Tire pressure monitor system, anyone use one?

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ericheath
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Re: Tire pressure monitor system, anyone use one?

#16

Post by ericheath »

The dump truck I’m driving was just outfitted with wireless monitors which send a signal to a receiver in the cab. The monitors are a valve cap with tye sending unit in it. They’re about as big as a quarter and 3/8” in thickness and simply thread onto the valve stem. It warns of low pressure, slow leaks, and rapid leaks. I’ve only had them a week. You get to set the low pressure warning. Backing over a steep incline and stopping with the rear wheels in the air set off the “rapid leak” warning.

It probably has merit.

I have no idea of the cost. I can ask.
Whatever I suggest here should be given ample time for a moderator to delicately correct. I apologize in advance.
77 WING, 1200 engine with 77 heads, cams, gl1100 foot pegs, Magna V65 front end, 764A carbs, [-gone Suzuki M109 monoshock--, replaced with gl1100 shocks] gl 1200 swing arm, gl1500 final drive, wheel and rear brakes Valkyrie seat, Meanstreak tank, Sportster pipes, Power Arc ignition off crank.
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Tire pressure monitor system, anyone use one?

#17

Post by Sidecar Bob »

Tire pressure monitoring systems have been mandatory in new cars & light trucks in the US for about 15 years (fortunately not in Canada). The factory installed ones have transmitters inside the wheels that talk to the car's computer but the batteries in them eventually die and apparently most can't be replaced so the entire transmitter has to be replaced.The ones for my wife's last car would have cost about $150 each plus labour so she developed the habit of cancelling the alarm every time she started the engine.
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Re: Tire pressure monitor system, anyone use one?

#18

Post by Shadowjack »

I bought some that pair to an app on your phone because I was too cheap to spring for the ones with a separate display. They look just like what Eric described. Worked well enough for checking when stopped, but you need to have your phone rigged so you can hear the low-pressure alarm while moving, if it went off. Or put the phone on a mount and keep the display up all the time.
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Re: Tire pressure monitor system, anyone use one?

#19

Post by JSBail »

CYBORG wrote: Wed Nov 16, 2022 9:55 am I have used them...but was concerned because they were plastic. I use metal valves on all my bikes, and adding plastic element to the mix is a little scary. I never had a problem with them, but my concerns with plastic exposed to the elements, have caused me to stop using them. I check pressure before every ride, not that hard, and I like the piece of mind it gives me. But that is just me.
For me, the possible appeal of the TPM is that seeing how scary my GL was with such low tire pressure, a TPM may give me the forewarning I need should a tire develop a leak while riding and depending on how fast it's leaking, may give me the time to pull over and come to a stop before things get scary.
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Sidecar Bob
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Re: Tire pressure monitor system, anyone use one?

#20

Post by Sidecar Bob »

I can usually tell if a tire's pressure is lower than it should be by pushing the wheel with my foot and seeing/feeling if there is lateral (sidewall) movement. This has always told me I needed to add air before the pressure is anywhere near dangerously low without the expense or complication of another electronic device. It only takes a few seconds and I don't have to bend down to look at the valve caps (the older I get the more important this is).

BTW: When I tried the valve caps with pressure indicators they only came in sets of 4 and I needed 3 different pressures (rear tire, front & sidecar tires, rear suspension) so I ended up buying 3 sets. IIRC that was enough to equip both bikes with some left over but I think I put all of them in the bin when the first one failed. I could imagine what could have happened if the cap on one of the wheels had done that while I was in traffic and the perceived convenience wasn't worth the risk.
Mr. Honda ('83 GL1100/Dnepr) summer How a motorcycle evolves thread
The Famous Eccles ('84 CX650EI/VeloUral) winter Never Ending Build (CX500forum)
Click: Colour schematics for all GL1000 & GL1100 and GL1200 standard models plus instructions on how to download the full size version
"A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad." - Cookie
Another guy with two sidecars..... Hmmmm... must be something to that....
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Re: Tire pressure monitor system, anyone use one?

#21

Post by redglbx »

Scott, the whole purpose of a tpm system is what you described, to be able to monitor if your tires pick up a nail or something and be able to pull over before they get too low and dangerous. My experience when the rear tire valve on my 86 Sei failed was at speed, would a tpm have prevented it ? No, but it may have given me more warning. I got lucky !

The system I bought from Amazon was about $50 and has the high/lo pressure alarms, well worth the money imho. There are several on the fjr forum that also use the system that shadowjack describes that uses your phone with an app to display the pressures and those seem to work fine as well but they were more money when I bought mine, but you have lots of options ! keep in mind that you need to mount the display where you can see & monitor it.
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ericheath
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Re: Tire pressure monitor system, anyone use one?

#22

Post by ericheath »

One of the end dump drivers had the slow leak warning Friday. It is set to warn at 87psi, so he watched it. It went to 75psi in a set amount of time, so he continued the extra fifteen minutes to his dump site, then headed back to the shop. ( ten miles) A few have picked up punctures and they tell you right away. Truck tires can do a lot of damage when they let go. Fenders, battery boxes, steps, airlines.

They have their place. Mine continues to cycle through the 12 tires which have them as I drive. It’s been near zero the last few mornings and a few tires are below 87 to start, but drive a bit with a load and they’re all above 100. When it gets to zero and colder it is harder to tell with the old hammer-test in the morning. They have be really low to tell— to me anyways.
Whatever I suggest here should be given ample time for a moderator to delicately correct. I apologize in advance.
77 WING, 1200 engine with 77 heads, cams, gl1100 foot pegs, Magna V65 front end, 764A carbs, [-gone Suzuki M109 monoshock--, replaced with gl1100 shocks] gl 1200 swing arm, gl1500 final drive, wheel and rear brakes Valkyrie seat, Meanstreak tank, Sportster pipes, Power Arc ignition off crank.
77 Wing. black
83 Wing, in pieces
"Continuing education is important even if the subject matter is fairly useless (as in this case)."---Greg Foresi
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CYBORG
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Re: Tire pressure monitor system, anyone use one?

#23

Post by CYBORG »

True is, I like gauges and have a number of them on my bikes. But tire preasure gauges on the dash don't seem to me, to be that important. Rode with a friend of mine, him on an 1800, and on the highway, I noticed his rear tire was running on the side wall. Flagged him over, and even at 70 plus miles an hour, he had no Idea the tire was flat. Rode to an exit, and found that he had run over a nail. Called a near by dealer, they picked it up and installed a new tire. Iknow the older bikes don't behave that way all the time. But unless I have a blowout, I can tell when a tire is low by the handleing. And I check them often. Same with my cars. And keeping good tires on them help the piece of mind
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