Riding off the grid requires being prepared for the inevitable problems inherent in dirt bike riding. Parts get broken. Adjustments need to be made. It can be literally dangerous to go riding without tools as a backup. CruzTools has a long history of providing tools for in the shop and out on the range.
CruzTools makes two Switchback Dirt Bike Tool Kits for riding in the backcountry. One kit is for the Austrian brands—KTM, Husqvarna, and GasGas. The other Switchback kit is for the Japanese marques—Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha. As I have a KTM in my garage, I tested the Austrian-friendly kit.
The Switchback Dirt Bike Tool Kit comes in a nice zippered canvas bag—2-by-2-by-7 inches—sourced from CruzTools’ budget SpeedKit. Inside is a collection of above-average trail tools that can also be used in the shop, rather than the high-buck lightweight titanium tools you save for emergencies. The CruzTools Switchback Dirt Bike Took Kit for KTM & Husqvarna runs $70—$5 more than the Japanese version. The tools have been selected to reflect the needs of the Austrian brands.
Three wrenches are combination designs—8mm, 10mm, and 13mm. This is mirrored in the socket selection, with a 17mm socket added. Also included are essential-for-KTM Torx drive sockets—T4, T5, T6, and T45 (with adapter). The sockets mount to a small two-piece T-handle driver, so you can use the top of the T alone or with the extender. There’s a screwdriver with a reversible drive in two Torx sizes. All of the sockets and wrenches fit well and handle appropriately. The size marking on each socket is easy to read, so you probably won’t have to get your reading glasses out on the trail.
Added to the kit are needle-nosed pliers, safety wire, and small zip ties. The pliers have padded handles for comfort and grip.
Everything in the Switchback’s SpeedKit bag weighs 1.6 pounds by our scale. The bag leaves room for additional items, so you can fill out the kit as you feel necessary.
CruzTools is upfront about the Switchback kit’s limitations. If you want to be able to patch a tube, you’ll need an axle wrench, tire irons, and a patch kit. Adventure riders with bikes running tubeless tires will only need to bring along plugging supplies and a tire pressure gauge, which should fit in the SpeedKit bag. Riders on two-stroke will want to consider a spark plug wrench. Conveniently, CruzTools can sell you most of what you’ll need.
It’s worth considering getting the CruzTools SpeedKit Tool Kit for Dirt Bikes ($40) as a companion piece. Although there is some overlap, you get a bag, low-pressure pencil tire gauge, spark plug wrench, a set of hex keys, vice grips, and more screwdriver heads, plus a handy 10mm/12mm combination wrench.
If you have an Austrian dirt bike, the CruzTools Switchback Dirt Bike Tool Kit for KTM and Husqvarna is a great starting point for a well-appointed fanny pack or backpack.
