TPMS

[TC3]

I am thinking it is a good idea to have TPMS on my Tiger 660 but can not decide if I spend 200 quid on the Triumph ones that dealer would install for free or buy something like the Michelin external type. Is internal better than external? Any one have experience they would like to share with either type?

[London_Phil]

I've got the Steelmate TP90 external units on my 800, but I think integrated ones are probably a better choice.
For the small extra outlay to Triumph, you have no extra parts to fit, no extra displays, and no having to remove the thing every time you want to put air in, which is a small faff.
Other than takin care the Triumph ones don't get damaged when changing tyres, they are probably an all round better option.

[Nick Calne]

I wouldn't bother with the Triumph kit I have seen more than one person online complaining that the TPMS has brought them erroneously to a complete halt on their tiger 900.  It has also happened to our illustrious Mat Tiger 1 too, and it managed the impossible given he is Britain's most laid back guy, it made him slightly annoyed!

[Sin_Tiger]

 I've only had integrated on one bike, the Trophy SE, it had 3 failed sets changed under warranty, it was never explained why. A good set appears to last 2 - 3 years irrespective of mileage. You are supposed to change the whole unit at about £300 for the pair, including fitting and programming. Many of the Trophy owners dismantle the sender and replace the soldered in battery when they do a tyre change.

I'm trying a set like Phil's that seems to work fine, I believe Michelin are just a badge engineered version at a lot more money.

It's a bit of a conundrum, the more information you have in front of you, the more chance of obsessing about it or relying on it. Something to think about, the internal Triumph ones only start working after some distance has been travelled and the sender wakes up, usually less than 0.5km down the road, then you get an alarm and think I've become blase about checking my tyres & pressures  , it's only an instrument and they can fail. The external ones I've tried refresh as soon as I move the bike so long as the receiver has been left switched on. If you do get a puncture on the road, you'll probably have felt a difference anyway, all that's changed is that there is an instrument that is agreeing with you, it doesn't fix the puncture for you, which is why I still carry a repair kit and tiny compressor.

[London_Phil]

I had no idea the OEM ones were such a pain... potentially.
At least the Steelmate were built to do the job. Mine were second hand, but with a battery change on the sender units. They have been fine. It's a suprise to see the pressure rise by 5lbs from cold. I think I have the warning value set wrong, as on our trip to the IOM one wheel kept going into red, but that's just down to setup, I think.

[TC3]

Appreciate all the input from you guys. In the interest of cost I have decided I will go with external and will look into the TP90 as like the display. Internal sound like a pain in the ass when they need battery replacement or if they need to be replaced....

EDIT
They are now discontinued by Steelmate and no alternatice in place for bikes! Look elsewhere....

[London_Phil]

EDIT
They are now discontinued by Steelmate and no alternatice in place for bikes! Look elsewhere....

You sure?

https://www.steel-mate.co.uk/product-category/motorcycle-tyre-pressure-monitoring-systems-tpms/

[TC3]

You sure?

https://www.steel-mate.co.uk/product-category/motorcycle-tyre-pressure-monitoring-systems-tpms/

My mistake as only clicked on the 70 something quid one.... cheers for correcting me

[Sin_Tiger]

I'm using a real cheapskate (£20) version from you know where, so far so good.

[blacktiger]

The fact the the Triumph ones need to be changed completely when the battery dies puts me off completely. And, I don't see the point of them if you check your pressures reglarly anyway.

[TC3]

The fact the the Triumph ones need to be changed completely when the battery dies puts me off completely. And, I don't see the point of them if you check your pressures reglarly anyway.

Its more for touring so I do not need to be checkung pressures all the time.

[blacktiger]

Its more for touring so I do not need to be checkung pressures all the time.

Well, on all my lengthy tours over 40 years, I found that you only need to check them once a week at most. Do it alongside tightening the chain and checking the oil.

[TC3]

Well, on all my lengthy tours over 40 years, I found that you only need to check them once a week at most. Do it alongside tightening the chain and checking the oil.

Yeah am overthinkung it so not gonna bother with any

[Bixxer Bob]

Don't even know if my XRT has them. If it has they're bloody useless. I was riding home at 70ish thinking " I've never had these tyres before, but I don't remember them making that noise either, and since I'm stone deaf...". Turns out the front was down about 5psi. Leaky shraeder valve. 

[ghulst]

I don't understand how I could have missed this thread.  Talking about tires and tire pressure is a joy for hours, obviously.
I have TPMS on the BMW and I think it is nice. Trouble is, that you will become lazy. I took the KTM out for a spin when it just got here and on the second corner I knew it needed air. Rode over to my local airing station (as I wanted to ride and not wait for my own compressor to build pressure) and I found out both tires had less than 1 bar in them. On the BMW, I just look at the dash and know where I am at. But I do hope I can keep the wits to do it by feel as well.
All in all, I would order the TPMS, especially if it is internal. You might have to watch out and not use the cheapest tire place you can find, as I have heard of tire places damaging TPMS then blaming the customer. But I guess that is universal.