Yesterday was my third rear tire flat in the last eight months on my KTM 890. Same tire, Motoz GPS, and two of the three times the tire came off the bead. Fortunately, in each case, I was going pretty slow when I got that little waggle that tells you you've got a flat. I'm thinking that perhaps a tire pressure monitor would be a good investment. Do you have any experience or recommendations?
Dan, I have been thinking about this as well.
I like the idea of something like that that can connect to a phone, or in your case, an android tablet and not require an extra readout on your handle bars. The question is how good is the app and the implementation.
https://www.amazon.com/FOBO-Pressure-Monitoring-Systems-Black/dp/B07Q21RNNB/
This is just one option of the many that are listed if you search Amazon for Motorcycle TMPS. None of them get super high ratings. I do like the idea of not having to have an extra sensor mounted to my forks. A stand alone unit might have less hassle factor than the android version.
The eyes of the ranger are upon you.
2000 Suzuki DR-Z400
2005 BMW R1200GS
2003 Yamaha V-Star 1100
1978 CX-500 Scrambler (in progress)
Hi Dan,
My only experience with a motorcycle TPMS is this one. My dad bought it for me a few years back before we did a 16 day ride in the Colorado Rockies. It is cheap and easy to use, but it does not connect to your phone. It shows the tire temperature and it emits a loud beeping noise when your pressure goes above or below whatever limits you set. Last year when riding over Lolo pass on our way to the Canadian Rockies, my dad got a flat front tire on his Honda Goldwing. The beeping did it’s job, and he safely pulled over to a safe spot while it still had some air in it.
Riding is life, everything else is just waiting.
2003 Suzuki DR650
2000 Honda Valkyrie Interstate
2015 Yamaha FJR1300
That's valuable input. The TPMS did it job and your Dad's tire didn't come off the bead. It was a struggle to get my tire back on the bead Saturday. My small 12 volt emergency tire pump doesn't have enough air volume. Getting stopped while there is still some air pressure would save a lot of problems.
@dan-huff I had this issue on my Norden when the front tire deflated 1/2 way through a 5K road trip. This was a slow deflation over a day and was a tire issue rather than a puncture but the effect was the same. The 12V compressor we were carrying had no chance of getting the tire back on the bead. We were lucky in that we were close to Banff and managed to get the entire wheel to a local scooter rental place where they had a real compressor that had enough juice to quickly inflate the tire and seat the bead. Of note for anyone traveling to Canada, auto repair shops will not touch a bike no matter how trivial the issue!
Anyway now I travel with CO2 air cylinders with my patch kit for this reason. I also carry a ratchet tie down which helps immensely when trying to get the sides of the tires close to the bead. Tubeless tires are great until you're out in the middle of nowhere with no means of re-seating them. Some carry spare tubes which do work but require removing the wheel and if (like in my case) you have a factory TPMS system you have to remove the sensors.
On TPMS, I've only ever had it on 2 bikes. My FJR had an aftermarket that linked to a phone and my Norden has the factory kit. I consider them great insurance and for me specifically, I always think I have a flat when traveling through long stretches of deep gravel. The TPMS tells me that I'm only imagining it 🙂
I added a Steele Mate TPMS to my bike and went for a 155-mile ride with a lot of gravel. The TPMS worked well and assured me I wasn't getting a flat. The unit clamps to the bars and is easy to read. The sending units screw on the valve stems like an oversized tire valve stem cap. Easy. We'll see over time how long the batteries last.
Meanwhile, I discarded the old Motz GPS tire with 7000 miles and 4 plugs and mounted a new Motoz GPS. I fully expect that since I have TPMS I'll avoid all flats or more likely avoid another "tire off the bead experience".