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Cruiser
Posts: 62
San Diego, CA | Anyone have a quick and easy way of checking air on the CCT's? At home not much of a problem, take off a saddlebag, but when on the road with maybe inclement weather, could be a PITA.
Thanks in advance. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 880
Orlando, FL | Here's what I came up with for my Vision. For me it was a pain in the arse to check the air in my tires now that I have a bagger. And even worse adding air! Add air. Check pressure. Add more air. Check pressure. Bleed ari, check pressure. You know the drill. Geez. So I came up with this easy and reasonably priced solution. I will ALWAYS use this for all my future bikes. It is sooooo freaking nice!!
First get Show Chrome Accessories (Big Bike Parts) TireGard Tire Pressure Monitoring System. It's about $165 and is easy to install and easy to use. A simple google search will net you several places to buy including Amazon. Now you always know your tire pressure!! (Forget the temp's it shows. Ya never cared before don't get all crazy now) No more bending and getting on your knees to check pressure. And you can check your pressure every time you get on the bike with ease. There's also leak alerts etc. But I never use those on mine since I just look at the pressure and then toss it in my glovebox.
NEXT, get the Black & Decker ASI300 Air Station Inflator. $40 on Amazon. Best $40 I've spent in ages. It runs on AC or DC (cigarette lighter). I use it in my garage and use AC. Set it for about 2 lbs of pressure more than you want in your tires (I run 40 and 40 to make it easy and set the thing at 42) Then you never have to set it again!! Hook to your tires and turn it on, it turns off automatically when it's filled your tire to the set pressure. Then when you pop it off and lose a pound or two you'll be at the setting you want.
FInally, and this is just my choice, put "Ride On" in your tires. Cost about $40 total. It balances your tires (even as they wear) and more than that, gives you flat protection. I always had an annoying vibe at 80 mph. When I added this stuff it went away!! NICE!
So there you have it. For only a few sheckles you have constant read on your tire pressures and an easy way to fill them to the correct pressure when needed. Oh, and the Ride On won't bother the Tire sensor caps. AND it has increased the time between air additions to my tires~!!
Edited by MaddMAx2u 2013-06-11 3:45 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I dont' check my bike enough, and I'm been slacking some lately. But, there is no way I would get all that fancy dancy stuff to avoid laying on the ground for a few minutes to check and air up my tires. And while I'm there, to take a look-see what is happening. Victory already makes a motorcycle that takes a layer or two of maintenance off of the owner, unlike other brands, so I look forward to a moment of intimacy. That is usually during the oil/filter change time, or checking the air pressure. You all are sounding like the Gold Wing crowd more and more.
I've said my peace. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1066
Peru, IN | I don't have an issue checking the tires and like varyder said, it's a good time to look over the underside of the bike. Just a few weeks ago, I found a nail in my rear tire (didn't go all the way through). I probably wouldn't have noticed it until it was too late if I wasn't under the bike. The only problem I have is trying to get the rear valve stem in a place I can get to it. Look under the bike, roll it forward a little bit, look under the bike, roll it a little more forward, repeat until I'm all sweaty. If I could find a solution to that, I'd be fine. (I check my tires before every ride.) |
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Cruiser
Posts: 281
| Checking and topping the tires on the Vision is a PITA but I agree, it's time well spent looking at the underbelly of the beast.
Right angle stems would be nice, no?
I try to check the tires when I'm already dirty, not immediately before a ride. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 849
, FL United States | I heard the story of a Vision rider that had right angle stems installed and "threw" one while on the road and was left stranded. Just sayin' |
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Tourer
Posts: 494
Akron Ohio area | You could always lay the Vision down on its tip-overs to make things easier. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 251
Mechanicsville, VA United States | Right angle are ok if install in the rims but not added to the stem! |
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Cruiser
Posts: 251
Mechanicsville, VA United States | Monkeyman, check your PM's! |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1066
Peru, IN | I didn't get a PM, diamonbird. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 880
Orlando, FL | Hey varyder , you can check your air pressure only when you change the damn tires for all I care. But anyone will tell you that the Safety Check before each ride (Yea,each ride) includes checking your tire pressure. For me, $200 is chump change and a mere pittance to save me the time and trouble of getting on my knees to check my tire pressure every ride. But then there are people who spend $20k on a bike, Add $5k of chrome...... and whine when they have to buy tires or pay for an oil change. Go figger.
