Love my TPMS | GTAMotorcycle.com

Love my TPMS

Brant Bandit

Brant Bandit

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One of the neat features on my Kawasaki Concours is TPMS. This should be standard on more bikes.

Was out for a group ride on the weekend and didn't realize it but I ran over a big nail. My tire pressure started dropping and I hadn't noticed it but at 30 PSI (or so) the TPMS warning lights came on bright red and the display showed low pressure.

Since the TPMS gave me some warning before the tire ran flat or blew out, I was able to pull off safely without damaging the tire further, and plug it so I could get home.

Without TPMS it would have had to get really low and squishy before I would have noticed. I was driving down a country road.... dead straight and flat.... 100 kph..... wife on back.

Thanks Kawasaki!
 
They certainly are a great thing. I take for granted all the bells and whistles on my BMW. When I hope on another bike I feel like like I am missing a whole lot. I got a nail in my new bike after the first week, like your story, it was great to have the warning. My light came on warning me of low tire pressure in the rear. Was able to limp home and plug it. I can now monitor the PSI as I ride, watching for the rear tire to drop if the plug does not hold. 1500 kms on the plug and the PSI stays the same, think it is safe to say it is doing its job.
 
More overkill IMO. When tubless tires get punctured, they release air slowly and give the rider plenty of warning that something's not right, by the poor/changed handling. I've had numeous punctures and even tires that loss air during a ride, and was always able to tell something was up without any monitors. Try replacing them in the future when the batteries evetnually die. Big PITA and not cheap afaik. I've heard some riders just pull them out and forget about it. Just pay attention to the road-bike feedback, and you're okay.

I'm glad you like yours, but...yet another unnecessary feature IMO.
 
The problem is when you realize something is up at high speeds. Not a fan of ABS for bikes but TPMS to me is a great feature.
twinswin said:
More overkill IMO. When tubless tires get punctured, they release air slowly and give the rider plenty of warning that something's not right, by the poor/changed handling. I've had numeous punctures and even tires that loss air during a ride, and was always able to tell something was up without any monitors. Try replacing them in the future when the batteries evetnually die. Big PITA and not cheap afaik. I've heard some riders just pull them out and forget about it. Just pay attention to the road-bike feedback, and you're okay.

I'm glad you like yours, but...yet another unnecessary feature IMO.
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I want to add this to mine, but waiting for the prices to drop and the technology to get better. I'd go the GPS integrated route, but refuse to pay what Garmin wants for them (given it is 2015 and not 2005).
 
twinswin said:
More overkill IMO. When tubless tires get punctured, they release air slowly and give the rider plenty of warning that something's not right, by the poor/changed handling. I've had numeous punctures and even tires that loss air during a ride, and was always able to tell something was up without any monitors. Try replacing them in the future when the batteries evetnually die. Big PITA and not cheap afaik. I've heard some riders just pull them out and forget about it. Just pay attention to the road-bike feedback, and you're okay.

I'm glad you like yours, but...yet another unnecessary feature IMO.
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I hear you, but I've got a 5 year unlimited km warranty on my bike so I'm not worried about replacing them. Like traction control or ABS, it's just another little safety thing that can help. Plus I love gadgets.

I would die instantly on a bike with more tech (BMW tourers or Goldwings for example) because I'd be too busy pressing all of the buttons!
 
twinswin said:
More overkill IMO. When tubless tires get punctured, they release air slowly and give the rider plenty of warning that something's not right, by the poor/changed handling. I've had numeous punctures and even tires that loss air during a ride, and was always able to tell something was up without any monitors. Try replacing them in the future when the batteries evetnually die. Big PITA and not cheap afaik. I've heard some riders just pull them out and forget about it. Just pay attention to the road-bike feedback, and you're okay.
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The tires will need replacing far more often than the TPMS. They will give you a heads up on a slow leak before you are hundreds of kms from home.
 
conundrum said:
I want to add this to mine, but waiting for the prices to drop and the technology to get better. I'd go the GPS integrated route, but refuse to pay what Garmin wants for them (given it is 2015 and not 2005).
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There are phone apps that can read the TPMS output.
 
conundrum said:
I want to add this to mine, but waiting for the prices to drop and the technology to get better. I'd go the GPS integrated route, but refuse to pay what Garmin wants for them (given it is 2015 and not 2005).
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Havent checked recently but Garmin wanted something like $60 a sensor last time I checked. They would work with my Montana but that was a little rich for me. $30 a sensor maybe and I'll get a pair.

edit: thought they worked....maybe they don't
 
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DemonPig said:
Certain GPS units work with aftermarket TPMS. Not too expensive either. Well, the GPS is but not the sensors.
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My GPS talks to the bikes computers for everything, it is really nice as it is more in the line of sight then the dash, plus it is customizable so I can put up what I want to see.
 
twinswin said:
More overkill IMO. When tubless tires get punctured, they release air slowly and give the rider plenty of warning that something's not right, by the poor/changed handling. I've had numeous punctures and even tires that loss air during a ride, and was always able to tell something was up without any monitors. Try replacing them in the future when the batteries evetnually die. Big PITA and not cheap afaik. I've heard some riders just pull them out and forget about it. Just pay attention to the road-bike feedback, and you're okay.

