10 Best Leatherman Tools for Motorcycle Adventures, Ranked by a Rider

I’ve been strapping a multitool to my bike for the better part of a decade, and I’ve learned the hard way that the wrong one is worse than carrying nothing at all. A cheap tool that rounds off a bolt head on a forest service road at dusk isn’t a tool. It’s a liability.

Leatherman is the only brand I’ve consistently trusted in my tank bag, and over the years I’ve cycled through almost every model they make. Some live in my panniers permanently. Others got sold, gifted or quietly retired after one too many disappointments.

What I actually need on a bike is narrower than what the marketing suggests. I need pliers that can grab a bent brake lever or a stuck hose clamp, a bit driver that fits the endless M5 and M6 hex bolts holding my fairings on, a blade for zip ties, and scissors for tape and heat-shrink. Everything else is a bonus.

So here’s the list, ranked by how well each one survives real miles rather than how good it looks in a display case.

What I Actually Look For in a Motorcycle Multitool

Before the list, here’s the filter I use. It’s saved me from buying a lot of shiny nonsense.

Outside-accessible tools beat everything else

If I have to open the pliers to get to the knife, I’ve already lost. On a cold, wet roadside I want to flick a blade or a driver out without unfolding the whole tool. That single feature eliminates about half the multitools on the market for me.

Bit drivers matter more than blades

Modern bikes are held together with hex heads and Torx bolts, not flathead screws. A tool with a proper bit driver and a small bit kit has saved me more times than any blade ever has. I carry a compact bit set alongside whatever multitool I’m running.

Weight and corrosion resistance

Every ounce in a tank bag is an ounce I feel after six hours. I also ride in rain, and stainless steel that isn’t maintained will still pit. I want a tool I can wipe down, oil lightly and trust again the next morning.

1. Leatherman Wave+ — Best Overall Motorcycle Multitool

If you only buy one tool from this list, buy this one. The Wave+ has been my default for years, and I keep coming back to it after trying fancier options.

Why it works on the bike

The Wave+ packs 18 tools into a 4-inch frame and weighs 8.5 oz. The straight and serrated 420HC blades both open from the outside with one hand, which is exactly what you want when you’re holding a rag in the other.

It has two bit drivers, a proper saw, spring-loaded scissors, a diamond-coated file, can and bottle openers, and replaceable hard-wire cutters. That last one matters: wire cutters are the first thing to dull on a multitool, and on the Wave+ you just swap the blades instead of replacing the tool.

Real-world spec check

• 18 tools, 4-inch closed length
• 420HC stainless blades, both locking
• Replaceable 154CM wire cutters
• Two bit drivers, accepts standard Leatherman flat bits
• Roughly $110 to $120 depending on sheath
• 25-year warranty

My only gripe is the sheath. The nylon version is fine, but I swapped to the leather one because it survives being crushed in a pannier better. That’s a small complaint about a tool I’d replace the same day if I lost it.

2. Leatherman Signal — Best for Off-Grid Adventure Riding

The Signal is the tool I take when I’m heading somewhere with no phone signal and no other vehicles. It’s the only multitool I own that I’d genuinely call a survival tool rather than a repair kit.

What makes it different

Alongside the usual pliers, blades and bit driver, the Signal adds a ferrocerium fire starter, an emergency whistle, a hammer surface, and a diamond-coated sharpener. The fire starter is the real standout, and it’s not a gimmick. I’ve used it to light a damp-wood fire after a soaked ride and it worked first try.

You get 19 tools in total, including a partially serrated 420HC combo blade, a saw, replaceable wire cutters and a 1/4-inch hex bit driver. It weighs 7.5 oz and runs about $130 to $140.

Where it falls short

The Signal is not the tool for a full service day. The bit driver is good but not as refined as the Wave+’s, and the hammer is a nice-to-have rather than a substitute for a real mallet. But for a solo ride into the backcountry, the extra survival features justify the price on their own.

3. Leatherman Surge — Best Heavy-Duty Pick for Garage and Roadside Work

The Surge is a brick. I mean that as a compliment. It’s the tool I reach for when something is actually broken and I need leverage, not finesse.

