Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => The Bike - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: aspire61 on October 23, 2014, 04:34:01 PM
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I'm one of those " If we did without it for 50 yrs, why do we need it now" kind of guys. However, after running a flat on my 06 ford fusion, I wish I had the same system in my car as on my concours. Perhaps it's my own fault for not checking my tires, but dang- it's peace of mind to know you'll always be warned when you pick up a nail or screw, and start losing air.
mat
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I'm one of those " If we did without it for 50 yrs, why do we need it now" kind of guys. However, after running a flat on my 06 ford fusion, I wish I had the same system in my car as on my concours. Perhaps it's my own fault for not checking my tires, but dang- it's peace of mind to know you'll always be warned when you pick up a nail or screw, and start losing air.
You will love it to death until the batteries start to get weak and you find out just how annoying that is and how complex and expensive it is to replace those sensors :)
But yes, it is a very nice feature to have.
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It was a life saver on my trip two weeks ago. We were on a 2 week 4k mile trip through Australia. On day 3 we got a flat in the rear tire, in the middle of the outback. No possible place to have it changed. So a few plugs and a can of tire slime and we were on our way. Our friends were amazed when we pumped it up and then just drove down the road for hours on end, never stopping to check the tire pressure... when we pulled into a rest area to take a break, they all were like "wow, you have a lot of faith in that plug..." my answer - "Nah, not really, but I do have a digital read out of the tire pressure on the dash and it will tell me as soon as it loses a pound!"
Without a doubt that was a trip saver. With it, we were able to 'safely' complete our trip knowing the tire was not losing air. Without it, we would have been doing a nervous nelly stop every 30 mins while I checked air to see if the plug was holding or not... That would have definetely caused us to have to detour and cancel our trip midway through it.
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Sometimes, progress really is....
Brian
I'm one of those " If we did without it for 50 yrs, why do we need it now" kind of guys. However, after running a flat on my 06 ford fusion, I wish I had the same system in my car as on my concours. Perhaps it's my own fault for not checking my tires, but dang- it's peace of mind to know you'll always be warned when you pick up a nail or screw, and start losing air.
mat
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So a few plugs and a can of tire slime and we were on our way.
Did the tire slime not coat the sensor? Were you able to view the sensor before a replacement tire was installed?
just curious-mat
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It's not difficult at all to replace the battery in the original sensors. Some have done it without even removing the wheel or tire. I would rather change the battery than get it 'fixed' at the dealer who puts a newer sensor in that can't have the battery changed.
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I changed the batteries on both of my sensors with a tabbed battery that batteries plus made for me the batts were less than 10 bucks and it took me about 2 hours total to re-solder and install them. The next time it will take half that time. This (and the other) forums have made owning this bike sooooo much easier. There are a bunch of great people here IMO.
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I changed the batteries on both of my sensors with a tabbed battery that batteries plus made for me the batts were less than 10 bucks and it took me about 2 hours total to re-solder and install them. The next time it will take half that time.
Yeah, I almost wish I did that myself... except I had the opportunity to have both of mine replaced under warranty with the new tire mountings. Now I am "stuck" with the new models that might not be serviceable. At least it seems like the extended warranty will cover them in the future, and I plan on keeping that active as long as I can.
This (and the other) forums have made owning this bike sooooo much easier. There are a bunch of great people here IMO.
I couldn't agree more. A huge wealth of information and a lot of great support.
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I reckon mine must be some of the longest running batteries. They are the originals at 113,000km and 7 years, 2 months and counting. Every now and then I get the low battery warning but it goes away once the temperature comes up.
Might look at doing a battery swap at next tyre change.
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I've never had a tire pick up a nail in in 30 years of riding on a large variety of motorcycles. Since I've owned my 2008 C14 I've picked up two nails in the rear. The TPS told me both times while there was still plenty of safety margin. I'm kind of wondering if there is a powerful magnet in that sender device that attracts nails/screws? ;) Anyway, I still have the original senders and batteries in my tires. Since I ride here in MN from March through mid-November I have to see the low battery warning plenty of times until the tires warm up. I can always tell when it's lower than 50 F outside! One of these tire changes I'll probably do the battery swap but thus far it seems I'm always in too much of a hurry to monkey around with it and I obviously don't mind the warning that much. It goes away in a couple of miles. :)
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Sorry for the late reply. No, I didn't see the sensor while the tire was replaced. I did call the shop prior to the tire slime and asked them if it would damage the sensor. The mechanic said no. They are sealed units and they just rinse them off like the rest of the rim with water to clean the slime off. I don't recommend any of this but for me, 1k miles away from the nearest place to mount a tire I had no choice.