[Vito]

Occasionally in the past the TPMS light has come on for a moment then gone out so I haven't thought much about it, but today after riding about 5 minutes, the TPMS warning light came on, and stayed on for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes it went out, and for the rest of the hour and 15 minute ride it stayed off. Not sure if I should be concerned about it. All the manual says is that if the light comes on and stays on, to have it checked. Any advice?

 

[Bullet Bob]

Obvious question, did you check the pressure? You do know that as the tire is driven, the pressure goes up? And seems like those batteries need replaced after 5-6 years.
Also, if the temp is in the low 30s-40s seems like that will cause them to flash for a few minutes.

 

[Farmguy]

Based on watching the pressure display on an '18, you will easily get 4-6 psi increase in tire pressure in 10 minutes of riding.

TPMS requires vehicle speed to 'turn on' the sensors, so when sitting before being ridden they will not light up even if pressure is low.


Recommended pressures 36F/41R are for 'cold' tires (before being ridden)

10% low light will 'BLINK'
20% low light will be 'ON'

 

[Fred H.]

The TPMS receiver expects to see regular transmission from each sensor. Under normal conditions with no pressure changes, I believe they transmit once every 7 minutes when riding. If the receiver misses two transmissions in a row, it will trigger the TPMS light to let you know it isn't getting data from a sensor. Sometimes local interference can prevent the receiver from picking up the signal which could be what happened to you. I've seen some older brand cell phones interfere with reception. Or it could be that the battery voltage in the sensor is starting to get weak. You can pull the codes from the TPMS system to see what caused the light to come on.

 

[wehrme]

Always check your tire pressures -before- you ride.

I can't tell you how many times I have went out, jumped on the bike and had the TPMS light come on after about 3~5 miles, after not coming on initially.

Is my tire low? Should I turn around and go back? Will it turn off (like it always does) after a few more miles? Am I 1psi low, or 10psi low, or OK?

What good is a TPMS that only alerts you -after- you are out and moving? They should just put in a warning light that says 'Checked your tires lately Bub'. Way more useful :0)

 

[Vito]

I had checked the tire pressures a few days earlier. It is such a pain to lie down on the ground to get to the rear tire that I admit I don't do it as often as I should. And it was a moderately cool day, about 45 degrees when I started out on the ride. I think that despite the rest of the ride being without the TPMS going on, and despite that the ride felt normal, I will go through the effort to check the pressures before the next ride.

FWIW, I've really enjoyed this bike for the now almost three years since I bought it, but checking tire pressure in the rear tire is the single biggest complaint that I have.

 

[Corventure]

As long as you do not have a Ride Off center stand, you should be able to rotate the rear tire when on the center stand to get to the valve stem.
Also if the bike is parked on smooth concrete, with it on the center stand, you can slide-rotate the front tire also.


I also recommend checking the tire pressures before each ride. I use the TPMS as a while on the road monitor.


Corventure Dave

 

[Vito]

I do have a ride off center stand (maybe a mistake to get this and get rid of the stock center stand, but that's where I am) but I went out this AM and checked the pressure. In a way I am more confused. I have an electric air pump that I can power with a portable battery that I keep in my car. I have been using this to measure the air pressure, then to add air as needed to get it where I want it to be. Generally I want it about 1 to 2 pounds higher than the recommended pressures of 36 and 41. But today, when laying on the ground to hook up this air pump, I also checked the pressure with two different traditional tire pressure gauges. The two were pretty close in readings, generally only 1 to 1.5 lbs different, but both showed several pounds lower than the electronic gauge built into the pump. So maybe I have been keeping my tires way too low but thinking that they were slightly higher than recommended. To get the rear tire to 42 I had to set the pump to 48 psi. I'll now have to see if the TPMS warning comes on during the next few rides. But the low air pressure warning has not come on, which would be a greater concern to me.Thanks for all the good comments.

 

[F6 rider]

From what I have come to understand there are two TPMS lights. One has a Tire symbol and is for a low tire and the other is for the TPMS sender/reciever signal.


I loose the signal every once in a while and it will trigger the TPMS light (NOT the low tire light) to come on for a short time. That does not mean I have a low tire, just the sender and receiver are not "talking to one another".


Also this is on a 2015, I know nothing about the 2018/2019 models if that is what you have.

 

[Vito]

I have a 2016 which should be the same as what you have on your 2015. I guess my question is: why would the signal be lost and then regained? That part doesn't make sense to me unless there is other electronic interference. But riding down the road, away from any other vehicle, and not using any other electronic product, it seems strange to lose the signal for ten minutes then regain the signal again on the moving bike. Maybe when I next need service I can ask my Goldwing mechanic if there is some way to check the entire sensing system to make sure it is working properly.

 

[F6 rider]

I had a Steelmate System on my F6B that would do the same thing every once in a while. Just loose signal for a while and gain it back. Possible electrical interference from the particular area I may have been in at the time. Similar to getting static or bleed over on my CB Radio.


I bought my 2015 just over a year ago and have put 12,000 miles on it and it has been doing since the day I got it.

 

[ksiesel]

I have the same experience every spring with the TPMS light, not the low tire light. When I read the codes, they are for both front and low tire battery voltage. The light will come on and if I ride far enough, it will go off. Once the weather warms up, it’s no longer an issue.

I’ve also seen this across two different rear wheels and I know the batteries are not low. They are just cold and reporting low voltage because of the temp.

I see the OP is in IL so I’m guessing he has similar temps to me this time of year. As long as it’s just the TPMS light and it goes off on a longer ride, I’d recommend ignoring it and it’ll fix itself as the weather warms. If you really want to confirm, you could flash out the codes with the connector under the seat but I bet we already know what you’ll find.

 

[Fred H.]

I have the same experience every spring with the TPMS light, not the low tire light. When I read the codes, they are for both front and low tire battery voltage. The light will come on and if I ride far enough, it will go off. Once the weather warms up, it’s no longer an issue.

When left unused, lithium batteries develop a layer on the anode (passivation layer) that causes the voltage to be low. Once you start drawing current from them, this layer breaks down and the voltage rises. It sounds like this is what you are experiencing. As the batteries age, this problem will get worse, but many times simply riding the bike and waking up the TPMS sensors will cure it. But eventually you will be forced to replace them.


And by the way, I'm still doing battery replacements and testing of sensors. If you remove them and mail them to me, I can turn them around in 1 day. PM me for info if you're interested.