Tire pressure monitor

[Big-D]

Yeah, you know how the young guys are today! Too lazy to check their air pressure and afraid they might get a little dirt on their hands.

When I first started riding, being able to work on and fix your own bike was all part of the fun of riding.

 

[n1acguy]

As for the age comments, I bought my 1st street bike in 1965.

I wasn't even a juvenile delinquent back then. Well, at least not a teenage one :lol:

 

[n1acguy]

I'm not crazy about getting any unit that's not mounted permantly on the bike.

That's my reservation too. The keychain mount will mean it's upside down half the time. I guess you can try to secure it on the dash somewhere, but it doesn't seem to be designed to mount to the bike.

I'm sold on the idea of pressure monitoring, but there's got to be a better way to design an add on system. Some kind of indicator light to alert you to it would be a big plus on a motorcycle.

 

[Groo]

Yeah, you know how the young guys are today! Too lazy to check their air pressure and afraid they might get a little dirt on their hands.When I first started riding, being able to work on and fix your own bike was all part of the fun of riding.

LOL.... as opposed to an old penny pincher who isn't willing to take advantage of the technology staring him in the face.... heh. You still pining away for bikes with kick starters and carburetors too? :lol: ... and since when is checking your tire pressure "working on and fixing your own bike"? :huh:

All this time I've been wrenching on my bike, and I could have just taken credit for it by checking my tire pressure... what a waste.

 

[FJRGuy]

To me, the convenience is worth every penny.

Being lazy does have it's price!

...I've just gotten to the the stage of having put 90* valve stems on my wish list. Will probably install them during next tire changes. ...

+1 on angled stems. Makes checking pressures fast and easy! That said, I'll probably get a TPMS eventually (I'm lazy too!) but there are a lot of farckles above it on the wish list.

 

[TruWrecks]

I'm not crazy about getting any unit that's not mounted permantly on the bike.

That's my reservation too. The keychain mount will mean it's upside down half the time. I guess you can try to secure it on the dash somewhere, but it doesn't seem to be designed to mount to the bike.

I'm sold on the idea of pressure monitoring, but there's got to be a better way to design an add on system. Some kind of indicator light to alert you to it would be a big plus on a motorcycle.

Velcro it to the top of the brake res cap.

 

[FJR Flyer]

I'm not crazy about getting any unit that's not mounted permantly on the bike.

That's my reservation too. The keychain mount will mean it's upside down half the time. I guess you can try to secure it on the dash somewhere, but it doesn't seem to be designed to mount to the bike.

I'm sold on the idea of pressure monitoring, but there's got to be a better way to design an add on system. Some kind of indicator light to alert you to it would be a big plus on a motorcycle.

Velcro it to the top of the brake res cap.

I just put in it the tank bag's map case. Don't really look at it while riding, but can easily check it at a stop.

 

[old Pilot]

....You still pining away for bikes with kick starters and carburetors too? :lol: .....

Kick starters, yeh I miss them. Hell, 2 of the airplanes I owned or had partnerships in had no starters. Hand-prop to start. Keep the the weight low on acro birds.

 

[user 19117]

One of the things that bothers me about TPMSs is that the bike has to be in motion in order for any pressure readings to come up. Once I'm rolling, I'm rolling, I am not interested in coming back to put air in the tires once the ride has started. The gadget that started this thread appears to remove some of that annoyance. As far as knowing what the pressure of the tires are while I'm in motion: I suspect a significant loss of air will be pretty obvious, without the help of a monitor (not that this has happened to me yet).

Mock me if you wish, but I check the tire pressures every day. I used to check them before every leg of the daily commute, but have gotten lazy. Getting a gauge on the front tires of these beasts is not helping matters. I am hoping the tires wear out soon so I have an excuse to buy the angled stems.

Once a system is developed that can tell me the tire pressure while the bike is sitting in the garage, next to my compressor, I'll bite. Until then, I'll be kneeling, grunting and cursing... but fully aware of my tire pressure before the ride starts.

Thanks for letting me post ho' my way farther out of FNG status

 

[Checkswrecks]

The country is in the middle of phasing these in for ALL cars and light trucks. When NHTSA and others did wide-spread sampling of cars and trucks, they found that 25-30% have at least one tire under-inflated. The cost in lives was pretty significant.

For more info than you wanted to know, but pretty much the low-down on them:

https://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/ruling...2005/part1.html

 

[bananaman]

This is the system I have: https://www.doranmfg.com/motorcycle-tire-pr...ing-systems.htm

I like it pretty well. It is about +- 1.5 psi off compared to a good gauge.

I like the fact that you can wire it to be on all the time if you want and it gives you a reading before you start up and get rolling.

I don't like that the sensor batteries are not replaceable; you have to buy new sensors when the batteries die.

It probable is more like a luxury on my current bike, but last week I rented a Harley Ultra for a week and checking the tire pressure on that pig was a PIA. I definitely would get a TPMS if I owned a touring type bike like that.

 

[LancasterFJR]

This is the system I have: https://www.doranmfg.com/motorcycle-tire-pr...ing-systems.htmI like it pretty well. It is about +- 1.5 psi off compared to a good gauge.

I like the fact that you can wire it to be on all the time if you want and it gives you a reading before you start up and get rolling.

I don't like that the sensor batteries are not replaceable; you have to buy new sensors when the batteries die.

It probable is more like a luxury on my current bike, but last week I rented a Harley Ultra for a week and checking the tire pressure on that pig was a PIA. I definitely would get a TPMS if I owned a touring type bike like that.

