What do you use to make your toolkit box which stands often at the front and down of the engine? The perfect for me is something lockable and waterproof.

Thanks,
Helias

__________________
Asia, 27 months, 73,000 km. - Africa, 3 years, 96,000 km. - Honda XR 250 - http://madnomad.gr

Bought this in the US, lockable and fairly waterproof, very strong, made from stainless steel = heavy, cost about 90 bucks!



Note : be careful when mounting in this position, when suspension compresses the front wheel 'comes back'.

Alec

__________________
I wanna go back.

Hi a mate of mine as made a similar box to the one pictured but instead of stainless it is made from drainpipe with one end glued and capped and I think it is lockable and waterproof, hopefully I can get him to photograph it and post the pics on the site.

__________________
'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'
Never confuse the map with the journey.

just a thought, but they make lots of different sized metal electrical boxes that lock and are dirt cheap...as in a disconnect for an air conditioner condenser...I don't know how waterproof in that position where everything off the front tire spritzes.

yesterday, I ran to harbor Freight. They had a 22 piece combination SAE/metric wrench set in a nice tool roll on sale for $9.99...I figured at that price I could use them as tomato stakes and still be ahead. Also picked up a 25 pc allen set SAE/metric for $5...I used the (wrench) tool roll w/metrics and added the metric allens, cresents, tire irons, combo screwdriver ect...and made myself a nice tool set for dirt cheap...but I have them in a pelican 1300 box on the rear rack. vast variety in a no rattle kit.

another thought, tho I don't know about exhaust heat, is a water tight canister for welding rod ($10)...nice sized and combat duty, but you'd have to make the determination on exhaust heat...shield?

I think the metal electric boxes might be worth a look...wrap your tools in an oil cloth for water. I know they're made for rain and weather, but the tire spritz is different...maybe a mud flap?

a tool box (IMHO) should be big enough to carry all the tools as well as a tire patch kit, wire ties, tape, JB Weld... ect...so don't think too small here.

Hi,
I used an ex-Army ammunition box on my last trip through West Africa.
I picked it up in an Army surplus store in Dublin, for not very much; certainly not more than £10.
It's roughly about 10" x 8" x 3", and was large enough for all but the biggest tools I was carrying (tyre irons, etc.) I'm sure they come in a range of sizes (to suit different size munitions), so you should be able to pick one to suit your needs.

Here's a picture I found on the web that is pretty much the same as the box I bought. http://www.anchorsupplies.com/h83.htm (I now notice the dimensions are given: External dimensions: 300 x 155 x 185 mm = approx 12" x 6" x 7.5") There must be lots of online sites selling these boxes if you can't source them in a bricks'n'mortar shop.

The main body of the box has no seams, or holes, or potential leak-points. I'd guess that it's manufactured by deep drawing, so it's one continuous metal shell. The lid has a rubber seal on the underside. When you close over the lid, and close the latching mechanism, it draws the rubber seal down on the edge of the opening of the box, thereby sealing it. I didn't make any checks on just how watertight it was. But, seeing as it's original purpose was to store munitions (which I believe don't operate as expected when wet :-) ) I'd be confident about it keeping water out.

I can't remember if you can directly attach a padlock to keep the lid secure, but perhaps you could design the mounting that will hold the box on your bike so that it prevents the lid from opening when the box is in place. Then add a standard hasp to the mounting, to lock the box into it.

Hope this helps!
Ken.

not wanting to carry my good primary set of tools in daily shop use, I went shopping for some I could lose or have stolen without losing sleep.

Harbor Freight had a 22 piece set of metric/SAE wrenches in tool roll for $9.99...at that price you could use them as tomato stakes and still be ahead...also picked up an allen set (metric/SAE) for $5, and proceeded to put a motorcycle tool kit together, using the tool roll as a base.

the pouch at top right is a Smith & Wesson leatherman type from Grizzley for under $15...in it goes (across the picture top L-R) 4" knife, tire gauge, shock adjuster, the needlenose "Leatherman" with a usable file, metric and American rulers, and other, including the holder to hold all the bits in the red carrier.

in the tool roll L-R, I filled the SAE wrench slots with 6" 1/4" extention, 1/4" drive sockets-5-14mm, combination 3/8" & 1/4" angle ratchet, tire irons, 10" cressent that opens to 32mm (1 1/4"), 6" cressent opens to 20mm (13/16"), mini channel-locks, combo screwdriver with big and small Phillips, big and small Stewart, 1/4" & 5/16" nut driver, allen set from 1.3-10mm, extra black wire ties, and combo wrenches from 6-19mm (all but 15 & 18mm included).

the 10mm allen with the green screwdriver handle doubles as a small usable hammer.

have yet to find a small tire pump I like and patch kit...may get something for a bicycle.

I don't know the bottom line price for this set as shown, but it's minimal and yet a nice selection in an emergency...I still need a spark plug socket and a couple other things...I'm curious to see what others have come up with ...especially what I missed as far as essentials.