The features that matter

The Surge carries 21 tools and has the largest scissors Leatherman makes, which sounds trivial until you’re cutting a length of inner tube to patch a split hose. More importantly, it has a T-shank jigsaw blade adapter, so you can fit standard jigsaw blades and cut through metal on the side of the road.

You get outside-accessible straight and serrated 420HC blades, replaceable wire cutters rated for hard wire, a full bit driver with a bit kit, a saw, a file and an awl. It weighs 12.5 oz, which is why it lives in my pannier rather than my pocket. Expect to pay around $140 to $160.

This is also the tool I grab when I’m doing seasonal prep, which is the same weekend I sort out how to winterize your motorcycle. If you’re doing that job properly, you’ll be pulling battery terminals, draining float bowls and checking coolant, and the Surge’s pliers and bit driver handle almost all of it without a trip to the toolbox.

4. Leatherman Charge+ TTi — Best Premium Upgrade

If the Wave+ is the sensible choice, the Charge+ TTi is the one you buy when you want the good version and don’t mind paying for it.

Where the money goes

The headline is the blade steel. Instead of 420HC, you get a S30V blade, which holds an edge noticeably longer and resists corrosion better. The handles are titanium, and the wire cutters are replaceable 154CM.

It carries 19 tools, weighs 8.2 oz and closes to 4 inches, so it’s actually slightly lighter than the Wave+ despite the premium materials. You also get a leather sheath and a bit kit in the box. Price is the catch: expect $200 or more.

Is it worth it for a rider?

For most people, no. For someone who uses their multitool weekly and rides in wet coastal or mountain conditions, yes. The titanium handles and better blade steel do hold up to years of abuse. I’ve had mine through two full seasons of rain riding with no rust spots.

5. Leatherman Skeletool CX — Best Ultralight Touring Pick

Some trips I want to travel stupidly light, and on those trips the Skeletool CX is what goes in my jacket pocket.

Five ounces, seven tools

The Skeletool CX weighs 5 oz and carries just seven tools: needlenose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutters, hard-wire cutters, a bit driver, a carabiner and bottle opener, and a 154CM plain-edge blade. That’s it.

The carabiner clips straight onto a belt loop or a pannier D-ring, which means I never have to dig for it. The bit driver takes standard Leatherman flat bits, so I carry a small hex and Torx set in my tool roll and I’m covered for most fairing and luggage bolts.

What you give up

No saw. No scissors. No file. If you’re the kind of rider who does full services at camp, the Skeletool will frustrate you. If you’re the kind of rider who just wants to tighten a mirror stalk and open a beer at the summit, it’s perfect. Around $100 to $110.

6. Leatherman Free P4 — Best for Glove-Friendly One-Handed Use

This one is on the list for a single reason: I ride in gloves almost year-round, and the Free P4 is the only multitool I’ve used that I can fully operate without taking them off.

The magnetic architecture

The Free platform uses magnets instead of friction to hold the tools in place, so every single one opens from the outside with one hand and snaps back with a satisfying click. There’s no nail nick hunting, no two-handed unfolding, no swearing.

It carries 21 tools including 420HC straight and serrated blades, needlenose and regular pliers, replaceable wire cutters and a bit driver. It weighs 8.6 oz and closes to 4.25 inches. Price sits around $150 to $170.

The trade-off

It’s wider in the pocket than a Wave+, and the magnet system does collect steel filings and grit if you let it. I rinse mine out after dusty trips. But for cold-weather riding where my hands are numb and gloved, nothing else comes close.

7. Leatherman Arc — Best Modern Flagship

The Arc is Leatherman’s newest top-tier tool, and it’s the one I’d buy today if I were starting from scratch with a bigger budget.

MagnaCut and magnets together

It combines the Free magnetic platform with a CPM MagnaCut blade, which is one of the best all-round knife steels available right now for corrosion resistance and edge retention. That combination is genuinely useful on a bike, where a blade gets used for everything from zip ties to gasket scraping and then sits damp in a pannier for a week.

