As a kid everyone used old .50 cal ammo cans to carry a basic tool set in their 4x4. You could mount one someplace convient and have your tool kit in there. Also I have a small piece of plastic with magnets in it for holding parts. It rolls up and I use it when working on something since small parts will not roll away. I got it at sears.

thanks for the ideas about making a box that when covered with crud looks like part of the bike. the good thing about the burgman scooter is the 56 liters of storage under the seat. by making a box that will fit between Old Woman's backrest and the topbox all my tools are out of the way along with the drop cloth. if i paint the box blue to match the scoot it will look like it belongs there.

Saw a nice toolbox at Javiers shop in BsAs, a protective metal case for an artillery shell.

Waterproof top, tough and lots of space inside, ideal for bolting onto the bashplate & easy to fit a lock.

Hi folks!
Good topic, am still wondering about this one.
I had one of those narrow NATO ammo boxes bolted to the bash plate of my XT but found that due to the less than close fit of my home made bash plate it stuck out too far and low and kept crunching off rocks in Morocco. In the end I threw it away.
I must admit I'd like to sort something out where I could leave the tools on the bike securely, which means a lockable box. It seems unlikely that anyone would pinch your tools but imagine trying to replace all that stuff in the middle of Africa or S. America! In the end I carried my tools in my panniers and this did turn out to be a pain. For my trip to Norway later this year I have bought a slightly larger ammo box which I'm going to mount behind me as a sort of mini top box. It should be big enough to fit a couple of mars bars, a small first aid kit and some secret whisky amongst the inner tubes and spanners.
On a not totally unconnected note I have noticed that 3rd world mechanics are a fantastic source of information on how to 'make do' with basic tools not nessecarily designed for the use they are being put to! This can help cut down on tools. For this reason I have added a set of mole grips to my tool kit!
Of course, with an Enfeild, the gentleman traveller is equipped with two large toolboxes as standard, as was common in the old days. Not all advancement is improvement, eh?

Matt

Grant: Where did you get your mini-multi-meter and what brand is it? Mines a bloody monster!

bear in mind with mini-multimeters that you need to be able to change the battery. The one I took had tiny screws so I couldn't get the battery out, because I wasn't enlightened enough to take a mini-screw driver with me. It also had a protruding on/off switch which always managed to switch on. So the batteries always ran flat. Turned out to be one of the most useless things I bought pre-trip. I do remember thinking so, every time I un-packed and re-packed it.

I'd just take a testing lamp instead next time. Checking voltage is about the limit of my electric knowledge anyway.

Tool & Storage
 

Good day all, this is my first post here. Although I am not a world traveller.....yet, I have travelled around a bit in North America.

I am always striving to lighten my load, so to speak, so my way of managing my tools is to only take what I really need. First off, I am the only one that works on my bike, an '01 BMW 1150gs, nobody takes care of your stuff like you do. When I service my bike, I use the tools that I carry on the bike. I started with the factory tool kit. As I performed different maintenence procedures, I found that some of the tools in the kit were not satisfactory to me and there were others that I needed from my tool box. Any tool that I used from my tool box was added to my on bike kit. I don't carry a set of anything. I haven't done it yet, but will soon.....safety wire & locktite most bolts and nuts, this way I won't need to carry spare fastners. I believe that an ounce of prevention is worth pounds of cure, so I am very careful in checking the bike over before a road trip. I make sure that the things that are most critical should I need them are readily accessible, such as my first aid bag, tire repair tools with compressor and light bulbs. I also think it is wise to carry a piece of carpet, about the size of a door mat to kneel on, and a piece of plastic sheet to lay parts, pieces and tools on should I need to make a repair on the road.

Hope this helps, Dennis

thats why they call it MacGyver Tape in the Dutch army

Folks,
Just finished packing the old beast for Africa, and took photos and listed all the tools, spare parts that I am packing. This list has been honed over 2.5 years in North, Central and South America. Which only means its probably completely wrong for AFrica, Middle East, India....
Anyway, the link is here. www.renedian.com/Gear.html look at the Africa part.

Oh, and its Zipties. Or Zapstraps.
Cheers,
Rene

Rene, your website seems to have some difficulties, the pictures are over the text rendering the text unreadable. I realize you are either on the road or in last minute prep. Hope you can have someone have a look and fix it.

Good luck and be safe.
Dennis

Thanks Dennis, 10- 4.

Wowww Man back on track again!!!!
 

I will be reading your updates Rene.
Good luck and enjoy!
From BA
KH

[QUOTE=Deke in AK]Rene, your website seems to have some difficulties, /QUOTE]

Part of the problem is the picture size! 800 - 900 k for each image....

Thanks RedBoots, I will resize the photos and try that. I wanted them to be large enough so that interested parties could click on the photo and get a more detailed look at what was inside, but it may be that the size of the photos is getting me into all the placement issues.

Hi Rene,

640x480 is the normal web size. It will give you a picture about 1 tenth the original size, (in kbytes), but the quality/resolution should be acceptable for most things.
Maybe your maps will needto be a bit larger but always remember, not eveyone has ADSL/broadband and people can get fed up with waiting for the page to load and go elsewhere;-))

Cheers,
John

Sounds to me like you're putting your heaviest item - tools - at the worst place - high and rearward. :( I'd suggest a rethink to get them forward and low. :clap: