FOBO tire pressure monitoring system report..

[the Ferret]

Over on the FJR and ST forum those guys are nuts (pistachio reference lol) for TPMS's. I imagine it's the same on the BMW and Goldwing forums. Lots of guys who do lots of miles are firm believers in them. I've thought about getting a set for the FJR , but reading Chuckk's issue with batteries and communication with his phone etc I'm not so sure I'm ready for the aggravation, plus I haven't need them in the last half century so not a priority for me. I ride daily, check pressures weekly, but I back my bikes by hand out of the garage and it's pretty easy to tell if a tire is low by how easy it rolls.

[Stichill_imp]

I might have already replied to this thread and mentioned this before, but I had a factory TPMS on my BMW and it was really a great system. It was able to compensate for changes in ambient pressure in order to display the nominal tire pressure regardless of whether or not the tire was hot or cold. Without the temperature compensation, of course what you'd see on the display would be rising pressure as the tires warmed up from riding. The practical implication is that you could keep an eye on the tire pressures in real time, which was a benefit when touring. It saved you the trouble of needing to check your tire pressure in the morning, so that was one less thing you had to do to get under way on your trip.

The other thing the system did was take the accuracy of your tire gauge out of the equation. You could use any tire gauge, even an inaccurate one, and set your tire pressure correctly. Procedure: note the tire pressure reading on display. Let's say it was two 3 PSI or 0,2 bar low. Then you measured the pressure with the tire gauge. Regardless of the reading, you add air until the tire gauge indicates you have added 3 PSI or 0,2 bar. Now, when you get back on the bike and ride it, the pressure will indicate nominal. Perfect.

The only downside of the system was you had to ride the bike to wake up the sensors. So, if the bike had been sitting for a while - say in the winter - you had to either just ballpark it with your tire gauge to be safe, or else take the bike for a quick spin up and down the block to activate the readings.

Now that that bike has been sold, I kinda have to agree with you, ferret. Although the BMW TPMS was nice and I used it, it's not essential. Getting by with a decent tire gauge and being observant also works perfectly and isn't really any hassle.

[Chuckk_imp]

just 2 days ago my riding buddy was riding along the coast when he had a warning from his BMW.. his one tire was low on air.. he pulled over and found the nail.. it was a slow leak he found, so he topped off the air at a gas station and made it to his house, preferring to fix it there..if he didn't get that warning, he would have ridden the bike until it got squirrelly on him.. my FOBO has that warning system also.. an alarm and visual alert.. now I don't always have my iPhone in it's cradle on the bars, so if the phone is in my pocket, I am not sure if I could hear the alarm.. one point for the BMW system, being better.. I though, can check my pressures before I even get on my bike.. if I would have low pressure I can fill it at my shop, rather than trying to find gas station when my friends are anxious to ride.......... anyway, I wanted to show you guys this pic.. and appreciate any comments you may have..
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[peterbaron]

OEM TPMS is the best, but yours is more than good!
You can protect electrical contact points by applying the dielectric grease...if not available, then a gentle layer of vaseline
Start liking your FOBO, Chuckk...

[Chuckk_imp]

. she isn't a "pistachio girl" but she is a good friend, in need of a pistachio fix this is as close as I can come to a pic so far of a pistachio girl Peter..
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her and her husband ride, so hopefully this will qualify the pic

[peterbaron]

^^
...let me ask please, is She pistachio replacement...does her husband get flat tire sometimes ?

[Houtman_imp]

She looks to be a very nice person , is her husband getting old and weak ? Just asking ….

[Chuckk_imp]

I have never met hubby.. my best guess is that he is in pretty good shape.. he rides dirt bikes with their son.. dolly thinks that a 4lb bag will last her a month.. she may be hooked on them by then.. pistachio addicts always think they can quit any time.. I know better !! haha ..hubby has just sold his Harley .. dolly rode on the back of it .. today dolly took some pics of my bike to show to him.. maybe he will join our mutual admiration society .. this pic was taken Wednesday ..
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[Chuckk_imp]

while doing my pre-flight check, and climbing on to my jet fighter, I found this FOBO problem .. taking advantage of the situation, I pulled the battery and used that nail file that I had at-the-ready.. turns out, a little corrosion was the culprit.. yay !! that sheds a new light on the FOBO t.p.m.s.
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[Lord Popgun]

Nice work Chuckk! I see that problem a lot with battery powered stuff.