You get 20 tools, a full-size bit driver plus a small bit driver, replaceable wire cutters and outside-accessible blades. It weighs 8.6 oz and closes to 4.25 inches. Pricing is the elephant in the room: expect $230 to $250.

My honest take

It’s a superb tool and I’d happily ride with it forever. But it costs twice what a Wave+ does, and for 90 percent of roadside repairs you won’t notice the difference. Buy it because you want it, not because you need it.

8. Leatherman Rebar — Best Mid-Range Value

The Rebar is the quiet one in the lineup, and it’s what I recommend to riders who want a Wave+ but don’t want to spend $110.

All-locking, all-business

It carries 17 tools with straight and serrated 420HC blades, and critically, every tool locks. That’s rare at this price point and it matters when you’re pushing hard on a driver. You get needlenose and regular pliers, replaceable hard-wire cutters, a saw, a file, scissors and an awl.

It weighs 6.7 oz and closes to 4 inches, which makes it one of the lighter full-size options here. Pricing runs around $80 to $90, and it comes with a nylon sheath.

What you don’t get

No outside-accessible blades, and no bit driver in the base configuration. That means opening the tool to get at anything. For the price I can live with it, but it’s the reason it sits below the Wave+ on my list.

9. Leatherman Wingman — Best Budget First Multitool

If you’re new to touring and don’t want to drop triple digits on something you might leave in a drawer, the Wingman is where I’d start.

Surprisingly capable for the money

It carries 14 tools and includes a partially serrated 420HC blade that opens from the outside, spring-action scissors, a package opener that doubles as a great zip-tie cutter, needlenose and regular pliers, and a pocket clip. It weighs 7 oz and costs around $70 to $80.

The scissors are the standout. Spring-loaded scissors are genuinely useful on the road for cutting tape, trimming heat-shrink and opening packaging, and you don’t get them on most tools at this price.

The limitations

No saw, no bit driver, no replaceable wire cutters. The Wingman is a starter tool, not a lifetime tool. But it’s a real Leatherman with a real 25-year warranty, and it will get you out of most minor trouble.

10. Leatherman Micra — Best Keychain Backup

The Micra isn’t a replacement for anything above. It’s the tool that lives on my keyring so that when I’ve left my main multitool in the pannier and I’m standing in a car park, I’m not stuck.

Small, light, genuinely useful

It weighs 1.8 oz and closes to 2.5 inches, and the main event is a set of spring-action scissors that will cut through zip ties, tape and thin cable with no trouble. It also has a 420HC blade, nail file, tweezers, a small screwdriver, a bottle opener and a ruler.

Price is around $40 to $45. The scissors are the reason to own it. I’ve used mine to trim a frayed throttle cable end and to cut a strip of tape for a temporary hose repair, both of which would have been miserable with a knife alone.

How I Carry and Maintain My Multitool on the Road

Placement matters as much as the tool. I keep my primary multitool in the top pocket of my tank bag, clipped or in a sheath, so I can reach it without getting off the bike. The backup lives in the tool roll under the seat.

Maintenance is simple. After any wet ride, I dry the tool fully, work a drop of light oil into the pivots and wipe off the excess. Once a season I strip it down as far as it goes, clean out the grit with a brush, and re-oil. A multitool that’s been looked after will outlast the bike.

And if you’re putting the bike away for the off-season, do the tool at the same time. Pull it out of the pannier, clean it, oil it and store it somewhere dry rather than leaving it to sit in a damp top box for four months.

Final Thoughts on Picking Your Leatherman

If I had to hand one tool to a rider and walk away, it would be the Leatherman Wave+. It’s the best combination of tool count, weight, one-handed access and price that I’ve found, and I’ve never had it let me down on the side of the road.

If you ride off-grid, spend the extra on the Signal. If you do your own servicing and want a tool that can cut metal at camp, get the Surge. And if you ride in gloves in cold weather, the Free P4 will change how often you actually use the thing.

Everything else on this list is a variation on those four answers. Pick the one that matches how you ride, carry it where you can reach it, and keep it dry. That’s the whole trick.

Frequently Asked Questions