I have the Doran TPM, permanently installed gauge on the handlebar with sensors "inside" the wheels. It works flawlessly and looks OEM once installed. The only problem is I hooked up to switched power and it takes up to six minutes to register the pressures every time I start the bike. Sam

 

[ShawnKing]

I bought these for $159.95 from CruiserCustomizing.com. I do not know what their current prices are.

I just checked - the price is still $159.95.

 

[dustyrains]

Like many on the Forum, I've been riding street bikes since 1970 and have never had a TPMS. I'm sorry, but to me it's just something to break, give false readings, require repairs, increase tire replacement costs and not provide any viable information. I check my tire pressure each time I ride if my rides are more than a week apart; always have. If I ride every day, I check the T.P. every other day. If you are going down the road and suffer a sudden tire pressure loss, you'll know it as soon as someone would if they have a TPMS. If your tire is losing air slowly, you'll catch it during your air pressure checks or in the way your bike handles.
My wife's car came with 4 wheel TPMS and when I looked into buying her some after market wheels, the price was almost double. It's kind of like paying $1500 for a driver side electrically adjustable seat and no one drives your vehicle except you. So it sits there year after year and does absolutely nothing. The old fashioned tire pressure gauge is the way to go.

Different strokes for different folks. I found myself neglecting to check, and so having a TPMS gives me a lot of peace of mind. Not to mention the fact that it alerted me to a slow leak in my rear tire at 2 AM in BFE Nevada and saved my ***, or that it alerted me to a relatively rapid front tire pressure loss that let me slow down and get off the highway without dumping the bike in the middle of nowhere New Mexico with a thunderstorm approaching. I love my Smartire system, and just last week ordered and installed a replacement receiver (the original one got water inside the casing during EOM and the ride home... but lasted a good 4 years prior to that).

I use the Doran TPMS and it really is useful. Not a week after I installed mine, it saved my butt. I had ridden to work and picked up a screw in my brand new rear PR2, unknown to me. I went to start the bike after work for the ride home, noticed the amber light flashing at me for the rear. I put the bike up on the centerstand and found the problem. The tire was only partially deflated, so I figured I could put some more air in and ride home, if I left the screw in. That is what I did. Had I not had the TPMS, I probably would not have noticed the lowered tire pressure until I was already out on the road. I might have ended up stranded somewhere between home and work, calling the tow truck and all those headaches. As it was, I was able to get the bike home, and the next day, was able to ride it to my dealership for a new tire install. And I really like being able to just push a button and check my tire pressures before I start my ride, and I like knowing that my system will alert me if I have a tire starting to deflate while running at higher speeds. Peace of mind. It's worth a lot to me. I have checked the accuracy of the Doran against a good quality Sears Craftsman digital pressure gauge, and found it to be within 1 PSI.

 

[Bogey907]

I have the Doran system also and really like it for the peace of mind on a long, high-speed run. My girlfriend's car has a similar system, and it saved her from being stranded late at night last week.

One note of caution - a buddy put the sensors on the outside of a rubber valve stem. At speed, the stem apparently flexed and folded over from centrifugal force. Use metal stems if you plan to install external.

 

[dustyrains]

But a tire gauge is sure an awful lot cheaper than a monitoring system!

Unless the incovenience of getting out the gauge, taking off the valve cover, gaging the tire, figuring out if you let too much air out in the process, replacing the cover, then repeating on the other tire, then washing your hands from the tire smut makes you say F*$& it and it doesn't get done...

To me, the convenience is worth every penny.

+1 on that

With a tire pressure gauge you certainly cannot check pressure at 80 miles per hour, which is something I do fairly often.

 

[bandit]

I bought this same system about 6 months ago. Found it to be very inaccurate and as msntioned above. It only works about 50% of the time. I sent it packing as it didnt work well. I find a good TCLOCS check when I stop tp be sirfficient and I check my tire pressure often.

 

[dustyrains]

One of the things that bothers me about TPMSs is that the bike has to be in motion in order for any pressure readings to come up. Once I'm rolling, I'm rolling, I am not interested in coming back to put air in the tires once the ride has started. The gadget that started this thread appears to remove some of that annoyance. As far as knowing what the pressure of the tires are while I'm in motion: I suspect a significant loss of air will be pretty obvious, without the help of a monitor (not that this has happened to me yet).
Mock me if you wish, but I check the tire pressures every day. I used to check them before every leg of the daily commute, but have gotten lazy. Getting a gauge on the front tires of these beasts is not helping matters. I am hoping the tires wear out soon so I have an excuse to buy the angled stems.

Once a system is developed that can tell me the tire pressure while the bike is sitting in the garage, next to my compressor, I'll bite. Until then, I'll be kneeling, grunting and cursing... but fully aware of my tire pressure before the ride starts.

Thanks for letting me post ho' my way farther out of FNG status

What you describe is exactly how the Doran TPMS works. I have had it for a year now, found it to reliable and accurate. All I have to do is press one button on the small handle bar mounted readout to see the status of both tire pressures while the bike is sitting in the garage, stone cold. Or I can check it on the fly if I have any questions while running at high speeds. It is interesting to see how high your pressures can go on a hot, hot day running the backroads of central Oregon.

 

[Wanderer]

How long to the sensor batteries last on the Doran system? 50$ a sensor is pretty spendy to be replacing them more than once every couple years..

 

[dustyrains]

How long to the sensor batteries last on the Doran system? 50$ a sensor is pretty spendy to be replacing them more than once every couple years..

Sure, I'll do your research. Literature says 3 to 4 years. Mine have been in place for at least a year and a half.