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Doran TPMS Review at webBikeWorld

5K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  JT12 
#1 ·
Hey, somebody with a 2012 red XCT wrote a review (which went "live" this morning) on webBikeWorld about the Doran 360M TPMS. You may want to check it out -- http://www.webbikeworld.com/r5/doran-tpms/review.htm -- if you're interested in tire pressure monitoring systems.
 
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#3 ·
David, you talking about the same one, the 360M? I've had mine installed for about two months now, but with all the lousy northeast weather I've only put not quite a thousand miles on since then.

You read the review, and, if so, what'd you think of it?
 
#4 ·
Depends on the sensor.

I had a car that had them and one went bad. When it failed, it disabled the info screen in the car to constantly inform me that the tire was empty, even though it was full of air.

I replaced that faulty OEM sensor with an aftermarket sensor. It lasted about 6 months. On the bright side, it is now failed in a state that tells me that the tire has 128 lbs in it. The computer doesn't mind this condition and continues to display everything else correctly.

Personally, I got a pretty good rear end for detecting when tires get low and my bike starts becoming unstable. Consequently, TPMS isn't something I find particularly useful.
 
#7 ·
Personally, I got a pretty good rear end for detecting when tires get low and my bike starts becoming unstable. Consequently, TPMS isn't something I find particularly useful.
Most riders do in the curves. It's the straights where people lose that bubble in the butt until the tire is too flat unless it's a run flat tire in which case a person really needs a tpms to let them know.
 
#9 ·
Thanks, Bob.
 
#16 · (Edited)
JT:

Short answer:

Still like it, would do it again, and would install it exactly as I did before (see wBW article).

Long answer:

I installed the Doran system in March 2014, so it's been on the bike just about two years. That was about 12,000 miles ago for me (I had all kinds of family emergencies last year, so didn't ride much). But really, it's time in use that matters, more than tire rotations.

Here's some not-so-great news: I was riding into about November this year, and a few weeks before the end of the season the rear sensor's battery apparently gave up the ghost.

So I guess sensor-battery life can be as short as about two years, to answer one real-world question that I had, and couldn't get a good answer to. IMHO, this reinforces my opinion that the Doran sensors should go on the outside of the rims. Recall, Doran supplies valve stems that allow you to mount the sensors inside the tires. OTOH, also note that I don't have tire-changing or lift equipment; if I did, maybe I would put them in the inside.

Speaking of battery life, back in January 2015, this is part of an email exchange I had with Doran:

Me:

I have a question regarding the 360M system over the winter. I have the system on my motorcycle, which bike just sits in the garage, immobile, and hooked up to a smart charger during the winter months. I have a switch -- in the off position over the winter -- such that the control/display/receiver unit does not receive any power during this time.

My question: does it conserve battery life if the sensors are removed from the valve stems of the two wheels, and placed on a shelf over the winter? Or doesn't it matter, if the main unit is powered off?

Doran:

Great question! Yes, it does help to conserve the battery life of the sensors when you remove them from the valve stem when you're not riding for extended periods of time. If they are left on the valve, the sensors will constantly read tire pressure and attempt to communicate to the monitor. Think of it as a toy being left in the on position; the battery will drain in that toy a lot faster than if the it was switched off every now and then.

Just take the sensors off your bike and store them somewhere safe until you're ready to ride again. It's the best way to ensure maximum battery life.


So I wasted a few months that 2014/2015 winter, which means that maybe the battery would've lasted longer.

BTW, it was the rear sensor that went, and that sensor has to go through more of the bike's mass, to get to the controller. I don't know whether that was a factor or not.

This will give me a chance to verify that replacement sensors -- for owners, that is -- are $25. The original sensors are $50 each, if you're adding a third, fourth, etc., sensor, but the replacements are only half of that. If this is all correct, that means that my "maintenance" costs are c. $12.50 per year, and I'm okay with that.

Now, speaking of turning things off, remember that I added a switch in the controller circuit. If you remove the sensors and put them on a shelf, as I did and now do, you'll have the controller and LED blinking all winter, saying, "where's the freaking sensors at?" if you don't have a switch (so you can turn the controller off).

I also find that switch handy if I'm having new tires put on. For that, I turn off the controller, and replace the sensors with normal valve caps. And then hand-tighten the sensors back on myself, afterwards.