I'm glad you like yours, but...yet another unnecessary feature IMO.
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The last time I had a tire lose air on the highway, it was an uncomfortable experience. If there was something on the bike that could have warned me so I could have been pulling over earlier, I would be all for that
 
TwistedKestrel said:
The last time I had a tire lose air on the highway, it was an uncomfortable experience. If there was something on the bike that could have warned me so I could have been pulling over earlier, I would be all for that
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Ohhh..uncomfortable...heaven forbid...but if comfort is your goal, motorcycling may be the wrong gig for you.

The thing is, nothing bad happened. You realised something was up, and you pulled over or slowed down, and had plenty of time to figure things out and react. Tubeless tires don't deflate all at once like tubed tires. There's plenty of warning time/symptoms. I really don't see any great advantage to this feature other than to make more profit for the manufacturer, or it's just another gadget for gadget heads to play with. An earlier warning won't change the fact that you have a problem. I can't see how it will keep you safer as very few riders will start going faster or continue with their speed when the bike starts feeling wonky.

I developed a low front tire just the other day well into my ride. Still don't know why. Realised something was up. Slowed down. Made it back home, maybe 20 miles out. Pumped up the tire. Went out for a few more rides. No change in pressure. No biggie. No pressure monitor would have helped or changed the situation.

20 years ago, doing 80 mph on my V-max, suddenly felt like I was in a cross wind when there was no wind. Rear end starts to weave a bit. I slow down, pull over, and watched the tire continue to deflate thanks to a nail. Called the tow truck. Made it home. No biggie. No pressure monitor would have helped much if at all.

9 years ago, on the BRP. Bike starts wallowing in corners. Slow down, pull over, check out suspension can't see anything like oil etc. Start riding again. Wallowing gets worse but now the bike wants to follow every rut and groove in the road. Pull over. Nail in rear tire. Road side repair, back en route in 30 minutes or so. No biggie. Tire pressure monitor may have helped me diagnose the problem earlier.

And speaking of shocks. On the QEW, 2 up, 70 mph. Bike feels like I'm getting a flat. Pull over. Blown rear shock seal. Dry things up. Limp back home. No biggie. No shock oil seal monitor.

I could go on, but why?

But hey, if it makes you feel safe, go for it. But consider this too: if the monitors fails, and they could, and you don't know what a slowly deflating tire feels like when you're riding because you've never rode with a tire below the recommended PSI thanks to your handy dandy TPM, and you are heavily invested in the concept of technology keeping you safe...then you have a real problem because you won't have the skill set to realise what's going on and you might keep riding because you have chosen to turn your fate over to technology, instead of you taking "manual" control of every aspect of your machine and your riding skills.

Just another unneeded gadget that deskills riders IMO.
 
twinswin said:
Ohhh..uncomfortable...heaven forbid...but if comfort is your goal, motorcycling may be the wrong gig for you..
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"Uncomfortable" meant by the time I hit the W in thinking "Huh, that's weird" my ZX-11 was yawing like the Andrea Gail in the dark on the DVP. Your assertion that tubeless tires lose air at a fixed rate of speed is complete ********, unless you are imagining all leaks are the result of spontaneous defects on the rim of the wheel. Air will happily flow through an aperture in either a thin rubber membrane or a steel belt. Additionally if you are riding in a relatively straight line, you *might* notice that you are increasing throttle for no apparent reason once you've lost 20 psi in a donut. Then again, you might not if your bike has abundant power to happily make up the difference.
 
TPMS is not some cutting edge flaky technology that fails frequently. I am all for tech that can bring me that peace of mind.

Why do bikes have electric starters nowadays? Why not go back to kick-starter? One less thing to break?

By the way, my bike has TPMS as well.
 
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The thing about the garmin (and the screw on type in general) is that while they are easy to install, they can be stolen easily as well. I've been looking at the ones that go inside the tire. Found one from Tiregard. Does anyone know of another ?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
twinswin said:
Ohhh..uncomfortable...heaven forbid...but if comfort is your goal, motorcycling may be the wrong gig for you.
...

Just another unneeded gadget that deskills riders IMO.
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8a25dae40e4a8df3a3043a1ad3cb4413.jpg


Hey man, some people are human and just don't have the incredible mad skillz of typical GTAM forum members. God Damn, you sound awesome.

If a bike starts to handle strangely, there could be many reasons for similar behaviour, a TPMS just tells you its tires, or not. No one is forcing you to second-guess your awesomeness and clearly advanced skills.
 
CafeRay said:
8a25dae40e4a8df3a3043a1ad3cb4413.jpg


Hey man, some people are human and just don't have the incredible mad skillz of typical GTAM forum members. God Damn, you sound awesome.

If a bike starts to handle strangely, there could be many reasons for similar behaviour, a TPMS just tells you its tires, or not. No one is forcing you to second-guess your awesomeness and clearly advanced skills.
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Exactly, like a bad wheel bearing will initially feel identical to low tire air pressure.
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