What is a MUST for you to have when riding?

[Mom]

I must have a hair tie with me, but my most important thing now is my snood. Getting stung on the neck is very unpleasant.

[PrincessBandit]

I must have a hair tie with me, but my most important thing now is my snood. Getting stung on the neck is very unpleasant.

Mm, saw bro get stung in the neck while riding behind him once. I wondered if he was doing some strange wave at first.

[Big Dog]

I must have a hair tie with me, but my most important thing now is my snood. Getting stung on the neck is very unpleasant.

Given the ratio of rides to stings on the neck, I take my chances. I have however ridden through a swarm. Unpleasant but finish the ride first. Then deal with it. Or at least pull over safely.
If I was allergic an epipen would be my must have.

Mrs takes antihistamines most places. She is allergic to everything.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[Flip]

I have had an alergic reaction to bees before so I always carry some antihistamen. I usually have my cell phone and a dual band handi-talkie with all the usefull repeater frequencies programmed in it (the east cape has fuck all cell phone coverage but the companies have a great 2m repeater network)

Depends on the bike but a tool kit that is specific to the bike, a first aid kit and torch.

On the vintage side car I carry quite a few spare parts, generator rotor, coil, head gaskets, switches, cables, bulbs, regulator, points, plugs, some wire, puncher repair kit, bike pump, nuts and bolts, even 2l of motor oil. I even carry a few litres of fuel in a 5l plastic gerry can.

[Tazz]

On the vintage side car I carry quite a few spare parts, generator rotor, coil, head gaskets, switches, cables, bulbs, regulator, points, plugs, some wire, puncher repair kit, bike pump, nuts and bolts, even 2l of motor oil. I even carry a few litres of fuel in a 5l plastic gerry can.

I take it you added the chair once you realized you'd need that much shit to keep it going? Is there even room left for your lunch box?
Much better than being stranded for sure.

[Waihou Thumper]

I have had an alergic reaction to bees before so I always carry some antihistamen. I usually have my cell phone and a dual band handi-talkie with all the usefull repeater frequencies programmed in it (the east cape has fuck all cell phone coverage but the companies have a great 2m repeater network)

Depends on the bike but a tool kit that is specific to the bike, a first aid kit and torch.

On the vintage side car I carry quite a few spare parts, generator rotor, coil, head gaskets, switches, cables, bulbs, regulator, points, plugs, some wire, puncher repair kit, bike pump, nuts and bolts, even 2l of motor oil. I even carry a few litres of fuel in a 5l plastic gerry can.

Is your middle name Baden Powell?
Nice work......
Now, where is the key to start this thing?

[Old Steve]

A positive attitude.

I've got some other stuff in plastic bags and in a tool roll in the saddlebags, if something happens I hope I have a tool which will help. But checking the bike before you leave is better than fixing it on the side of the road.

But If I've ever been standing on the side of the road then another bike rider has always stopped to ask me if I'm OK. Once I was just staring at the view, so we both spent a moment looking at it then he went on his way.

As for blood type written on the helmet, would it be any help on the side of the road and doesn't Auckland universally use O -ve for emergency transfusions, or I thought they did years ago.

[Waihou Thumper]

Auckland universally use O -ve for emergency transfusions, or I thought they did years ago.

Don't see ya point....

In case you hadn't noticed....
We are New Zealand........and in New Zealand we have a few towns, cities, villages OTHER THAN Auckland...
How the fuck am I gonna get O -ve to save my life when I am in Rakiura tramping mate?

Bit like saying we can give you O -ve from Alice Springs cos that's the only place in Australia!
Perhaps staying positive will allow me to survive when the blood from my femoral artery is cascading down a lovely little stream in the middle of nowhere....
At least the view is beautiful....

[cheshirecat]

Poo bags, dog treats, lead,

[Flip]

I take it you added the chair once you realized you'd need that much shit to keep it going? Is there even room left for your lunch box?
Much better than being stranded for sure.

Hell no thats only a fraction of the tools I own. I have been an engineer for 40 years and are not short of tools.

The left pic is the sidecar tool kit, it just takes up the bottom later of the boot. Its also usefull ballast when the chair is empty. The middle pic is the HD kit, its just the basics.

I have another sae kit in the Landy/MG, another metric one in the Lotus and another that fills a 9 draw tool kit in the back of my work ute. The biggest tool kit is at home, it takes up two wall cabinets.

Of all the tools I own this is my favorite. Its a old thin sidchrome 7/16 1/2 double openender. I think I brought it 35 years ago from trade tools in Chch.

[Old Steve]

Don't see ya point....

In case you hadn't noticed....
We are New Zealand........and in New Zealand we have a few towns, cities, villages OTHER THAN Auckland...
How the fuck am I gonna get O -ve to save my life when I am in Rakiura tramping mate?

Bit like saying we can give you O -ve from Alice Springs cos that's the only place in Australia!
Perhaps staying positive will allow me to survive when the blood from my femoral artery is cascading down a lovely little stream in the middle of nowhere....
At least the view is beautiful....

Get out of bed on the wrong side did we?

Maybe I should clarify just for you, you seem to have a problem with reading or understanding. It appears that your angst centres on one line in my post.

As for blood type written on the helmet, would it be any help on the side of the road and doesn't Auckland universally use O -ve for emergency transfusions, or I thought they did years ago.

1. As for knowing the blood type on the side of the road, awa355 has clarified that emergency services don't do blood transfusions, they use fluids for maintaining blood volume.

2. I know you're in NZ, and so will I be in 9 days. Do you have a problem with Kiwis earning a living overseas?

3. I know there are other towns and cities other than Auckland in NZ, I've lived in quite a few of them. However, I'm not a medic but I did know that Auckland used to use O negative as a universal blood type for tranfusions. If you were in the Auckland region that would mean the time cross matching your blood for an O -ve transfusion would be so much shorter. Other centres may or may not use this same universal O -ve transfusion system, I don't know, but I thought that at least in Auckland it wouldn't make too much difference if you had your blood type written on your helmet.

4. The hospital will ALWAYS cross match your blood, they will never just take what you've written on your helmet as gospel. Maybe you borrowed the helmet? Maybe you got it wrong, put a +ve instead of a -ve, that'd give you a transfusion reaction if they gave you rh +ve blood and you were rh -ve. There are other blood groups apart from the major A/B/AB/O and rh typings too.

5. I don't know how you're going to get a blood transfusion to save your life when you are in Rakiura tramping, mate, lying pumping your blood from your femoral artery into a little stream in the middle of nowhere either. If you need a transfusion that bad to save your life, by the time the medics reach you in the middle of nowhere, then they'll be dealing with a body. And you must be a weird tramper, no-one I know tramps with their motorbike helmet whether it has their blood type written on it or not. But whatever rocks your boat, you seem to be a funny kind.

6. And what has Alice Springs got to do with it? It's 1600 km west of where I'm living at the moment, and has no bearing on this discussion of writing your blood type on your helmet in NZ. Is your geography that bad. And I'm a Kiwi who is coming home after working overseas for a few years, as I said in 9 days. But you've got to work on that xenophobia, it's not a very nice characteristic.

Mind, it's nice to see you're a well balanced Kiwi - you've got a chip on both shoulders.

[Maha]

The only musts for me (apart from a rubber chicken) is Lens Spray/Rag for my visor, eftpos card/License.