Edited by MaddMAx2u 2013-06-12 11:26 AM
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Sure, no problem, and I know what you mean about some things.
For the record, I've got the chrome that came with the bike plus a trunk rack, and street rack, and I've never complained once about oil changes or buying tires. I've ran E3 since day one, you can do the math. Also, I'm not one to check all the time, but need to like the "book" says, but I can also tell you if my tire pressure is below 40psi by the ride.
Due to other situations in my life, buying tires is a conscience decision, but not one that I complain about, just plan for it.
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Cruiser
Posts: 62
San Diego, CA | MaddMAx2u - 2013-06-11 1:38 PM
First get Show Chrome Accessories (Big Bike Parts) TireGard Tire Pressure Monitoring System. It's about $165 and is easy to install and easy to use. A simple google search will net you several places to buy including Amazon. Now you always know your tire pressure!! (Forget the temp's it shows. Ya never cared before don't get all crazy now) No more bending and getting on your knees to check pressure. And you can check your pressure every time you get on the bike with ease. There's also leak alerts etc. But I never use those on mine since I just look at the pressure and then toss it in my glovebox.
So there you have it. For only a few sheckles you have constant read on your tire pressures and an easy way to fill them to the correct pressure when needed. Oh, and the Ride On won't bother the Tire sensor caps. AND it has increased the time between air additions to my tires~!!
Thanks, I've been looking at and comparing several different TPMS (yours included), and probably will go that route. Of course, like a lot of other riders said, manually checking the air pressure gives you a chance to look at other areas, which I do anyway. |
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Tourer
Posts: 494
Akron Ohio area | With quite a few motorcycles now with a tire pressure monitoring system as standard equipment, the Vision should get that in the next upgrade and I would hope that it would be backwards compatible.
I don't check my tire's air pressure that often, maybe once every thousand miles or so.
I did notice a slight handling difference during my last trip to Phoenix and found I had lost 4 pounds of pressure in my rear tire.
This is the first time I've ever lost any air pressure on my Vision's Dunlop E3's in 53,000 miles. |
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Visionary
Posts: 4278
| I put a black mark on the side of the rim so I can move bike and see when to get on ground. I check with a tire gauge. I do this once a month and when it gets into the mid 90's plus I do it every two weeks.
If you want to get 15 thousand out of your rear tire get your lazy ass on the ground.
By the way you'll find you loose about 2 to 3 pounds a month.
($(KGrHqV,!o8E63YcElkoBPDiTpNhCg~~60_1.jpg)
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1066
Peru, IN | I don't really want to see some color going round and round but it's a good idea other than the aesthetics. I suppose I could make a very small black mark, though. I check mine before every ride and, since I bought the bike last September (5k miles), I've lost a grand total of 2 pounds of pressure in the rear tire. If you're losing 2-3 pounds per month, you have a leak somewhere.
Edited by Monkeyman 2013-06-13 7:56 PM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 691
Manchester, CT | Not looking for witty answers or comments (of course unless they are really good). Can anyone think of any discrepacies between measuring tire pressure with the bike on the ground or up in the air on a jack? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 154
Danbury, Connecticut | Tom, It doesn't make a difference either way. Temperature is a factor in psi and running dry nitrogen will cause less pressure change from cold to hot than regular compressed air which is why racecars run nitrogen for tire fill. Recommended tire pressure specs are for a cold tire.
Edited by SteveS 2013-06-13 10:22 PM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 691
Manchester, CT | Thank you Steve! Just wanted to make sure there weren't any anomalies. I use my jack as a turn table to reposition the bike for each ride. Checking pressure on the jack will be a breeze! |
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Tourer
Posts: 367
Cottage Grove, Mn | johnnyvision - 2013-06-13 6:25 PM
I put a black mark on the side of the rim so I can move bike and see when to get on ground. I check with a tire gauge. I do this once a month and when it gets into the mid 90's plus I do it every two weeks.
