We've probably all heard of Life Hacks, little common tips and tricks to make our lives easier such as using a cut chlorine bottle to use as a scoop. 

I got to thinking what not-immediately-obvious hacks do we use during our motorcycle travels? 

For example, on the simple side of things, I put the most used items on the outside of the right saddlebag so I can get to it easily when the bike is on the sidestand.

Another example, instead of using dedicated cold weather gloves, which have never worked for me, I just put some cold weather loose hunters mits over my gloves in extreme cold weather. It creates an airgap and keeps my fingers closer together so they stay warmer. 

What hacks have you come up with? Let's share a little road wisdom.


This is a thread to capture all those #travelhacks that we use. 

While I don't do this, yet, this post on Search and Rescue knots got me thinking that knowing some basic knots could really help in those cases where you don't have a bungie cord or net. With a little practice some a length of line might make for a more flexible tie down system.

 

For those of you wearing combat boots or similar for riding, some alternative lace knots may be helpful:

 

Travel Hack: Carry spare fuses of common sizes used by all the bikes you tend to ride with. This way, if a buddy blows a fuse you have a better chance of it being just a short nuisance instead of a trip delaying fiasco.

Much thanks Yermo for starting this thread! I'm definitely curious as to see what will be mentioned as I'm only 1.5 years into riding.

For myself I picked up the spare bulbs, fuses tire pump and patch kit from Yermo and Rob prior, spare tire air gauge (which recently conked out on me). Also: Rain gear, heated gear & leg control, spare gloves, swiss-army knife, spare drink (water or Gatorade), bike lock, cable & lock for helmets, clean windshield rag, adapter & cable to charge the phone in the travel pocket of the bike, small first-aid kit, ibuprofen (you never know), magnetic emergency flashlight & signal light and water-proof bag / case for the iPhone. If road-tripping overnight, then my solar battery & spare pack to charge the iPhone & iPad if stranded. Lastly, an emergency contact card in my wallet which stays on me at all times.

Currently assembling a tool kit based on my make & model of bike. Would love to hear what everyone else is packing and other tips or tricks.

Gabe, I had forgotten about Plexus.

I always keep a clean microfiber towel and a can of Plexus with me to clean faceshields with. This prevents scratching the plastic when you clean the bugs off it.

Good idea, the towel I carry is microfiber, I think I'll carry my can in the future as I have more than enough room in the bags. I usually polish my face shield and windscreen before every 1-2 trips, though a non-scratch cleaner to remove the bugs would be handy as I did have a few large bugs hit me last year that could have passed for small mammals.

Yea, especially in the early evening it can get so bad you can't see through the shield. In Canada, buffalo and I had to stop every 30 minutes or so to clean off mosquitoes. It's always a good idea to carry something to clean the shield with.

I always bring wet ones in individual packets.  The restrooms that you find while traveling sometimes need a little help. Also a collapsible tripod which when folded is only about 9" long. 

Lisa Epifano Hall Wet ones. Good one. I would not have thought of that, but makes a bunch of sense. 

I've recently been eyeing small tripods because I'm endlessly looking for things to sit on when I camp.

There's nothing better than a Kermit chair to sit on. I love motorcycle camping but my husband does not so I don't get to go that often.

I use industrial-strength Velcro to attach a small document wallet to the inside top of my topcase.

No chance of me leaving registration and insurance stuff in my tank bag at home!

I keep a 90° tire stem adapter with the bike. Might save my bacon some day when I can't get a filler hose in there.

Cut a small section of foam garage flooring into a rectangle about the same size as your side cases. This'll save your knees/butt/elbows if you need to work at the side of the road, it's handy for assorted camp uses, and it also acts as a vertical divider for the side case!

Rok Straps, not bungees. Hard to overstate this.

A good Thermos (Zojirushi, for example) filled with tea will keep you happy (or alive!) when you're unexpectedly having to ride for three hours after dark below 38°F. DAMHIK. Best thing I ever put in my tank bag.

