• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

TPMS operation - '07 R1200RT

steve1200rt

New member
Both TPMS sensors went bad on my '07 RT. Waiting until tire replacement, I just installed a new front tire and front TPMS sensor, using a friends 911 program. I can now see the front tire pressure, with no error lights on the dash, but only for about 15-20 minutes of ride time. Then, the TPMS yellow triangle warning light comes on and front tire pressure disappears from the dash, so that I'm back to --/--, indicating no sensor, front or rear. If I pull over, stop the engine with the key, then re-start the engine, I'm good for another 15-20 minutes of normal front tire TPMS display. Does this sound like normal operation? Or should I be seeing the front pressure all the time and '--' for rear pressure, since the battery is dead on that rear sensor?
(Wondering why I didn't replace both tires, both sensors at the same time? Answer: The Budget! Rear tire wear-bars are visible, no immediate replacement need after 12K+ miles, but the front Pilot Road 3's needed replacement after 12,300 miles! New rear tire next month, perhaps.)
 
Not normal, for sure.

Like you, I would have hoped the front and rear were independent. Looks like they are not, and if one fails, both don't work.

Let us know next month if all is well when you get the second tire.
 
I have a 2011 RT. The TPMS has a mind of its own. I Check pressures quite often and feel TPMS's are at best window dressing. On my bike the TPMS gives varying readings. It never agrees with tire gauge and while riding, the pressure readings will rise and fall. Rising I can see because of tire temp increases. Then readings will fall a pound or two and awhile later go back up. So, I never rely on the TPMS, another pice of questionable tech. The first few months I owned the bike I obsessed over the TPMS readings, now, I never look at it.
 
I have a 2011 RT. The TPMS has a mind of its own. I Check pressures quite often and feel TPMS's are at best window dressing. On my bike the TPMS gives varying readings. It never agrees with tire gauge and while riding, the pressure readings will rise and fall. Rising I can see because of tire temp increases. Then readings will fall a pound or two and awhile later go back up. So, I never rely on the TPMS, another pice of questionable tech. The first few months I owned the bike I obsessed over the TPMS readings, now, I never look at it.

Totally agree. So many false positives, it's become an annoyance rather than an ally.

If TPMS was a ten-cent option on a future bike, I'd save the dime and spend it on bubblegum. :banghead
 
Interesting to see converts.

I've always maintained that tpms is more nuisance and wasteful than useful. If you use a gauge every couple weeks and have any sensitivity to your bikes handling, the tpms does nothing useful for you at all.

It can't provide any warning of a catastrophic tire failure, the only type that is really dangerous. And if you can't detect a slow puncture or leak in time to stop the bike safely, it might be time to consider another hobby - suggests a situation awareness deficit which is a great way to get hurt on a bike.

I happen to have a tpms in a cage- it at least is passably well mannered. Only goes off when a tire goes 5 lbs low but doesn't indicate which one.
This is a deficit I can detect without it and my tires filled to 35 psi would only flip an alarm once or twice per year if left unmonitored and unadjusted. I haven't even bothered to look to see how it works- whether it monitors rolling distance through ABS sensors or whether its similar to a bikes battery powered system but I'm not going to spend $ just to keep it working if it dies. I see tpms warnings on rentals regularly- I always ignore them if a visual says the tire is functional. Tires don't fail or come off the rim easily and I'm not paid to ensure max mileage from the rental firms tires.
 
I like the tire pressure monitor. I had a small nail on the way to TN once and the TPM showed a 3 lb drop after mostly a +/- 1 lb variation that day. The BMW TPM is supposed to be temperature compensated so that it shows you the cold pressure consistently as you ride. It does vary a little but no more than a psi I have found. I checked the tire that evening and found a small nail in the thread. I plugged the tire that night and refilled the tire. Then I went another thousand miles thru WVA etc. and back home while the TPM showed a consistently steady tire pressure which showed me the plug was working ok.
 
I like the tire pressure monitor. I had a small nail on the way to TN once and the TPM showed a 3 lb drop after mostly a +/- 1 lb variation that day. The BMW TPM is supposed to be temperature compensated so that it shows you the cold pressure consistently as you ride. It does vary a little but no more than a psi I have found. I checked the tire that evening and found a small nail in the thread. I plugged the tire that night and refilled the tire. Then I went another thousand miles thru WVA etc. and back home while the TPM showed a consistently steady tire pressure which showed me the plug was working ok.

+1
 
Not normal, for sure.

Like you, I would have hoped the front and rear were independent. Looks like they are not, and if one fails, both don't work.

Let us know next month if all is well when you get the second tire.
That is not the case! Both batteries are probably gone or close to it. Makes total sense they would failabout the sametime since they were put into service at the same time. If they have never been replaced they were good for 6 years. Commendable!
 
I have a 2011 RT. The TPMS has a mind of its own. I Check pressures quite often and feel TPMS's are at best window dressing. On my bike the TPMS gives varying readings. It never agrees with tire gauge and while riding, the pressure readings will rise and fall. Rising I can see because of tire temp increases. Then readings will fall a pound or two and awhile later go back up. So, I never rely on the TPMS, another pice of questionable tech. The first few months I owned the bike I obsessed over the TPMS readings, now, I never look at it.

It won't agree with your gauge, since the system is Temp. compensated to 68 Degrees F. You have to add or subtract the differential to get the exact pressure you are looking for.

My system has been extremely consistent and seldom varies when I ride and if it does it is very temporary, may vary by 1 lbs. but redisplays correctly.

The readout should not increase as the tires heat up and mine does not since it is giving you tire pressure as though it is 68 degrees F.
 
Last edited:
I recently replaced both front and rear sensors on my 2007 RT when I replaced tires. I needed to have the dealer "wakeup" the sensors after replacing them. The GS911 did not have the ability to do this. They work fine now. They are supposed to be replaced every 5 years, clearly most economically during a tire change. I just got back from a 3500 mile ride through the Southwest and Colorado. Partway through the trip, my low pressure triangle lit up. We stopped and found no puncture and chalked it up to 10,000 feet of elevation. Checked the pressure with a gauge and added a little air. Later on the trip the triangle lit up again. Again, no puncture was found visually. A little more air was added and off we went. When I got home, the triangle was on again. This time I took the rear wheel off and took it down to the shop. Sure enough, a small piece of wire had gone through the center tread and caused a pinhole leak. $150.00 for another new Pirelli Angel GT and the lamp is of and all is good. The sensors do work, it sucks to have to replace a tire with 4000 miles on it do to a pinhole though.
 

While riding on a local freeway in rush hour traffic my yellow triangle lit up. By the time I filtered my way to an exit ramp and on a surface street I was down to 26psi and could hear the hiss of a leak - found a drywall screw embedded in the rear tire. Yanked it out, plugged the hole and went on my way safely. The TPMS definitely worked for me so had enough warning to get out of heavy traffic safely.
 
Back
Top