Check your tires

[Fubar]

Who needs all them modern inconveniences?

 

You gots indoor (its gots walls, don't it?) plumbin' up thar in the Redneck Riviera nows? Hot diggety!

 

Seriously though, I refused to get TPMS when I ordered bike. The complexity, lack of accuracy in systems I've had exposure to, and cost all added up to a resounding "NYET" por moi.

 

The last TPMS system I was lucky enough to use - on a 4 wheeler - didn't even display a warning until the pressures was into the low 20's. The recommended on that vehicle was 34 psi, the tires max was 44 psi. By the time it gets that low, you backside should be able to tell you something ain't right. Personally, I annoy plenty of people when I tell them, after just a couple of miles, that their left rear tire is low.

 

In the future, I would gladly use the systems if the complexity and the cost were reduced and the accuracy increased. That'll take a while.

One other thing: Has anyone been in a vehicle when the sensor came off? Talk about a "brown trouser moment"!

 

BTW, most "idiot lights" are required by FMVSS. The blue high beam is, I know.

 

While on the subject, has anyone else noticed that their turn signals blink faster - or not at all based on the vehicle - when a bulb is out? I like that. And I believe they are called idiot lights for all the idiots out there who need a visual reminder of something like "you activated the turn signal" because they can't remember something from 3 seconds ago. Obviously not any of us, but we do ride in close proximity to them, all day long.

 

Now if we can just get louder auditory reminders to go with those blinky things we'll be set!

[russell_bynum]

Most of those are idiot lights...which are all but useless.

Of course they're not. Gauges are preferable but a manufacturer would have to be an idiot to not at least install idiot lights. Loss of coolant or oil pressure or whatever can result in engine damage before a rider (of any experience level) might detect the problem, all of which can be prevented with a simple sensor and indicator light. Nor is any human being going to always remember whether a turn signal is running and an indicator light is a lot simpler than a self-canceling system (which would add even more evil complexity.)

 

I understand the point you're trying to make about needless complexity but you're starting to get a bit silly. I think at this point you are joking?

 

In most cases an idiot light only alerts you when it's too late (or within seconds of being too late.) That's almost useless. Not quite...but almost. I'd rather have an idiot light than nothing, but I'd rather have a real gauge so I can tell what's normal and when things start to drift away from normal. Before things go really bad. And at this point, the computer has all of that data via the OBDII. They just need to code some extra gauge functionality into the dash...which is already digital in most cases anyway.

 

I realize I'm abnormal in this. Most people just want their car/motorcycle to be an appliance. Turn on a light when it's time to go to the dealership for service/repairs and don't bother me with any information that might distract me from thinking about who's going to be kicked off of "Idol" tonight. I get that. But that's not me. I want information. I keep my stuff a long time, which means I need to keep it working a long time...which means the fewer unnecessary complexities the better and the more diagnostic information I can get on a regular basis the better.

 

Turn signal indicators and high beam indicators don't bother me, but I don't need them. Like I said...if the high beam is on it's because I turned it on.

 

And I'm not joking.

[russell_bynum]

... I don't need turn signal and high beam indicators...I turned the turn signal/high beam on, so I know it's on. I don't need a light to tell me what I already know...

 

 

Really? Taking your statement at face value, are you saying that if these indicators were removed from your vehicles you would remember with 100% accuracy ever time the high beams and turn signals were in use?

 

Yes. On my old 3-series, both of those indicators were inop. Never an issue. My Aprilia has those indicators but they're so far out of my line of sight that it might as well not. Never an issue.

 

Turn the signal on, make your turn, turn it off. It ain't rocket surgery.

[eddd]

... I don't need turn signal and high beam indicators...I turned the turn signal/high beam on, so I know it's on. I don't need a light to tell me what I already know...

 

 

Really? Taking your statement at face value, are you saying that if these indicators were removed from your vehicles you would remember with 100% accuracy ever time the high beams and turn signals were in use?

 

Yes. On my old 3-series, both of those indicators were inop. Never an issue. My Aprilia has those indicators but they're so far out of my line of sight that it might as well not. Never an issue.

 

Turn the signal on, make your turn, turn it off. It ain't rocket surgery.

 

 

Wow, and all this time I thought only the Pope was infallible.

[Marty Hill]

Hey Russell, don't you love it. Now your being compared to the pope. Wow, and to think I've known you for about 12 years and had no idea. Say hi to your other half for me. Sorry I've never seen the little one.

 

PS, never change.

