Indian Motorcycle · Commute / city
Indian Motorcycle tool kit for commute / city
Short daily rides, help is a phone call away. Pack for a flat and a loose bolt, nothing more.
Generated for a day ride on tubeless wheels with belt final drive, carried in tool roll on the bike. 23 items, 5.5 kg total, 4.1 kg if you carry the essentials only.
Indian Motorcycle: what to check before you pack
- — Big touring bikes: weight is less of a constraint, so carry a compressor and a full plug kit.
- — FTR is chain-driven while the cruisers are belt — the spares list changes accordingly.
Tools
Enough to remove a wheel, adjust the chain and pull bodywork — nothing you can't use.
- 1/4in ratchet + sockets (8, 10, 12, 13, 14 mm)essential420 g
8/10/13 mm covers the overwhelming majority of fasteners on a dirt bike; 12/14 pick up caliper and engine mounts.
Spec: A stubby ratchet plus a short extension packs smaller than a full socket set. Add a 1/4in-to-hex-bit adapter to share the ratchet with your bits.
Where to buy:Amazon
- Axle nut wrench / socket for your bikeessential220 g
Without it you cannot pull a wheel, which means you cannot fix a flat. Sizes vary wildly (22–32 mm off-road, 24–36 mm on road bikes).
Spec: Check both axles with a caliper before you leave. Combined tire-iron/axle-wrench levers save weight.
Sources: Tusk / Rocky Mountain ATV, Himalayan Rides
Where to buy:Amazon
- Headlamp (hands-free)essential90 g
Every breakdown eventually happens in the dark or under the bike. Keep the spare batteries with it.
Sources: JVB Productions
Where to buy:Amazon
- Hex (Allen) key set — 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 mmessential180 g
Most bodywork, brake calipers, bar clamps and engine covers on modern bikes are hex-head.
Spec: Ball-end long-arm keys, or 1/4in hex bits plus a driver if you already carry a ratchet.
Where to buy:Amazon
- Pliers with side cuttersessential190 g
Cut zip ties and safety wire, pull clips, twist wire, hold a hot exhaust bolt, grip a stripped head.
Sources: Enduro21, JVB Productions
Where to buy:Amazon
- Reversible screwdriver — JIS/Phillips + flatessential150 g
Carb bowls, clamps, bodywork and inspection covers. On Japanese bikes the cross-head screws are JIS, not Phillips — a Phillips driver cams out and rounds them off.
Spec: A 1/4in bit driver with JIS #2, PH2 and a 5 mm flat covers everything.
Sources: Motorcycle.com
Where to buy:Amazon
- Combination spanners — 8, 10, 13 mmrecommended210 g
You need two wrenches to crack a locknut (chain adjusters, cable adjusters, bar risers) — a socket alone won't do it.
Sources: Enduro21
Where to buy:Amazon
- Multitool (Leatherman-type)recommended240 g
Knife, file, saw and pliers in one — the tool you reach for when the repair isn't a bolt.
Sources: Adventure Spec
Where to buy:Amazon
- Nitrile gloves + shop ragrecommended60 g
Chain lube and gear oil on your palms ends up on your grips and visor.
Sources: Far Way Out, Sound RIDER!
- OEM under-seat tool kitrecommended400 g
Free, already fits your bike, and usually holds the odd sizes (axle, shock preload) nobody else carries. Treat it as a starting point, not the whole kit — the stamped spanners flex under real torque.
Spec: Keep the bike-specific pieces (axle wrench, spoke key, shock tool) and replace the flimsy generic ones.
Sources: Himalayan Rides, Enduro21
Where to buy:Amazon
- Spark plug socket / wrenchrecommended120 g
Lets you read a fouled plug, clear a flooded engine and fit the spare you're carrying.
Sources: Enduro21
Where to buy:Amazon
- Torx bit set — T25, T30, T40, T45recommended90 g
European bikes (and Harley's T27) use Torx everywhere from bodywork to brake discs; a hex key will chew the head.
Spec: Add T50/T55 as a socket if your bike uses Torx axle or caliper bolts.
Sources: Stahlwille, Touratech, BikerGuides
Where to buy:Amazon
Tire repair & inflation
The most likely failure on any ride, and the one you can always fix yourself.
- Tire pressure gaugeessential60 g
The cheapest handling and puncture-resistance upgrade there is, and the only way to air down for sand and back up for tarmac.
Sources: JVB Productions
Where to buy:Amazon
- Tubeless plug kit (sticky strings or mushroom plugs)essential200 g
Repairs a nail hole in ten minutes without pulling the wheel — the single highest-value item on a tubeless bike.
Spec: Rasp + insertion tool + 5 plugs. Vulcanising strips are more durable than cheap rubber strings.
Sources: Sound RIDER!
Where to buy:Amazon
- CO2 cartridges + inflator head (3–4)recommended200 g
Fast and pocketable — the right call when you're carrying the kit on your body. Budget 2 cartridges for a front, 3–4 for a big rear.
Sources: ADVrider
Where to buy:Amazon
- Spare valve cores + slotted valve cap toolrecommended15 g
A weeping valve core mimics a slow puncture and takes two minutes to swap. Almost no weight.
Sources: Sound RIDER!, Micapeak
Where to buy:Amazon
Spare parts
The parts that end a ride when they break, and the wear items you can't buy out there.
- Spare spark plug (pre-gapped)recommended60 g
Small, light, and the difference between a running bike and a tow after a deep water crossing or a drowned two-stroke.
Sources: Enduro21, The World Overland
Where to buy:Amazon
Electrics
A dead bike is usually a fuse, a connector or a chafed wire.
- Spare fuses (full set of your bike's ratings)essential25 g
A blown main fuse looks exactly like a dead bike. Grams, and it gets you home.
Spec: Check the fuse box lid for ratings; carry two of each plus the fuse puller.
Sources: JVB Productions, The World Overland
Where to buy:Amazon
Fasteners & bodges
Zip ties, tape, wire and bolts — the highest utility per gram in the whole kit.
- Duct tape (wrapped, not the roll)essential60 g
Cracked plastics, split boots, taped-up hands. Wrap it around a T-handle or a pen barrel to lose the bulky core.
Where to buy:Amazon
- Zip ties — assorted, 15–20 of themessential60 g
Holds bodywork, a broken bracket, a dangling cable or a snapped mudguard together for the rest of the trip. Nothing else in the kit is this useful per gram.
Spec: Mix small ones with 300 mm heavy-duty ones and add a few reusable ones.
Where to buy:Amazon
Rider & safety
The most fragile component on the bike is you.
- Compact first-aid kit + tourniquetessential350 g
The most likely thing to break on the ride is you. Include a pressure bandage; bring what you know how to use.
Sources: Prairie Peak Provisions
Where to buy:Amazon
- Documents pack (licence, insurance, registration, roadside cover)essential80 g
Border crossings, checkpoints and the roadside-assistance phone number you'll want to hand.
Sources: Prairie Peak Provisions
- Water (hydration bladder) + snackessential2.0 kg
Dehydration is what turns a two-hour repair into a genuine emergency.