TPMS used to annoy me...

[Daniel]

My TPMS used to annoy the crap outta me until yesterday... hit a pothole (couldn't avoid it, and honestly felt like nothing) on the highway going about 75... about a quarter mile later the red light came on. Tire pressure 28... 27... 26. Didn't feel a thing, and would've happily kept going 'til things got squirrely. If you want to bag the TPMS because it yells at you when it's cold, don't... it may help you out someday...

[Harry Martin]

Thanks for sharing that. Good to know. 

[worncog]

Yup. I used to think it was a waste of space. Till I rode a slowly deflating tire for about 30 miles at speed. Hotter than a... Tire was scorching hot when the wiggling started. I'm a believer now.

Did you know an underinflated tire can reach temperatures upwards of 400 degrees F?

[Sailor Rich]

Saved my bacon twice now with rear flats.

[antibus]

Saved my butt also. I ran over a CO2 cartridge that when through and into my rear tire. Felt like nothing. The TPMS sensor said otherwise and I was able to turn around and get to cell reception because that damage was not repairable.

[Bud]

I agree.  I never thought much about it until I ran over something.  On my GS1100GK, it was a very scary experience.  Rear tire had gone flat and I didn't know it until the wiggling started.  I thought I was going down that day at about 50 mph.  Managed to make it to the side of the road safely.  When that happened on the 1400, I saw the pressure going down and pulled over before it even was noticeable. 

[TimR]

yeah, TPS saved my bacon a couple of times. Last time I was in Montana when the red light showed up with 36 psi in the rear tire. Just as this happened, I saw a Harley sign that indicated a dealership 2 miles down the road. They were nice enough but only gave me air and directions to a metric shop. I replaced the rear tire because the hole was to tiny to plug. Some how I had picked up a single strand of copper wire. I was still a long way from home but made it without further incident.

I had Fred Harmon replace the batteries last winter. And the sensors worked great. I hit a pot hole in a Wal Mart parking lot which took both sensors out and bent the front wheel. (probably going only about 15 mph or less) I'm going to remove the sensors and send them back to Fred to see if they can be revived. The front wheel will go to a wheel striating shop when I get it stripped.  If not well then I will put new sensors in. They should last long enough till I stop riding 2 wheels.     

[Tour1]

... I'm going to remove the sensors and send them back to Fred to see if they can be revived...

On my Ford van there is a procedure to make the vehicle learn which pressure sensor is on which wheel.
It matters because the front & rear pressure is different, and one time the dealer rotated the tires without re-learning the sensors.
It goes something like turn the key to On 3 times while stepping on the brake, then the horn honks and I hold a fob-like thing near the left front tire, then honk & repeat for each tire in the correct order.
I think there's a way to make it learn without the fob-like device but it involves releasing pressure from the wheel to be learned and re-filling it within a specific time frame.
I bought the fob-like thing from the dealer's parts counter.

[MAN OF BLUES]

 
that sounds like a lot of "honking".....

they could have made it simpler, like after turning off and on 3 times, turn on lights on low beam, actuate left signal, then actuate right signal... then hit hi beam, and repeat left and right signals..

but that would be too logical... and it wouldn't allow your neighbors to enjoy the process...