[russell_bynum]

Hey Russell, don't you love it. Now your being compared to the pope. Wow, and to think I've known you for about 12 years and had no idea. Say hi to your other half for me. Sorry I've never seen the little one.

 

PS, never change.

 

Roger that!

[racer7]

It doesn't look like you need any help but count me in the TPMS is useless side of the debate. Of course, if your body is nearly insensible and you can't tell if a tire is going low from a slow leak until its so bad it will delaminate from low pressure (and there is no chance of that at 34 lbs, you silly worry warts unless the thing is so ancient its hard as brick) maybe you really do need one...

But at that point you might to ask if you've really got enough machine awareness to have any business on a motorcycle- unless making your heirs wealthier sooner is one of your goals.

From many hours of tuning tires on tracks to do what I need, I know I can easily detect a 4 lb pressure drop in one wheel on a 2 or 4 wheeled street vehicle and far less in track conditions. Always gave me a reason to remind the spouse to actually check tires on her cage once in a while- I'd get in and just tell her it was low on one particular corner before I got 100 ft down the road. Eventually she got the message and started to use the compressor/inflator that had a hose a few feet from where she parked. Learned long ago that if you try to maintain spouses machines you will always be messing with beat to death crap so is better to leave them responsible for all of it, unless you feel like doing the repair she says it needs. At least then you get some credit for the time spent doing it.

 

50 mph on a tire with a chunk gone is asking to show bystanders how sharp your skills are handling a bike with fragged tire. You need to be under 20 mph to stand a chance of getting away with that stunt, maybe way under- no heat generation in the carcass..

[Glenn Reed]

I will say that a system that displays actual tire pressure in each tire is more useful than what's on the Honda...which just tells you when one tire is "low" (Whatever "low" means....and it's up to you to figure out which one)...assuming of course the reading is accurate. And if it turns out to be reliable in the long run (It hasn't been out long enough to make that call), then I may change my vote.

 

My wife has a 2002 (first year) Mini Cooper and this is how their system works as well. Well, when it works. She has gotten so accustomed to the light being on, and there being no tire which is down on pressure, that she ignores it now. So she's driving around with a red light glowing on the dash, not believing it, because it has cried "Wolf!" too many times.

 

OTOH, George (NiceAndEasyRider) has TPMS on his 1200RT (I don't know if it's factory or after market) and it has alerted him twice when he had a tire going down somewhat slowly while heading toward BMWST events. IIRC, his showed the tire pressure from each tire and he was able to see it dropping and pulled over before anything bad happened.

[Nice n Easy Rider]

I will say that a system that displays actual tire pressure in each tire is more useful than what's on the Honda...which just tells you when one tire is "low" (Whatever "low" means....and it's up to you to figure out which one)...assuming of course the reading is accurate. And if it turns out to be reliable in the long run (It hasn't been out long enough to make that call), then I may change my vote.

 

My wife has a 2002 (first year) Mini Cooper and this is how their system works as well. Well, when it works. She has gotten so accustomed to the light being on, and there being no tire which is down on pressure, that she ignores it now. So she's driving around with a red light glowing on the dash, not believing it, because it has cried "Wolf!" too many times.

 

OTOH, George (NiceAndEasyRider) has TPMS on his 1200RT (I don't know if it's factory or after market) and it has alerted him twice when he had a tire going down somewhat slowly while heading toward BMWST events. IIRC, his showed the tire pressure from each tire and he was able to see it dropping and pulled over before anything bad happened.

 

Actually, the factory-installed TPMS has helped me on three occasions with flats. One was coming back from the mountains on I-40 east exactly at the juncture where it merges with I-85 north. I was in the extreme left-hand lane where you have at least 5 or 6 lanes merging into 3 and the monitor gave me an extra couple of seconds to find the gaps in some very heavy traffic to get over to the shoulder. I've had mine more than 5 1/2 years and they're still working although I'm sure the batteries will go soon. Although they're expensive to replace I will do so because I really like that extra couple of seconds warning, especially when in traffic.

[smiller]

Although they're expensive to replace I will do so because I really like that extra couple of seconds warning, especially when in traffic.

A lot of guys are just replacing the battery, saving the cost of a new sensor and the dealer programming required to install it. They're not intended to be user-serviceable (of course, since they're from BMW) but it is being done with good success. Check out threads on Advrider and elsewhere for instructions.

[Glenn Reed]

Actually, the factory-installed TPMS has helped me on three occasions with flats.

 

But only one of them was my fault! I swear!

 

Thanks for the clarification George.