You know, I've thought about the velco. I had tried one of those little behind the license plate cases but they are never big enough. Good point!

The 90deg stem adapter is another great suggestion. Do you have a link where one can get one? 

I hadn't thought about the foam but after using it on the ground I'd worry about transferring dirt back into the bag, no?

I always carry a tube of high-temperature Permatex RV gasket sealer. Yes, you can use it to seal gaskets… but it's also a great shock-resistant adhesive.

I used it in a parking lot in Portland to reattach one of the side mirror glasses on my RT (fortunately I spotted it vibrating before it fell off completely!); the factory glue only lasted a year.

I got my valve stem adapter from Wunderlich:




 




I don't worry too much about transferring dirt into the bag; the surface of the foam I use is pretty non-porous (it's macro-textured but the surface is smooth), so most dirt brushes or shakes off pretty easily.

I've gotten in the habit of carrying some kneadable epoxy for that purpose. In a pinch you can use it to seal a crack crankcase. 

I also typically carry gorilla tape and some high-temp tape just in case along with spare hose clamps, wire ties and a length of safety wire for worst case scenarios. 

But I like the idea of some permatex. That sounds like a good addition to me.

Here's on from the ADV Rider thread I started that is one that I had not thought of but is /excellent/ advice:

A small led headlight and a small led flashlight. A flash drive with medical history , personal info , emergency contacts , insurance info , E-copy's of your drivers license insurance and registration on a bracelet or a necklace ( they always cut your cloths off at the scene of the crash ). Mine has a red cross on it so it is obvious medical info. A couple of bandanas they are always handy.

Here's another one that's really in line with what I was thinking when I created the thread:

j) to avoid fog in the gopro sealed case (typical when climbing mountains), install the camera and close the sealed case in the freezer at home or hotel, where air humidity is low. (If you can find where the cold air flow comes from, make sure you let it blow in the case before putting the camera.) Never open the case for the rest of the day.

That's taking it to the max.  When I first saw this thread, I was thinking of simple rider aids like a sidestand plate for parking on soft ground.  It would make sense if travelling around the world, though.
I once saved my day by having a Swiss Army knife with me.  Nowadays I always carry a Leatherman under the seat. If it's a big trip, I've usually got my camping gear, which means I've got all kinds of useful stuff on board.  Otherwise, a bottle of water is always at the top of my list.

Ian Yea, when I first posted the question I was thinking more in terms of tactical hacks or things that we can do that we don't think about such as repurposing items that we have on hand for new purposes. 
But so far most people have focused on gear to bring. I do like the usb stick idea as the guy in AdvRider pointed out, if you are severely injured they tend to cut off your clothes and there goes your wallet. 

When i travel long distances i remember one very important hack. Meet up with Yermo. He has abundant time to ride and can usually be enticed to ride long distances by promises of scotch and good cooking. He already carries everything you could ever need, and spare parts for the bikes he will be travelling with. He hasn't quite figured out how to pack a spare final drive shaft, but hey, we all arent perfect. nexttime...

In all seriousness, its more important to know HOW to fix things than it is to have any one tool or piece of gadgetry. The best hack i know is to get to know the tools that you carry with you. Most hardware stores or automotove shops can help you get out of most binds, but they wont know how to disassemble YOUR bike. That one is up to you. 

Here's a hack that's interestingly relevant to some of our trips. We found ourselves with a couple of bottles of wine but no cork screw. bruce and buffalo clearly remember this incident.

If only we knew about this hack:

 

Tomorrow at 1PM PST time (4PM eastern) there's going to be a live discussion on this topic on twitter under the # motochat tag. 

https://www.protectall.com/
I carry a small travel bottle filled with this stuff. Use liberally with a microfiber towel to remove bugs from windshields and helmet shields. Bugs will be easier to remove next time also.

I also use this as a all around bike cleaner on the road. You can use it on everything and it won't harm paint or plastic!

Bring a spare bike key but let one of your riding partners carry it for you.