TPMS is a very good thing.

[Superdave54]

I was headed down the highway at 75mph, on my way to a motorcycle show.  The red trouble light caught my attention and a low rear tire at 30 psi showed on the display.  I pulled over at the next exit and found a screw in the center of my tire.  I aired it up to 50 psi and made it back to the Kawasaki dealer just as the alarm came back on, and got a new tire put on within an hour.

Mostly I have seen complaints about the TPMS system.  I have found mine to be accurate, and am very glad to have had it.  Without it I would have had to find my flat tire at 75 mph, hopefully in time to pull over and just be stranded on the side of the highway, instead of being able to get it changed without much trouble. 

 

[zg]

Nice Dave!  :13:

What brand/type tire inflation device do you carry around with you?

 

[BJ_CT]

+1 on TPMS.  Similar event this spring.  Probably saved my butt and definitely saved me some grief.  Better to have trouble with it than have trouble without it.  Mine has been flawless (2010).  TPMS is on my farkel list for bike #2. ;D

 

[joeincalif]

TPMS is great to have but you should always carry a plug kit and a compressor also

 

[whaler]

I was headed down the highway at 75mph, on my way to a motorcycle show.  The red trouble light caught my attention and a low rear tire at 30 psi showed on the display.  I pulled over at the next exit and found a screw in the center of my tire.  I aired it up to 50 psi and made it back to the Kawasaki dealer just as the alarm came back on, and got a new tire put on within an hour.

Mostly I have seen complaints about the TPMS system.  I have found mine to be accurate, and am very glad to have had it.  Without it I would have had to find my flat tire at 75 mph, hopefully in time to pull over and just be stranded on the side of the highway, instead of being able to get it changed without much trouble.

Ditto! I haven't had to use they system on my Connie, but the BMW tire pressure monitoring saved me twice on my other bike (R1200GSA). It's a wonderful feature.

 

[Cap'n Bob]

I found the TPS system to be a worth while device. Although plagued by sensors problems. The positives in the system probably out weigh the negatives. Now if they could separate from the ignition system! 

 

[harrycallahan]

I was leaving my parking garage the other day and the light came on as I headed down the ramp. It was only deflated enough to trip the sensor, because it was a slow leak from a staple I picked up on the way to work. Without the sensors I wouldn't have known until the first corner. I like them just fine, although I did have issues that were fixed under warranty early on.

 

[membership]

how accurate is the tpms  I check mine  and it is usually 5  psi lower than my gauge says is that the norm or ok i guess over inflation cant be that bad but it is a great thing to have I would rather have it than not 

 

[harrycallahan]

I use it as a monitor rather than a gauge. Set you pressures with an accurate gauge and then read your screen to see what your monitors record it as. Then monitor drops from there. As your tires heat up they will go up a pound or two on the monitors.

 

[Fred H.]

Mine saved my butt on my first day of ownership. I was on my way to work (in the dark) on my new bike and the red light came on and I got the low tire warning message. First thought in my head was that my new bike was already exhibiting electrical problems. Just to be safe, I assumed it was really a low tire, even though I had just set the pressure on both of them before leaving. By the time I got pulled off and I got the bike to full stop and dismounted it was completely flat with zero pressure. In another 100 ft I would have gone across a set of railroad tracks, and at the least I would have ruined the rim, and probably would have gone down when I hit them with no air in the rear tire. The tire had a puncture hole in it that I suspect happened on the previous set of RR tracks I crossed. No nail or screw, just a hole about the size of a ten penny nail. TPMS saved my hide on my very first ride.

 

[C1xRider]

Yep, they are fantastic, as they saved my butt too when I was in the middle of nowhere with plugs, but no compressor.  I rode really fast on the straights, and real easy through the corners, and made it to the next town with 12lbs left in the rear.

I also followed Fred's excellent advice, and set the displayed pressure to 42lbs when the displayed temperature was at 68F (the temp the TPM Sensors are calibrated to) before riding the bike one morning, and they both read exactly the same, while the other 9 gauges I have all read different from them and each other.  I even tried my buddy's digital gauge, and it was different from all the other gauges and the TPM sensors.

Given that the two sensors are the only 2 air pressure measuring devices out of the 12 I tried that agreed with each other, I started using them as the primary pressure indicator.  When I set the pressure to 42lbs at 68F, they only increase 2 to 3 lbs when the tires get real hot, and 1 to 2 pounds in normal riding, per the TPMS display.

It's another one of those "how did we ever live without these" things.  :

 

[jagman]

Another "saved my butt" thread.  Right before pulling out of the garage the alert came on and sure enough I had a roofing nail right in the center of the tire.  Can't understand why anyone would be critical of this feature.

 

[corrosiv]

And another vote for 'saved my ass.'  Picked up a screw in the rear riding through the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee on the tail end of a 2k mile trip over Labor Day Weekend.  I was able to get the bike pulled to the side of the road safely before the pressure hit 30lbs.  Given the rain and a rear tire that was down to the wear bars - I don't want to imagine what the result would have been had I not been alerted to the problem.

 

[911ZG Guy]

And yet another AMEN !! Here is the text I posted in another thread :

I can attest to the low amp rating of the accessory socket circuit on my 2011. Yesterday, I had a puncture in the front tire . I found a nail imbedded in the tread, so I took out my 12 volt compressor and plugged it in to the accessory plug, and promptly blew the fuse. I found a cager to let me plug into his cig lighter socket, then aired the tire up to 45 psi, and went searching for a tire. I got great service from Greeson Kawasaki in Hot Springs AR, but they did not have any of my top 3 choices of tires, and NO rear tire that was a match, so I just got a Pilot Power 2CT front skin ($114) and an oil  and final drive fluid change, AND a Fulmer 3/4 helmet for my new gf, AND they replaced the blown fuse- they were so nice to me that I just kept adding things to my bill!! Greesons is a really nice dealership, and I believe that the owners ( husband/wife) were the ones waiting on me.

