should add that my wife, being a good former Ranger wife, has been expertly trained by me on map reading and orienteering. I keep a master map at home with my favorite areas circles and clearly marked, and take a working copy with me that has been folded and sweated on and stuff. Sometimes I go to the trouble of laminating my maps so I can mark them with a pen, but that gets to be expensive. I know very well about the cliffs in NC, as I spent a goodly amount of time at Ft. Bragg. I am also very familiar with the hills that they call mountains in Dahlonega, GA at the Mountain Phase of Ranger School. I'd also like to add that I grew up in the forest and mountains of WA, I have been trained by some of the best in the business in survival skills, and have put them to the test, so I tend to take some things for granted. After having done some volunteer mountain S&R, I must say that nothing pisses me off more than having city dudes die in the sticks that had no business being out there in the first place, like they were totally unprepared and ignorant to the situation. Always plan for the worst, and hope for the best. Last hunting season, having been out of the military for a couple of years now, I felt like I was getting soft and rusty. So I loaded my ruck and my bow, and had my wife drop me off in the middle of nowhere to hunt elk. I was out for four glorious days on my own, and got my elk. I probably walked over 25 miles over broken terrain in that time, and relearned many things I had forgotten, like that the ground can be hard to sleep on, and it gets cold at night, and blisters can and do happen, and a 40 pound ruck feels like 100 pounds after 10 hours of climbing hills. I forgot to take a camera....but I doubt that pictures could have captured it. I'm also really getting into back country skiing, since lift tickets cost too much these days, but that is another subject along the same lines. The real bottom line is the boy scout motto; "Be Prepared" Which I take it to mean not just what you carry with you, but the knowledge, experience and training you have too. Good training can compensate for a lot of things. I don't worry so much about being prepared for if my bike breaks down and how do I fix it, since there are hundreds of parts that could break and deadline the bike, but rather being prepared to walk out of the woods without the bike. I really just get by with a basic tool kit with a couple of spare master links, and chain breaker, two adjustable wrenches, a Leatherman copy multitool, a couple of screwdrivers and allen wrenches, and some small tire irons and a spare front tube and patch kit, and some zip ties. That's it. Of course I don't venture out too far these days with my bike consuming so much oil, and I would probably carry more if I was going farther. I figure the worst that could happen that I could fix trailside is a flat tire or a broken chain. Anything worse and I'll have to leave the bike and walk for help. And this is why I don't believe in MX boots that you couldn't comfortably walk a distance in. So with me I have my aforementioned basic survival kit, water, poncho, knife, cord, lighter, and my cell phone since it gets reception practically everywhere. I've preached on this before, and you can search the archives for it, so I'm off this thread for now. Jeff