F800GS / F650GS MOD Skid Plate Tool Box -new version

[Mike.C]

G'Day Dave,

By way of support and feedback we are now on our second 4 week sojourn in New Zealand on every dirt back road we can find and the two original boxes are the ducks nuts, they bin everywhere man and then some, bashed scraped and run through rivers umpteen times and never a problem. They are even standing up to being blasted by rocks from the front tyre quite well with no major damage and just a bit of paint chipping, even though we have extended front fenders.

The only complaint, well definitely not a complaint more accurately an observation, is that fitting a rolled up tool roll requires careful packing of the roll to make it small enough - we pack a lot of tools when we are travelling in another country and almost always a long way from help so try to be completely self sufficient, and also the lock is really pretty fragile sand I treat it with kid gloves, its never failed but I am going to see if I can engineer a bullet proof lock before Africa next year, but I would not have it without the lock, VIP for the long term traveller.

Your on a winner mate, but IME that doesn't always mean that the punters will pay for it.

[toowheels]

Originally Posted by Mike.C

G'Day Dave,

By way of support and feedback we are now on our second 4 week sojourn in New Zealand on every dirt back road we can find and the two original boxes are the ducks nuts, they bin everywhere man and then some, bashed scraped and run through rivers umpteen times and never a problem. They are even standing up to being blasted by rocks from the front tyre quite well with no major damage and just a bit of paint chipping, even though we have extended front fenders.

The only complaint, well definitely not a complaint more accurately an observation, is that fitting a rolled up tool roll requires careful packing of the roll to make it small enough - we pack a lot of tools when we are travelling in another country and almost always a long way from help so try to be completely self sufficient, and also the lock is really pretty fragile sand I treat it with kid gloves, its never failed but I am going to see if I can engineer a bullet proof lock before Africa next year, but I would not have it without the lock, VIP for the long term traveller.

Your on a winner mate, but IME that doesn't always mean that the punters will pay for it.

G'Day Mike!

Thanks very much for the long-term report and the useful feedback!! I looked it up and you got the V2 skid plates and the tool boxes back in April 2010.

You mentioned the lock has been fragile in sand but never failed, so do you mean it's been sticky sometimes or has it been difficult to get the key in? You can remove the latch from the inside, push out the lock mechanism and clean it up too.

We've had some requests from riders that would like to mount the tool box inside their rear racks on the right side. We did have this done by a customer before and we also had mad a proto "universal" mount for that reason. The universal mount was OK but I wasn't that happy with it. Might be something we'll have to pursue again??

Dave

[thorinoakenshield]

Originally Posted by toowheels

G'Day Mike!


We've had some requests from riders that would like to mount the tool box inside their rear racks on the right side. We did have this done by a customer before and we also had mad a proto "universal" mount for that reason. The universal mount was OK but I wasn't that happy with it. Might be something we'll have to pursue again??

Dave

It can be similar to this:

http://twalcomusa.com/ttr-raidbox-r1200gs-adv.html

[toowheels]

Yes thanks I've looked at all those.

They are very specific in what they do and some are so specific they'll only fit the BMW side racks.

Ours is of course designed to fit with our skid plate (and may fit others) primarily and then may be used to mount as shown above. The universal bracket we had before therefore used the skid plate mounting holes. If one were to drill a hole(s) on top or the end then it could mount more like these. Then there are extra holes...not that big a deal I suppose.

Mike and everybody I've found some full rubber covers for the locks!

Stay tuned...

Dave

[Mike.C]

G'Day Dave,

My concerns with the key lock have been the key hole getting crap in it and the key being hard to get in, the metal tab that locks rotates inside and effects the locking has also come loose although that could be fixed with a bit of locktite. My biggest concern has been that the with the tab adjusted to hold the door tightly closed the force retired on the key is enough for me to be concerned about breaking the key, so I tend to handle it with kid gloves.

The best fix I reckon would due to do away with the key and use a special shaped solid key, it's not the security of a uniqi=ue key that's the issue, just the ability to stop an opportunistic thief who wants to poke around.

It would also be much stronger than a fragile ordinary key.

Hope that helps. The boxes have given us really good service, I am astonished that you have not been over run with orders as they are without doubt a good concept.

[toowheels]

G'day Mike and Happy New Year too!

Yes that helps and I know what you're saying.

The latch inside does have to be tightened up every once in a while as as you've said Loctite would help. As far as the key feeling a little light duty I know what you're saying there too. I find that if you push the door in a bit then you don't feel like you're forcing it. The thickness of the gasket between the door and the box is what does it.

There are other options for the "lock" other than a key:

-slot (which is the coin one mentioned above because it's big enough to use any coin really)
-Phillips recessed head
-4mm hex
-8mm hex

What does everybody think of those?

I'd tend to favor the 4mm hex or the Phillips which could be hidden under the seat easily.

I think once they get going again they'll do well...fingers crossed.

Dave

[dendrophobe]

Originally Posted by toowheels

There are other options for the "lock" other than a key:

-slot (which is the coin one mentioned above because it's big enough to use any coin really)
-Phillips recessed head
-4mm hex
-8mm hex

I like the idea of the hex bits; any chance of security torx? That would be less prone to stripping than the hex or phillips, and would resist dirt well, not to mention being less common for a thief to have.