 

[Poddy]

Had the same happen to me after I hit a Kangaroo, I think this is one of the best options on the bike; even if not that accurate it provides instant notification that something is wrong.

Cheers
Poddy

 

[Cap'n Bob]

Had the same happen to me after I hit a Kangaroo, I think this is one of the best options on the bike; even if not that accurate it provides instant notification that something is wrong.

Cheers
Poddy

Even though we have had quite a few Aussies on the site. I have to say that I probably don't hear that every day. Maybe Kangaroo's down under are like deer here!  )

 

[weeniedogmom]

Greetings all,
When you start up the C14, should the TPMS display a reading or do you  need to ride it a bit first? Sounds like a silly question but I am considering buying a 2008 and have looked at two. The first displayed reading when I fired her up but the second showed dash lines. The present owner told me that was because it had been idle for a while. True story? or cause for concern? Thoughts on causes?
Thanks!
I should note that all other in dash displays seemed to work fine.

Laura

 

[Conrad]

Greetings all,
When you start up the C14, should the TPMS display a reading or do you  need to ride it a bit first? Sounds like a silly question but I am considering buying a 2008 and have looked at two. The first displayed reading when I fired her up but the second showed dash lines. The present owner told me that was because it had been idle for a while. True story? or cause for concern? Thoughts on causes?
Thanks!
I should note that all other in dash displays seemed to work fine.

Laura

It's normal to show the dashes until the bike has been moving for a bit. How long is a bit you may ask? It sometimes depends on the outside temp. When it's hot out the bit is shorter than when it's cold out.

 

[weeniedogmom]

Thanks! good tip!

Greetings all,
When you start up the C14, should the TPMS display a reading or do you  need to ride it a bit first? Sounds like a silly question but I am considering buying a 2008 and have looked at two. The first displayed reading when I fired her up but the second showed dash lines. The present owner told me that was because it had been idle for a while. True story? or cause for concern? Thoughts on causes?
Thanks!
I should note that all other in dash displays seemed to work fine.

Laura

It's normal to show the dashes until the bike has been moving for a bit. How long is a bit you may ask? It sometimes depends on the outside temp. When it's hot out the bit is shorter than when it's cold out.

 

[911ZG Guy]

Mine always shows dashes until the bike is underway. I think that the TPM sensors are switching off when not in motion in order to conserve their battery, and they switch on when the bike is rolling.

 

[weeniedogmom]

Awesome. Thanks.

Mine always shows dashes until the bike is underway. I think that the TPM sensors are switching off when not in motion in order to conserve their battery, and they switch on when the bike is rolling.

 

[Conrad]

Awesome. Thanks.

Mine always shows dashes until the bike is underway. I think that the TPM sensors are switching off when not in motion in order to conserve their battery, and they switch on when the bike is rolling.

Off topic, sorry.

From your name I assume you have at least one Dachshund? Me too, three minis.    :beerchug:

 

[weeniedogmom]

I used to have three minis, now down to one but have four other mxed breed rescues. Dogs are the best! We often joke a bout getting a side car to take the dogs with us!

Awesome. Thanks.

Mine always shows dashes until the bike is underway. I think that the TPM sensors are switching off when not in motion in order to conserve their battery, and they switch on when the bike is rolling.

Off topic, sorry.

From your name I assume you have at least one Dachshund? Me too, three minis.    :beerchug:

 

[Conrad]

I know what you mean, dogs are the major reason we don't get to take the bike on some of the long trips like we want to, since we don't have anyone that we trust to take care of them and I won't put em in a kennel.

I used to have three minis, now down to one but have four other mxed breed rescues. Dogs are the best! We often joke a bout getting a side car to take the dogs with us!

Awesome. Thanks.

Mine always shows dashes until the bike is underway. I think that the TPM sensors are switching off when not in motion in order to conserve their battery, and they switch on when the bike is rolling.

Off topic, sorry.

From your name I assume you have at least one Dachshund? Me too, three minis.    :beerchug:

 

[Conrad]

You could always do as Duke does.

Duke Camps at the Grand Canyon Part 1

I used to have three minis, now down to one but have four other mxed breed rescues. Dogs are the best! We often joke a bout getting a side car to take the dogs with us!

Awesome. Thanks.

Mine always shows dashes until the bike is underway. I think that the TPM sensors are switching off when not in motion in order to conserve their battery, and they switch on when the bike is rolling.

Off topic, sorry.

From your name I assume you have at least one Dachshund? Me too, three minis.    :beerchug:

 

[weeniedogmom]

Very cute! Would love to get a better look at the dogs seating on the bike!

You could always do as Duke does.

Duke Camps at the Grand Canyon Part 1

I used to have three minis, now down to one but have four other mxed breed rescues. Dogs are the best! We often joke a bout getting a side car to take the dogs with us!

Awesome. Thanks.

Mine always shows dashes until the bike is underway. I think that the TPM sensors are switching off when not in motion in order to conserve their battery, and they switch on when the bike is rolling.

Off topic, sorry.

From your name I assume you have at least one Dachshund? Me too, three minis.    :beerchug:

 

[John C]

Another vote for the system.  I was going to the BMW shop to pick up some parts for my now previous bike  ;D.  Heard a loud 'BANG' at about 45 MPH; couldn't be me I thought.  Then the red light came on and the pressure started going down.  Barely made it to the Kawi shop around the corner from the BMW shop before the rear tire was completely flat (not the one I bought from).  They fixed me up with a new tire while I walked for the BMW parts.  We found a 'U' lock with both prongs embedded in the tire.

John C