If you want to get 15 thousand out of your rear tire get your lazy ass on the ground.
By the way you'll find you loose about 2 to 3 pounds a month.
21,000 front and rear check twice a week unless I put on a lot of miles.
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Visionary
Posts: 3773
Pittsburgh, PA | its not as hard as you think it is.. i have had (2) vision's and what have done is... I will put the air hose Through the rotor depending on the type of hose is at the gas station. i would Not got spend money just so you can know what air pressure you have withOut having to get down and check it.. I have a few friends with those (gadgets/toys) and they are mostly junk... READ the fine print on how or When they work.. Not worth the cost of a replacement tire just to check air..... |
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Tourer
Posts: 576
, IA | ?? Why do bike tires lose air so often? Cars do but nothing like bikes |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 691
Manchester, CT | Hey Arkinezeye
I don't have a air pressure monitoring system but which systems are you referring too? |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 691
Manchester, CT | Hey Arkinezeye
I don't have a air pressure monitoring system but which systems are you referring too? |
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Visionary
Posts: 3773
Pittsburgh, PA | Street Eagle - 2013-06-16 12:03 PM
Hey Arkinezeye
I don't have a air pressure monitoring system but which systems are you referring too?
I have (3) friends with these... 1) is Oem honda GW the other two friends i dont know their brands. i didnt bother looking into them. i just know that all 3 of them say the same exact thing...... they arent as simple as you would think... there are instructions on when you use them. One friend claims he had to get the bike moving first? my friend had his actually CAUSE him to loose air on a bike trip!!! defective sensor that screwed onto the valve stem.. I cant remember if this was the same guy or not. but one of them had a hard time with Both sensors Always running at the same time (front and rear wheel) it always appeared that only one would work all the time, so then he had to RE-pair it to the main unit..
now my personal opinion is, its a gadget/toy.. its just another thing to worry about or deal with. as hard as it was for my friends to check their tires, it was more of a pain in the a$$ to deal with their TPMS ... it was almost like they had to babysit it ?? it almost reminds me of alarm systems.. i have owned 3 alarm systems over 20 years NEVER AGAIN.... i will take that $$$ and spend it on BETTER INSURANCE COVERAGE. cause in the end, thats who will be paying you if something happened to your bike anyways.. i can bump up my coverage nicely for less than $30 a year. how many years will that cover based on what a alarm system costs (if you install it yourself) my alarms could go off for this or that.. or the so called transmitter wouldnt have the range they would claim... in the end,. it was just a toy and a false sense of being "safe". nothing will cover you a$$ better than a Better Insurance policy! gadgets are fun and cool to be like. hey look at me, or look at what i got. but in the end they are toys. so much so that ALL the insurance companies i have dealt with would NOT give a discount on any of them UNLESS a tech from a dealer installed them and THEN had to sign some sort of legal paper saying the tech installed it properly etc etc.. meanwhile NO tech or dealer i talked too would Ever sign a LEGAL paper for the insurance company.... do you blame them???
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Iron Butt
Posts: 880
Orlando, FL | Arkainzeye, you said you haven't checked them out. So before you speak, you might want to do just that. TPMS are easy to use, mine was easy to install (just put the freaking caps on) and easy to use. Hey, if you want to be all high and mighty about getting on your fucking knees to check your air, so be it. But please, don't piss all over a TPMS system you admit you have never used or even bothered to check out. GEEZ! |
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Visionary
Posts: 1229
Rancho Cucamonga, CA | How well is your insurance company going to cover you when you're on the freeway and you start losing tire pressure? A TPMS used properly can give you the few seconds warning you may need to pull over before you lose control. My mother was in rehab for 2 years after a rear tire lost presure @ 70mph. Almost got run over by the car behind too. A TPSM could have gotten her to the shoulder.
I have the Doran TPMS. It's main unit (in the saddlebag) is hardwired, always on and has a very bright light on my dash that blinks if I have low pressure or suddenly starts to lose pressure.
Your right, a TPMS is just a toy if your just going to keep it in your pocket while riding. |
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