A couple of friends and I started planning our first ride for the spring. They are both more experienced than I am and have newer bikes. With my bike being older I'm curious what, if any spare parts I should consider taking along. The planned ride is only an estimated 400 miles, but it will take us into the country where parts will be impossible to purchase. Any thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

The only things I take as spares are throttle, clutch cable, stop, tail and blinker bulbs other than that I leave it to what ever powers that be.

Rick G wrote:I leave it to what ever powers that be.

Pretty much what I've been thinking!

That's about all the parts I have.
Throw in a few fuses of each colour and you should be good to go.

Tools on the other hand...

What ever else goes wrong well that's why I have top cover with the Auto club. If my phone is out of range then I sit down and have a cup of brew and wait.

Fresh undies, a credit card and 'ICE' programmed into your mobile phone under favourite person to contact (In Case of Emergency).

But more seriously, for spares I carry a throttle cable, a clutch cable, an electric airpump & tubeless tyre plug kit, a random sample of fuses, rags, gaffer's tape (duct tape), a digital multimetre, enough tools to disassemble the bike, & a small jar of verbuti.

Two Wheels Better has it nailed and he travels huge distances. Useful to replace all fuses with the ones that have an LED in them that way you can see instantly if you pop one. The other thing is to secrete some cash somewhere you can get at with some effort but will not be spotted or stolen by a casual scummy type looking over your bike. Then if you lose your wallet you can still buy fuel. The other really good tip I picked up some years ago is to thread your spare cables in now following exactly the route the original ones do that way you know the routing is correct and if the cable goes you have a quick changeover to get up and running. Worth also taking a 6 feet or 1.8 metres of 110 .0076 cable or similar because you can either use it as a conductor for most things except the starter current and also you can tie a hot exhaust on with it because the plastic burns off where it is heated but the copper will take the heat. Some hand cleaner wipes can be useful to clean up greasy hands after some unplanned maintenance. If I was going a long distance I think I would take a strip of that Permatex radiator and fuel tank sealant in case of trouble. If we had got some we could have fixed my mate's Intruder when his tank rusted out.
Regards,
K-BIKE

all the above ....+ about 2 - 3 feet of 8mm id fuel hose

1> makes running out of fuel easy to refill from a mates bike (fuel output of his straight to your filler etc )

2> if you have to pull the tank to go looking underneath ...simply connect output to input connections ...= verry little loss of fuel at all ...even whilst tank off ...and no spillage

If you have spare parts like EFI and ignition computer, coils, hall sensors........, keep them at home in bags or boxes clearly identified.
In case of need, you could call your wife and ask her to Fedex the part.
Check this old post too.

I always carry a can of self sealing compressed air.

I have just bought my wife a new car with NO spare wheel. Just a self sealing kit.

Sounds as though he will need a trailer...!

For longer trips: BMW tool, extra fuel pump, plus 1 injector.

Regards

I have found that a tool kit, fuses, bulbs, spark plug, spare cable [routed in position is wise], puncture repair kit with the little gas capsules, a cash stash with photocopy licence and insurance are about it. If its one long trip a check on coolant beforehand is good. I changed my fuel lines because there were perished but replaced them with longer ones so now I dont have to disconnect any of them to access the coolant.

The advice about the other parts being at home and clearly labelled is indeed good. You are unlikely to need them.

As long as I am staying in the UK I only have my breakdown card with me! Cables are all new and your never to far somewhere that you can pick up a spare bulb, I do keep the BMW tool kit in the back of the bike in the tail mind...

+1 with Twincarb. if i am staying in ireland I have the tubeless repair kit, breakdown card and cash.

GMcQ

It's my guess than wngnutmv might be going a bit further than a credit card can carry a rider. Best to take some useful spares along when you find that you're not in Kansas (city) anymore.

As far as tools go, a set of alan keys, a selection of screwdrivers (large, small, and stumpy of both flat and phillips), and a set of spanners. Oh, and a LED rechargeable torch plugged into one of the cig lighter sockets in the right-side glovebox. There's really nothing you can't do on the bike with that combo

Parts, I carry a spare fuel filter - although since I twigged that my drain tube was blocked (so water was ending up in the tank instead of going down the drain tube, whenever it rained), I think that might not be neeeed anymore!, a couple of spare hose clamps of various sizes for fuel and water hoses. Spare headlight, taillight, and indicator globes. For anything else, I have Premium Care with our state's roadside assist company, if I'm more than 200km from home, I get towed home for free

Not sure if it's considered parts, or just standard luggage, as every car and bike I've owned since I got my license has had them - one side pannier has a 5L jerry can filled with fuel - I make sure to refresh it once every 3-4 months. Plus Gaffa tape, Cable ties, bottle of windex, and a towel.

I appreciate all the suggestions.

A list is being formed...and parts and tools gathered.