CUSTOMER REVIEWS

Modular Moto Wrench Tool Set Reviews

Motorcycles break. Even the one's that we call "bullet proof". When it happens close to home, not that big of a deal. When it happens in the middle of nowhere, the fix lays with you, your buddies, and whatever you had packed for the ride. Having a comprehensive tool kit is a good idea, but how do you know what tools to pack, especially if you're an adventure rider newb like me?

I ended up crossing paths with Gordon East, the owner of RRR Tool Solutions. Not only is he an experienced adventure rider & long distance tourer, he's an entrepreneur and passionate tool designer. After speaking with him about how he methodically designed his Adventure Tool Roll Set based upon his own riding experiences, specifically for Japanese and European motorcycles, I figured that experience is the best teacher, so I'd likely end up with the right tools, should my trusty Triumph Tiger let me down or if I injured her.

If you want to know what's included with the Adventure Tool Roll Set, please click the "Description" tab. For the purposes of this review, I want to stick to writing about what I see are the highlights of the product.

The RRR Tool Solutions Adventure Tool Roll Set puts a lot of tools & options in a fairly small package. It weighs a tick over 4lbs. and when rolled, it's 10" long and just 3" high. This allows it to easily fit into most of the bags found on adventure bikes and dual sport machines. My 2013 Triumph Tiger 800XC has a keyed release pillion pad, where the factory tool roll is stowed. I was happy to see that the Adventure Tool Roll will stow under the locked seat. It's on the tight side, but always having it with the bike is a huge advantage, considering that my crystal ball to predict when I'll need them never seems to work.

The Adventure Tool Roll isn't compact because Gordon simply chose to include less tools. He looked for ways to include a complete solution by more intelligently stowing them so that they take up less space. For example, the three spark plug wrenches and rod are designed to stack one inside another, much in the same fashion as Russian Nesting Dolls.

Another example are the seven metric sockets. Since the common sizes won't nest, they are tightly stacked on a threaded, plastic rod and secured with a nut on each end. This creates a socket stack that is very narrow and less than 8" tall.

Lastly is the 6.35mm flat plate ratchet. It's just 5" long, lightweight and will operate all of the kit sockets, flat head, JIS & flat point, torx and allen bits. The ratchet head is dual sided, one side being a female, magnetic bit receptacle and the other side being a 1/4" male driver with a removable, ribbed plastic wheel. The magnetic bit holder is smart. Imagine a field repair when your hands are cold, you're tired, visibility is poor and you're working with small pieces. Few things brings on the expletives like a job taking 3x what it should because you're looking for the bit that you need in the sand! The ratcheting action is fine, making it well suited to working in tight spaces and the ribbed, plastic wheel on the back is helpful at getting fasteners started, using your fingers to turn the ratchet head.

The tools look like quality pieces and they feel good in the hand. The flat plate ratchet and T-handle both dawn the Vessel brand, a respected Japanese tool manufacturer, while the sockets and wrenches are custom manufactured for RRR Tool from Chrome Vanadium Steel. What was most impressive to me was that Gordon was up-front about a few bits in the kit (pliers, LED flashlight, and tire gauge). He wanted to keep the kit competitively priced, so a good chunk of the cost was providing the best quality that he could for the tools in the kit that he felt are the most important and likely to take the most abuse. None-the-less, the flashlight and tire gauge both work just fine and I like that the grips of the pliers have a slightly soft, grippy material on them. So, no real disappointments.

Regarding the tool wrap itself, you can choose from black or hi-viz yellow. Both are made from tough, nylon Cordura and sewn locally. The elastic pockets hold the tools just fine, but you do need to be mindful of what tools you stow where, as this determines how small the wrap rolls up. A nice feature of the wrap is a patch on the inside that has magnets sewn into it. This is where you stow hardware that you pull of your machine during a field repair, increasing the probability that it's where left it. If you want to go even further, these is a mesh, zippered enclosure that you can stow hardware in. For me, it's the perfect place to stow some extra zip ties, a small cloth and a couple of pairs of surgical gloves for greasy jobs.

The only trouble that I had with the tool wrap is keeping the nylon straps tight. When I cinch up the straps, they tend to loosen up a bit. I talked to Gordon about this and he said that on an earlier batch of wraps, the nylon webbing that they used was too glossy, not having enough friction against the buckle. This has since been corrected. And, this brings up another point. With the kit is a card. At the bottom is Gordon's name and direct phone number. He's not afraid to make himself accessible to his customers. So, that's either ballsy or that he's proud of what he puts out to fellow riders. Having talked to Gordon a few times, I know which.

Pros

• Tool assortment select by an experienced rider.
• Lots of tool options in a tidy package.
• Magnetic storage for hardware during field repairs.
• Good quality at a reasonable price.

Cons

• Tool wrap strap won't hold tension.

Bottom-Line
The RRR Tool Solutions Adventure Tool Roll Set is an intelligently designed and well built product that will serve the needs of adventure and dual sport riders well. It's big on features, fairly small in size, not too heavy, and the guy offering the product is passionate about riding and creating tool solutions that work in the real world. Only you can decide if RRR Tool kits have the assortment of tools that you want, but at the very least, I think that you'd be well served to put the brand of your shortlist of consideration when shopping for an adventure type tool kit.

I want to take this opportunity to heap praise and adulation on Gordon East of RRR Tool Solutions.

