Tire Pressure Monitoring....

[DragonLady58]

I used to worry all time about my tire pressure. On my old ElectraGlide, I would have to go thru a ritual of flopping on the ground, finding where my stem was, rolling the bike, then checking pressure. I've had 2 tires go down on me while riding at highway speeds in my 35+ years of riding, not a good thing.
Now, they have the system that gives you real time monitoring over the cellphone....FOBO Bike, which is what I use now.
You can check things before riding, while your riding, plus has a alarm if pressure drops below a certain point 24/7. Whats cool is since I have a Sena in my helmet, when it notifies me with a alarm, I get it loud and clear thru the sena, since its connected to the phone.
Batteries are changable, but have to run a metal valvestem on the front tire. Plus its not supposed to upset the balance of your wheels.
Can use the onscreen readout, even has a night mode....but I just let it red alert in my ear. Supposed to be antitheft also.
Whats really nice is I can add 2 to my trailer, if I wanted, but I just normally check those since they're not hidden behind fenders and saddlebags.
Quick easy way to check the tires before riding.
Just curious, what brand do ya'll use? I'm getting too old to be rolling over in the gravel, or in dirty motel parking lots. Pros? Cons?
I'd like FOBO Bike put a bagger avatar on their product though, something you could choose other than the crotch rocket they have on the screen....you can get to their valve stems easily

[ray2]

I, have this TPMS and it works good but I, do have to change batteries. I, change them once a year even if they still have a charge.http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/ha...art/BBP-13-318

[VulcanE]

I used the tiregard TPMS for many years on mine that showed the real time pressure and temperature, and it had a crotch rocket on it. For the last year, it's been acting strange, so about a couple months ago, I bought another one like it ('cause I really liked it), except this one shows the trailer tires too. Here's a link to it. And it shipped straight from Big Bike Parts.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261478482521...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Sabre-t]

I use the Tiregard with the key fob. Second one I've had (the first fob got damaged in an accident).

I went to the FOBO page and I liked what I saw. Having the phone send alerts thru the helmet is nice! I also like that you can expand it to include the trailer rather than have to buy a whole different package. The price is very good, too.

Rats! According to Google Play, it won't work with my phone. Probably the BT 4.0.

[DragonLady58]

I think that the tiregard is one of those you can't change the batteries in the sensors. I was gonna get one, then read a bunch of folks that had them, the battery was dying after a couple of years, then you had to throw the sensor away and buy a new one. Thats the only reason why I didn't get it.
Them having the tire movement sensor probably makes the battery last alot longer.
Since my sena wireless is bluetoothed to my S4, whenever my phone is notified of eith tire temp or pressure is off....I hear it. But I do like the Tiregard.

[Sabre-t]

Originally Posted by DragonLady58

I think that the tiregard is one of those you can't change the batteries in the sensors. I was gonna get one, then read a bunch of folks that had them, the battery was dying after a couple of years, then you had to throw the sensor away and buy a new one. Thats the only reason why I didn't get it.
Them having the tire movement sensor probably makes the battery last alot longer.
Since my sena wireless is bluetoothed to my S4, whenever my phone is notified of eith tire temp or pressure is off....I hear it. But I do like the Tiregard.

You can definitely change the batteries in the Tiregard. I changed them in the old system I had at least twice over about 5 years. If you use external sensors, it's easy. Unscrew the top, take out the coin battery and slip in a new one. The fob uses a couple of AA(A?) batteries. If you use internal sensors, you have to take the tire off, but they can be changed when you get new tires, which will probably be more often than the batteries die.

[VulcanE]

The sensors takes one of those little watch batteries each, and the receiver/fob, uses 1 AAA battery. Look at the link I posted, it comes with all 5 batteries. Of all the ones I've looked at, these suit my needs best.

[DragonLady58]

Must've been another brand I was looking at then....was probably some kinda chinese knockoff of the tiregard......it was supposed to be compatable with the smartphones, too.
But that was the main selling point for me as when I'm out in the country, I enjoy the scenary. I've trained myself to look at my gauges every-so-often, I wanted something to warn me even if not looking at it.
Thanks for correcting me! I still like the tiregard though. Too bad they don't have tiregard app for smartphones.

I also use the Fobo Max, which is like a combo pendant/lock, which I have hidden on my bike. I warns me if my bike is moved, and I can also track the bike with it also. Warns me when I get out of range, too, which is nice when staying in hotels on the road. All thru the smartphone. You can use it on luggage or keys, too.

[Sabre-t]

I went back to the FOBO page to see why it is not compatible with my phone. It requires Android 4.3 or higher. My Rugby Pro has v. 4.2.

[DragonLady58]

Originally Posted by Sabre-t

I went back to the FOBO page to see why it is not compatible with my phone. It requires Android 4.3 or higher. My Rugby Pro has v. 4.2.

Can you upgrade? Your just 1 little piece away from using it, I thought it was 4.0, but thay might've upgraded it since I bought mine. I'm using a Samsung S4....just looked at my phone, it has android 5.0.1....my phone is about 4 years old....
try to do a update and see....

[Sabre-t]

No, I can't update it. I have looked into it before. I can't justify a new phone right now, but I will FOBO in mind for when I do get a new one.

[Jllm02199]

I use a digital tire gauge.
I don't want any item that hold the valve stem open to read pressure.
That can easily deflate tire if hit by road debris. (Rocks etc)

[Sabre-t]

Same debris could knock off the valve stem and it is very unlikely that a rock would hit inside a rim like that. If it happened often, the rims would be beat to hell. I have over 30K miles with sensors on the wheels on all kinds of roads and weather conditions with no damage ever to a sensor. If I had not damaged the key fob, I would still be using the original sensors.

[DragonLady58]

Yea, Sabre, I'm with you....if the were enough debris to compromise my metal valve stem with the sensor mounted to it (they're pretty rugged), the tire going flat would be the least of our worries.
The tire is rotating fast, and stem located between the spokes of the alum. rim....
Reasons why I had the leakdowns on my ElectraGlide were 1., a part of a nail I'd run over, 2., a cut on my sidewall.
Yes, there are always those possibilities or freakish accidents. I worry more about my torqueing of the connecting rod bolts or the lineup of all the timing marks on the cams, flywheel when getting the timing chain set correctly....
But Jllm does have a point; things like that could happen, however remote. I worry more about a car or truck hitting me than my tires/valvestems though. The nail happened, tire went down slowly, enough for me to get off the roadway.
Now, the cut deflated pretty fast, but I was only going about 45 and it was my rear tire, life got interesting really fast.
At least little things will give us some warning of the tire going down. at speed. I still look at the tires and kick them....

[Vulcan Bill]

I check the tire pressure every 4-6 weeks and they usually need a few pounds so it seems to me your still going to do the ground flop/roll bike to position valve stem routine anyhow. I can see where TPMS would come in handy for those who do a lot of long distance riding though. Check it every morning before you hit the road. Yep, Good idea.