HawksHead TPMS Review

Uncle Phil said:
Giz - If you don't change out the stems (you do need metal valve stems though) it takes about 5 minutes depending on how easy it is for you to get to your tire stems... :D I'm now sorting out how I want to mount the 'head' since I don't like the 'handlebar' option it comes with. I'm thinking a piece of aluminum bent and stuck to the top of my new 5" Chinavasion GPS cradle with industrial Velcro to hold the head in place. That way when I look at my GPS I'll be looking at the TPMS monitor in the same 'look'.
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I put mine on top of my clutch mc on an angled bracket... easy to see and can access it easily with my left hand. Mines Velcro'd on and backed up with a tether.
 
Uncle Phil said:
Thanks - That's good news. You got to figure most of this stuff comes from China and the same factory. ;-)
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Which battery does your sensor use Phil? Mine uses CR1632. I would assume yours uses the same but you know what they say about assumptions...
 
Uncle Phil said:
Giz - If you don't change out the stems (you do need metal valve stems though) it takes about 5 minutes depending on how easy it is for you to get to your tire stems... :D I'm now sorting out how I want to mount the 'head' since I don't like the 'handlebar' option it comes with. I'm thinking a piece of aluminum bent and stuck to the top of my new 5" Chinavasion GPS cradle with industrial Velcro to hold the head in place. That way when I look at my GPS I'll be looking at the TPMS monitor in the same 'look'.
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I do have metal valve stems, 90 degree ones. Might even be something a non-mechanically inclined guy can handle:) I certainly like the idea of mounting the display in a good line of sight.
 
So UP, after riding with this TPMS all last season, what do you think now? I am getting ready to pull the trigger on one and always assumed I was going for the Doran but a system with user replaceable batteries and temperature readings would be a lot nicer. Also, How long does the head unit battery last before recharging is needed?
 
Don - So far, all three have performed flawlessly. And what I find most amazing is that I have not recharged any one of the three 'heads' yet (the first was charged on my way to LobsterSToc). I do turn them off when not in use, but, weather permitting, each bike gets ridden every third day so they have seen plenty of daily use. They are definitely waterproof (been through many gully washers) and I really like the idea of being able to 'see' them whenever I want to without having to 'hit' any buttons. On a ride, my brain now glances at the monitor when I glance at the GPS since mine are mounted right above my GPS. And with mine velcroed to the mount, if I'm off and away from the bike for a while I just stick it in my jacket pocket since the heads are so small. I have no idea how long the cap batteries last, but I have 'extras' on each bike just in case. And I also noticed that the usb charge port on the heads is the same as on my old LG flip cell phone so I can use my cell phone charger when I need to charge them - which hasn't happened yet!
 
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Impressive system (finally). UP, could you clarify what I can't find in the user manual, when bike has been parked overnight and you turn on the display, do you get instant readings or is wheel motion required to wake up the sensors? I read the part about the display will go to sleep after 15 minutes of no bike motion...... then it mentions waking up the sensors...... wasn't clear to me..... thanks in advance.
 
Ray - From what I can tell from 'experimentation', if you let the system automatically go to 'sleep' it appears that when it 'wakes up' you get an immediate reading. Or you could be getting the last read, I don't know for sure. I always turn mine off if I'm parking for a long while. But usually, I get a 'fresh' read before I can get to the end of my driveway when I leave in the morning or out of the parking lot at work. On a few occasions, it takes a mile or so on one tire and I'm not sure why, IIRC it's usually the front. I'll let mine 'sleep' today at work and pay closer attention and see what I come up with. Also, if you lose the 'head' or a cap, you can buy those items separately - which is nice. I looked at other units and what put me off was the head size and/or the lack of waterproofness and non-replaceable batteries. I can see being out on a long trip and a sensor battery goes out with no way to change it for Mr. Murphy is alive and well. ;-)
 
Interesting observation this morning - the head on Redbird has been turned off for about 7 days (snow and ice kept me on 4 wheels). This morning when I powered it on, I immediately got a reading from the rear tire (not what it was when it went off because riding increases the PSI). As I backed the ST1100 out of the garage, I got a reading on the front tire. So that's not instantaneous on the front, but pretty close! ;-) When I got into the office, instead of turning the head off, I just removed it and stuck in my left saddlebag, taking note of the pressures (39,44). I'll see what it says when I leave this afternoon, as the tires should be cold and back down at the 'normal' pressures. FWIW, when you look at the FOBO unit without the group buy price, add in the price of waterproof case and mount for your phone, you are pretty close the Hawkshead price. The group buy really was a great deal!
 
Thanks, Uncle Phil..... A lot of TPMS sensors go to sleep to preserve battery life in the sensors, and need something to wake them up. It may be a vibration or wheel rotation, or in the case of Doran (or the older SmartTire), up to 6 minutes. What I was getting at was wanting to be lazy and before I leave the shop (and the air compressor), would like to know what my pressures are without getting out a tire pressure gauge. Sounds like, the Hawkshead may give a quick reading with some vibration, might just have to kick the tire a bit or something.......

I agree on the head unit size, the Doran is a cube, would like it to be smaller. The old SmartTire was awesome. But I'm liking the Hawkshead. I did not want a tie-in to a smartphone........

I'd not worry about a sensor battery going bad, or the head going dead....... heck, what did you do before TPMS, ha ha. You got your tire gauge out........ you're still carrying one, right? :D:p:
 
RaYzerman said:
I'd not worry about a sensor battery going bad, or the head going dead....... heck, what did you do before TPMS, ha ha. You got your tire gauge out........ you're still carrying one, right? :D:p:
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Absolutely - but that night I could very quickly and easily put in the new battery in about 2 minutes. I let my head 'sleep' yesterday when I went into my office. When I came out to go home and power the head up, it showed the last pressure taken before it went to sleep. Then it pretty quickly 'captured' the current pressure. The rear seems to come up without much of anything (maybe getting the bike off the center stand?). For some reason the front takes just a little longer. It could be the 'order' that the head polls the sensors. Anyway, I am very pleased with the units at this point and still waiting to recharge the first head. :D I've attached pictures of the head and GPS and the aluminum bracket I used instead of the mounting bracket they provided (a small piece of aluminum bent into an L shape with industrial Velcro).
 

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For those with an ST1300, there is a blank space on the instrument panel that perfectly fits the head unit. I used 3m Dual Lock to fasten it into that space. It's nice and visible without blocking any of the instrumentation.

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I don't see that anyone has mentioned reaching out to HawksHead to see if they would extend a group buy discount to our forum members - maybe I just missed it. If not, do you guys think that's a possibility worth exploring?
 
RockyHayes said:
I don't see that anyone has mentioned reaching out to HawksHead to see if they would extend a group buy discount to our forum members - maybe I just missed it. If not, do you guys think that's a possibility worth exploring?
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I think it would be worth a shot. My problem is I already have three units so it would not make sense for me to 'negotiate' since I wouldn't be buying any. But somebody ought to give it a whirl!
 
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