I had tried at the end of April to take advantage of the 15 percent discount special he was offering but didn't manage to complete the order in time, and subsequently got busy and let it go uncompleted.

Eventually I got around to trying again with a new order two weeks later; much to Gordon's credit he had flagged my original attempt to place an order for follow-up. He subsequently applied the discount to my later, completed order (for more items), without any prodding, pleading, or request from me, just because he's a stand-up guy.

Now THAT is service.

Thanks, Gordon!
-= Keith A. =-
Rockville, MD, USA
Newly-minted STOC # 8824 -- Embarrassingly high but it's mine
Now to try to wear it out.

First impressions: I like these tools.

The wrenches are light weight, the brushed finish indeed should be easier to hold with wet or greasy hands (as intended per Gordon's earlier post), and I like the assortment. I like that there is a duplicate of each open end size in a box end, and the 12 point box end means you have orientation options on harder to reach nuts or bolts.

Socket assortment is perfect, the fit is precise (on the 8mm and the 10mm I used tonight) and the ratchet is clever, super lightweight, and compact. It has a magnetic collar that can be removed, but holds the bits in nicely, and you get a ¼" & ⅜" adapter for the sockets. The T handle offers an alternate way to drive sockets and bits. The 6 inch ¼" drive and 3 inch ¾" drive extenders offer more flexibility for clearance and leverage.

This tool roll is also feature rich. There is a magnetic patch in the open flap cover for not losing those pesky little washers and such, as well as a good sized zippered pouch. That will be perfect for extra o rings, zip ties, a few zip lock bags. I'll probably even put a little bottle of loctite in there.

Tiny flashlight is tiny! Its also super bright. I have a few small flashlights, but wasn't sure which would be best for my "on the bike" toolkit. This is better than all the other candidates.

As advertised in Gordon's post, the pliers and air pressure gauge feel a bit on the cheap side and not really commensurate with the high quality of the other items. I agree with him that pliers are not really "proper" for using on nuts and bolts and such, but they can be very useful for getting hoses off fittings or cutting wires. I think the kit wouldn't suffer without them, as many riders would probably have a pair they could add. Alternately, maybe some needle nose pliers instead, or even a supplemental kit/optional item (like the torx bits). I like the prior post idea of locking vise grip needle nose, too.

I prefer the round dial type air pressure gauges anyway, so I already have that need filled, the one from the kit can go in the bicycle tool area.

I think the spark plug nesting tool is very clever and efficient, and while my bike requires a special set up for getting the spark plugs out, I admire the conservation of design. I'll certainly be riding with non KTM twins, so that tool is going in the "on the bike kit".

That pretty much sums it up and is a great segue for some comments about Gordon/RRR Tools.

I ordered my kit on Saturday because I needed SOMETHING, the kit seemed complete and good quality, and he posted an offer to pay shipping for orders through the weekend.

When I checked out, it appeared the coupon code didn't take, and I was charged full pop. I PM'd Gordon the next day and even though he's across the country from me (I'm in California) and it was late for him he responded very quickly and pledged to take care of it. Cool! I received an email with tracking right away, and 2 days later my box was at the post office, I picked it up earlier today.

But there's something else I want to talk about. Last night when checking my email I received a message from Gordon (again, late in his evening) that he found an error. The smallest spark plug wrench had been machined wrong and wouldn't work. He gave a heartfelt and personal apology, explained that he already had a solution in the mail, and though he had tried to notify all affected parties via his newsletter, he'd received feedback it was lost in spam filters so he was reaching out directly.

Huh? He had 13 orders that were affected, yet he disclosed to his entire subscription base (almost 300 people) that he messed up?

To me, that speaks volumes. It reveals a commitment to the highest level of integrity and shows an earnest and humble approach. He didn't have to tell anyone else but the 13 affected parties, and since he did so before anything had delivered, I doubt anyone would have cared!

Whether you need tools now or not, you'll want to pay attention to what Gordon is doing. He's clearly obsessed with design and quality, has creative innovations, and is down to earth and easy to deal with.

I got my tools from RRR today. I won't post pictures because my tools look just like those already posted here!

Stand-outs for me are the T-Handle ( the shaft AND the cross part are steel, it's solid ) the Ratchet because it's small, and I like the thumbwheel and magnetic collar. The wrenches are nice, I like how they were designed so that you can wield identical sizes in each hand, instead of having the open and box ended part on one wrench. I use a CJ designs spark plug tool for my LC8 bike, but I'll be bringing these nesting ones with me because they will fit friends bikes and they take up virtually no room on account of how they "nest".

I was one of the people who got a kit that was affected by that pesky first "out of spec" spark plug socket, but I got the replacement before I even got the tools! ( Tools were held at Customs longer ). I respect that.

I also ordered the 8 piece Vessel screw driver set from RRR, and those screwdrivers are pretty good. Better than anything I have here currently, and I have quite a range of brands.

I'm happy with the tool set, and I'm sure I'll add a few odds and ends of my own, but for the price this set is good. It's a smart setup.

Thank You For the Great Products

Gordon,

I am writing to thank you for making such great products. On the first day of a recent four-day trip with my son, I experienced two separate flat tires on my Kawasaki KLR 650. The first on was while riding dirt roads while some 18-20 miles away from the closest pavement. I used the Moto Stand and Adventure Tool Roll purchased from RRR Tools to help me successfully fix both flats.

I have attached a couple of Photos.
Thanks again! Regards,
Numa