I leave for the Scrapheap Challenge this Thursday.
So in addition to the standard underseat toolkit and first aid kit, spare plug, head torch and tyre gauge what additional tools/spares would you experienced riders take?
Firstly, best of luck and have a blast!
I would also take, a few random lengths of wire, sidecutters that incorporate a crimp, a few random connectors, a test lamp (a Spare indicator bulb and socket with about 500mm of wire with alligator clips on the end, a small amount of gasket paper (I keep mine wound around the plug spanner, a tube of permatex "form-a-gasket" a spare tail light bulb and one spear blinker bulb, puncture repair kit and tyre levers. A small tube of hand cleaner, a set of spare wheel bearings and seals, a CO2 tyre inflator and several bulbs for it, a tube of "superglue" and small tubes of Aralide epoxy.
Other things I regard as essential are:- tube of SPF 30+ sun-block and a folded up broad-brimmed hat (which eases the pain of being a roadside mechanic), water (If I am not wearing a "camel--bak" I throw a couple of bottles of water into the panniers) and a bottle of Green Ginger Wine (you probably had to be part of the original crowd to appreciate this, but it is a traditional offering to the Road Gods, and if all else fails and what is broken is beyond your ability to fix, you can at least get roaring drunk whilst waiting for rescue).
I probably carry a lot of other things, I would have to look in the R100's tool tray too see what has accumulated there over the years.
One final thing, some random thoughts on First aid and soem personal history.
Some years ago whilst on my XT I hit a cow in twilight on the road between Forsayth and Georgetown in Northern QLD.
Unfortunately, it was not until morning that a truck came past and gave me a lift to Georgetown hospital. The funny thing was that the broken scaphoid didn't irritate or disable me near as much as the badly twisted ankle and the gravel rash.
I was able to put antiseptic on the gravel rash and I bound my hand as best I could using the other hand and teeth, but the general pain, particularly the gravel rash, sitting by the side of the road for 8 or so hours was one of the worst experiences in my life.
As a result, in addition to the "standard" contents of my first Aid pack, I carry sleeping tablets and opiate based pain killers (obviously not going to use both at the same time). I told my Dr what I wanted the very powerful pain killers for and after assuring himself that I was smart enough to not take them if I'd bashed my head, he happily wrote me a prescription.
The funny thing is that if I had some heavy duty pain relief when I hit the cow, I could have probably have started the XT and self-rescued. Riding wasn't the problem, it was kicking the damm thing, I certainly could not use my twisted ankle to kick start it and sadly I couldn't stand on it to use my good leg. After being patched up at Georgetown hospital and having been given pain relief and with the assistance of a local who retrieved the XT for me and fueled it up, I got the nurse to start it for me and help me on board, pointed it at Townsville (where I lived at the time) and I went home non-stop.
I have been a believer in the properties of Endone ever since.
Somewhere above I mentioned "superglue" It is worth while to pay a couple of extra dollars and buy medical superglue. The stuff was originally made to provide battlefield wound closure and I can tell you that it works a treat on deep cuts, incisions and the like. Ordinary hardware store "superglue" works just fine for wound closure (personal experience), but stings like 40 bastards due to the alcohol in it, medical superglue sticks stuff just as well, but doesn't sting.
