BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

Being old fashioned I'd rather use PSI than Bar to measure my tyre pressures. Is there a means of changing the display?

Nope

Looks like I'll have to evolve then.  :eek:

Back2TheBike wrote: Looks like I'll have to evolve then.  :eek:

The TPMS is not that accurate, so you just check your tyres as normal. But its very good at warning of a drop in pressure.

I've taken the hint Casbar and ordered a pressure gauge (in PSI) and a depth meter. I suppose I ought to check my pressures after 6 weeks .... :))

Wondering if GS911 tool or dealer can re program

T6pilot wrote: Wondering if GS911 tool or dealer can re program

There have been threads on this on US forums, it seems some have been successful in getting their dealers to change to psi, but they mostly seem to be in Nz, Canada and some in the US. The theory seems to be that dealers in countries that are not metric have the software to change it. I haven't seen anyone in Europe manage it. But as the TPMS is not really that accurate and should not be relied on to know what your pressures are, I've never had an issue with bars. I have a spreadsheet if anyone wants it, with the bar conversions on it. The issue seems to be in Nz, Canada and some parts of the US, the gauges at garages are only in psi. I still actually use psi when checking the tyres, but don't have the tpms showing on my dash, so it doesn't bother me as I'm more interested in it telling me if I am losing pressure, which it does very well, as I had a double puncture a year or so ago and it warned me immediately of the tyres going down

Well, I have changed mine on my 2012 R1200RT MU from Bar to psi using my GS911.  Easy. Using psi gives readings to the nearest 0.5 psi.  Using bars the nearest readings are to 0.10 bar which is 3 times bigger than the psi figure so, in principle, the psi one should give you an earlier warning of a slow puncture.

I've learned to live with bar rather than PSI, except when checking pressures before a ride when it's still 36 front, 42 rear.
Changing the bike's display to PSI, and going down to 0.5 PSI increments, would seem to me to be a backward step since my display often varies by plus or minus 0.1 bar during a ride.  If those changes were in PSI they would be all over the place.
On the one occasion I did get a rear tyre puncture, the loss of 0.6 bar and a yellow light on the dash was a good warning !

johnarthur wrote: Well, I have changed mine on my 2012 R1200RT MU from Bar to psi using my GS911.  Easy. Using psi gives readings to the nearest 0.5 psi.  Using bars the nearest readings are to 0.10 bar which is 3 times bigger than the psi figure so, in principle, the psi one should give you an earlier warning of a slow puncture.

Not sure how it works on the 2012, but the tpms on my bike detects a drop in pressure, regardless of what is showing on the screen, so unless there is the option to set what that drop is, a drop will be a drop. Though I suppose if viewing psi would be more accurate, but no substitute for actually checking with a good quality gauge regularly.

I live in Australia, we're a metric country, my tyre pressure readout is in PSI.
I only use PSI for car, motorcycle and bicycle tyre pressures, it's what I learnt and the other units seem to have harder to remember numbers.
It seems easy to remember that high 30s are a good starting point for car and motorcycle tyres.
36 psi seems simpler than 248 kPa, we've never had bar here, our service station gauges read PSI and kPa, although I know in my head 1 bar is 14-15 psi, when you need to put 42 psi in a tyre that's a harder calculation to do in your head when there's no direct reading gauge.

But anyway, it seems the units must be switchable, even if a dealer has to do it.

Like I said, I think it seems to be switchable in other countries, they have different dealer software, I haven't seen anyone in Europe so far, that has been successful in having it changed. But that just means nobody has bother to post if they have, so not saying it can't be done.

I do check mine in PSI and try and do it weekly though with the standard PR4 tyres on the recommended pressures I was given and in the manual are
[size=12px]Front solo 2.2 bar (32psi)[/size]
[size=12px]Rear solo 2.5 bar  (36 psi)[/size]
[size=12px]Front two up or luggage 2.5 bar  (36 psi)[/size]
[size=12px]Rear two up or luggage 2.9 bar  (42 psi)[/size]
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[size=12px]I notice a few cases of people with the higher pressures is that cause they do more riding with luggage on and pillion or cause they have different tyres that are recommend for the higher pressure?[/size]
[size=12px]
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RaistlinRTCW wrote:I notice a few cases of people with the higher pressures is that cause they do more riding with luggage on and pillion or cause they have different tyres that are recommend for the higher pressure?

The Rider's Manual for a  2016 LC only gives one set of tyre pressures, Front 2.5 bar & Rear 2.9 bar, irrespective of the loading & tyres on the bike.

David. wrote: The Rider's Manual for a  2016 LC only gives one set of tyre pressures, Front 2.5 bar & Rear 2.9 bar, irrespective of the loading & tyres on the bike.

Yep standard in my manual is 36 front 42 rear and I run 38 front and 42 rear, on advice from Michelin Technical and it has improved front tyre cupping, as I said, I'm nearly ready to change the front and it hasn't cupped