V4 Tool Bag Tray Full Of Water - Drill Drain Hole?

I had this with a car a while back. I drilled a hole wide enough to accommodate some fish tank air line and pushed that through with some silicone to seal. Ran the line away from car boot and it worked a treat. Worth a shot?

 

Similar on a different bike.
Making a small hole and inserting a small length of rigid pipe and glued it into place.
When the glue was set and the pipe solid I attached a length of flexible pipe to it and ran it down alongside other wires/pipes so it could discharge away from the bike.
Worked well, although really it’s an oversight on the manufacture behalf.

 

My toolkit was rusted quite badly when I got my bike at 21k miles. I didn't know to look there though.
A good indication of previous ownership that I'll be checking if/when I buy a second one!

 

Bike tool kits are usually made by Cadbury's. Take them off store them dry and put them back on for a resale.

 

Only difference is someone ate some of mine.


(Image courtesy of https://www.adsoftheworld.com/)

 

Am I the only one that always keeps tools etc on a bike in sealable freezer bags?

I don't think I've owned any bike where that sort of compartment was truely dry.
Except maybe my M900 where the compartment was built into the underside of the seat.

 

@baines93 exactly the same happens with mine too, sometimes the tray gets so full of water it’s almost into the power socket. The puncture repair kit is sodden now. I too should drill a hole so it can flow away. It will eventually find its way out between the 2 plastic trays.

 

Let us know how you get on, please (and where it goes if you just drill a hole and have no tube).
Thanks!

 

I always keep the tool kit wrapped in plastic as they seem to rust due to damp air! In the case of the MS, like others on here, I use a sandwich bag. It's the right size and shapes nicely. Before putting any metal tools in the bag/tool roll, give them a wipe with ACF or similar.

 

In the glory days of KTM when they were making the 990s, their toolkits were fantastic. You could pretty much dismantle the thing on the side of the road and put it back together again just with the fat tool roll under the seat. My 1098 SF had a toolkit consisting of one of those white plastic clips used for extracting blade fuses and a single screwdriver. And you had to dismantle the whole tail section of the bike to find it. I only came across it when I stripped the back end down to fit some battery booster cables.

Water pooling under the seat is an elementary design flaw in my view. It shouldn't happen. My concern would be the battery box. Where is it on the V4? Can any water get in there? I think I would drill a drain hole. If the tool tray fills with water where does it go if it sloshes out while riding?

 

They had to be, from what I heard.

Agree totally. Coming from 10+ years of K BMWs, IMHO the build quality isn't quite there. It's close, but I really expected better from the various journo / owners reviews I read before buying, especially for the silly money.

 

Strange that I never had an issue with water sitting in the tool kit area when I owned the bike. It got a little water on top of the tool kit when washing , but the contents stayed dry; even the paper instructions on how to use the kit. Same with my new Multi. I cant see how age could affect it. The contents of the kit can be tricky to get them packed flat which makes the pillion seat fit easier, and possibly reduce any water ingress . Drilling a hole may be an easy fix though.

 

Some possible variables:
- pillion seat position (back / forward) might allow more water in. Mine is positioned back.
- panniers fitted / not fitted, and where the rooster of rear wheel water might reach. No panniers fitted.
- using a jet washer. Don't know what the previous owner did.

Haven't the faintest which, if any, have an effect, but I'll keep an eye on mine now.

 

The trick when buying a 990 was to take it apart and put it back together properly from the start, with grease on the bits that should have had grease on them. Then you had a rock-solid bike that could go on forever.

I think it was a hangover from KTM's dirt racing heritage that the company just assumed that all owers were competent mechanics and would be perfectly happy to pull the thing apart and put it back together again whenever required.
The basic design and engineering was sound as a pound, they just expected you to be hands-on and every single nut, bolt and washer was available off the shelf at any KTM dealer as a spare.
The owner's manual was happy to tell you how to set your own valve clearances or bleed the coolant system, whereas Ducati manuals tell you to take your bike to an authorised dealer at £100/hour if it has a slack chain.
Ducati seem to take offence if you even consider going near one of their bikes with a spanner, like it's still their property and you're just borrowing it. All the more reason therefore, that puddles ofwater should not be appearing under the seat.

 

I can’t see how any water which collects in the (very tiny) ‘tool’ tray could get to the battery compartment, they’re too far apart. The battery is directly under the rider seat, RHS; the tool recess is under the pillion seat. IIRC there is a drain hole under the battery anyway but it’s been a while since I took my battery out.

As for any collected water in the tool test sloshing out whilst riding, it’s minimal. The tool recess is very small and not very deep. IME any water that’s collected in there is only about 25ml, if that, about the same as a short in a pub, so minimal. It’s just that it can collect there and will rot the small puncture repair kit.