Originally Posted by toowheels

I think once they get going again they'll do well...fingers crossed.

I think you're right about them doing well once they're out... Now about those rounded corners...

[toowheels]

Originally Posted by dendrophobe

I like the idea of the hex bits; any chance of security torx? That would be less prone to stripping than the hex or phillips, and would resist dirt well, not to mention being less common for a thief to have.



I think you're right about them doing well once they're out... Now about those rounded corners...

Torx let alone secuirity torx isn't offered for these locking mechanisms. Otherwise that would be a good way to go. In fact Torx is just plain hard and expensive to get here.

The slot/hex/Phillips are the only other options besides flat key (outside of tubular key $$) which we've found doable so far.

There's not much torque needed to open and close the lock (there's just tension on the door from the gasket) so stripping shouldn't be an issue. One reason I like the slot version is that in kinda looks like a key lock from afar. The pic on the the grey F8's on my posts is the slot version.

Here's what the key lock looks like (on my three year old well traveled tool box mounted on a squeaky clean F8 for V2 skid plate/ W&H engine bar trial fitting):



More to come...

Dave

[Mollygrubber]

Happy New Year Dave...

Nice to speak with you before xmas (you warmed up the seat on the Pacific BMW loaner for me - that was a COLD night!). I'm looking forward to seeing the new design, and as to your questions:

~ Square corners are OK with me. I value strength and simplicity over appearance any day.

~ Waterproof (or as close as you can reasonably get) is important to me. The last thing I want to see after a flat is a bunch of rusty ruined crap floating in red gruel.

~ The lock is preferable, but like others have said, I can't stand flimsy locks. Your point about the coin slot looking like a key lock is interesting, though.

~ a universal mount kit would be appreciated, I think. I'd like the option of mounting it elsewhere, and sourcing good hardware is a pain in the ass.

~ I'd prefer it was welded, and am willing to pay more for a robust product.

Thanks for all your hard work, see you at the bike show!

[toowheels]

Originally Posted by Mollygrubber

Happy New Year Dave...

Nice to speak with you before xmas (you warmed up the seat on the Pacific BMW loaner for me - that was a COLD night!). I'm looking forward to seeing the new design, and as to your questions:

~ Square corners are OK with me. I value strength and simplicity over appearance any day.

~ Waterproof (or as close as you can reasonably get) is important to me. The last thing I want to see after a flat is a bunch of rusty ruined crap floating in red gruel.

~ The lock is preferable, but like others have said, I can't stand flimsy locks. Your point about the coin slot looking like a key lock is interesting, though.

~ a universal mount kit would be appreciated, I think. I'd like the option of mounting it elsewhere, and sourcing good hardware is a pain in the ass.

~ I'd prefer it was welded, and am willing to pay more for a robust product.

Thanks for all your hard work, see you at the bike show!

Thanks Mollygrubber and Happy New Year to you too!

Thanks for all the feedback!

The universal kit will definitely get some thought it'll just take a bit more time though.

Yes see you at the bike show (...what bike show? http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=751091)

Dave

[dscarborough]

Definitely like and will buy what you come up with.
Rivets are OK, welded seams even better.
Price point might be too low; as with others I'd pay more for high durability.
Having a secure locking mechanism is important.
Black matches my bashplate.
Good luck with the waterproofing, water resistant would be enough for me.
Keep up the good work and let us all know when you go into production for early orders.
McMuddin

[Miikka]

+1

Dave, are you familiar with Adv-spec bashplate..? I have one and I'm just
trying to figure out how to mount your (upcoming) product on my plate.

Any insight on this combination?

Thanks!

-m

[tvaranda]

I have an ADv Spec Bashplate too and I'm interested in this box.

[toowheels]

Originally Posted by dscarborough

Definitely like and will buy what you come up with.
Rivets are OK, welded seams even better.
Price point might be too low; as with others I'd pay more for high durability.
Having a secure locking mechanism is important.
Black matches my bashplate.
Good luck with the waterproofing, water resistant would be enough for me.
Keep up the good work and let us all know when you go into production for early orders.
McMuddin

Thanks McMuddin!

We're really hoping to have something rolling for March...

more news as I have it!

Originally Posted by Miikka

+1

Dave, are you familiar with Adv-spec bashplate..? I have one and I'm just
trying to figure out how to mount your (upcoming) product on my plate.

Any insight on this combination?

Thanks!

-m

Originally Posted by tvaranda

I have an ADv Spec Bashplate too and I'm interested in this box.

Yes I've seen the Adv-Spec bash plate (though not actually in real life) and it will probably work with that one and any other flat fronted skid plate as long as they don't stick out too far. That means the BMW/TT skid plate is out (at least it was for the original tool box) since it has the pointed front which takes away from needed space and doesn't leave enough clearance to the front wheel.

When we have the dimensions settled on I'll be able to take some measurements and we'll have a better idea on the fit.

Maybe as a start I could get everybody with various skid plates to measure how far their skid plate is from the bottom and top of the oil cooler (not the filter as they may be a bit different) to give me an idea on the angle/distance of their skid plates? Inside dimensions are fine as I can calculate it from there.

Thanks!

Dave

[thorinoakenshield]

Hurry up!