This assumes that you have the controller powered by an always-on circuit (as I do, but with that added switch). If, OTOH, you powered the controller with an ignition-on-only circuit, you defeat a large part of the beauty of the Doran. That is, with ignition-only power, you can't just walk over to the bike, before a ride, and click the what's-the-pressures button, to make sure that you're good to go. Instead, you'd have to wait up to six minutes for the system to "pair" (and all the while, the stupid I-need-to-pair light will be blinking). Or ride a few miles, with a blinking light, until the pairing is done (and you're no longer in the garage, with your nice compressor). Follow me? Enough said on this?

And speaking of pairing, once or twice a month, with the bike sitting in the garage, the un-paired light would go off. I could roll the bike, or turn off my switch and then turn it on again (and wait six minutes), and all would be well. I attribute this to either the weak rear-sensor battery, or the bike's mass, or the very particular position that the rear wheel ended up in.

But more importantly, note that I never lost pairing while actually riding (until the end of October, as I said, when the battery looks like it really lost most of its mojo). That is, with the wheels spinning, I never had a pairing problem -- and the controller will tell you right away, if that happened.

One last thing. I had balance beads when I bought the Doran. Since then, I switched to Centramatic balancers. So, either way, I'm covered. If neither of these applies to you, tire re-balancing, because of the half-ounce addition, may or may not be necessary. I simply don't know.

Sorry about the length here, but I'm trying to be complete.

Here's a restatement and an elaboration on the executive summary:

- If I wrecked the XCT or it were stolen, I'd buy the Doran again.

- If I bought a new bike that didn't have a built-in TPMS, I'd buy the Doran (unless it was one of the those strange Beemers, with valve stems in the wheel spokes, that doesn't have clearance).

- Man, I love not getting on the floor to check the rear pressure. I find that I hardly ever have to add air -- I can live with the pressure changes based on day-to-day (but not seasonal) temp changes -- so my on-the-floor work is greatly reduced.

- I am not interested in the FOBO or any other phone-based systems, for the reasons I stated a couple of posts above.

- I did my first track day last August, with seven or eight 20-minute sessions, all of which routinely saw 100mph end-of-(short)-straight speeds on a short course. There was a comment on the wBW article about safety aspects, which I tried to discount in a response; the track day was another such response.

Have I answered your question? Are you sorry you asked?
 
#11 ·
#15 ·
Jim, the Doran is $200 (plus shipping) for a two-sensor plus controller system. See Motorcycle Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems by Doran and click on Ready to Buy.

This is from the manufacturer. I'm not familiar with buying it elsewhere, although I'm pretty sure it's possible. Witchdoctors has a page ( Tire Pressure Monitoring System in Closeout Items - Closeout Items - Featured - Your #1 Source for US Made, Custom Victory Motorcycle Parts ) where it's listed as $100, which I think is a typo; it's irrelevant, as WD also says, "Permanently Out of Stock."

BTW, add another $50 for each additional (i.e., beyond two) sensor.
 
#12 ·
FWIW....I had the Tire Gard TPMS and they gave my wheels a terrible balance problem that even Ride-On could not cure. Took them off and all was well again. 90 degree valves and a good pressure gauge suffices for me now. At 80 mph I don't need to know my tire pressure.
 
#14 · (Edited)
VJ:

1) The Doran does NOT have a phone app. For a complete discussion of the Doran, I think I beat it to death in my webBikeWorld review, here: Doran 360M TPMS Review - webBikeWorld

If you're really interested in TPMS, please read that lengthy article. I tried to cover the pros and cons of other types of systems, too.

2) You are probably thinking of the FOBO TPMS, which does use a phone app. See https://my-fobo.com/

There are a few long threads on the FOBO on the other forum, the V O G, e.g.:

http://www.******.net/threads/tpms-settings.56647/
http://www.******.net/threads/tpms.57090/

(Replace the six asterisks with t h e v o g [no spaces].)

I have some serious reservations on the FOBO -- it's definitely not for me. You have to have a smartphone, fire up the phone, fire up the TPMS app, maybe keep the phone powered while riding, worry about rain, take the phone off and bring it with you when you stop for lunch or for the day ... and then go through the whole scenario again. And I'm probably forgetting a few things. If you want a TPMS, much better, IMHO, to just get a TPMS.
 
#17 ·
Thanks! Not sorry at all. I like how you did the switch and the mounted replacement LED. in the top of the fairing, I think I am going to copy that to the best of my limited ability. I don't have the beads or centramatics, I don't really know much about that yet, but i have a few months to figure it out. thanks again for the info!
 
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