FOBO Fun

[gkamer]

FOBO Fun. Finally decided to install the FOBO TPMS I brought from Lamonster. My 70 year old bones had already expressed their desire not to lie on the ground so I figured I’d just install the front tires for now, which went fairly well. After setting the Recommended/Minimum/Max pressures for the tires, they were low. Did I mention I forgot to bring a tire pressure gauge with me? So off to the only service station in town that still offers free air. Take the FOBO off, add air, put the FOBO back on, check the pressure. Still low. Take the FOBO off, add more air, replace the FOBO, check the pressure. Too high. Take the FOFO off, release air, replace the FOBO, check the pressure…. This dog and pony show went on until I got the pressure in both tires where I wanted it.

I decided after all this I was going to just bite the bullet, lay on the ground and install the back tire FOBO, but first a trip home to get a pressure gauge. This is when I discovered by skipping the center tire the first time around, the app now thinks the Center FOBO is installed on the LF tire and is telling me to use a different sensor. So I tried to get tricky and took the LF sensor off and put it on the back tire, but the app still thinks it’s on the LF tire.

At this point I called up a few extra brain cells and together we developed a plan. I went into the app and released all three sensors. Then I started from scratch. Right Front, Center, Left Front tire. RF synced right off. Center took about three shots and LF took one shot, but finally managed to get all three FOBO’s synced.

Now the Center tire was showing as low, so back to Free Air Central, tire pressure gauge in hand. The air nozzle on the compressor hose was not designed for such a tight fit, but after several attempts I got the rear tire into acceptable range and called it a day. Tomorrows Fun & Game schedule calls for replacing the antenna with a Lamonster shorty antenna.

[DT5534]

For once the lack of planning paid off!!! You got to take 2 Spyder rides!
I have the FoBo setup and really like them. Helps a lot with the wife's thing about tires and proper pressure.

[Peteoz]

Hahaha……yep…..sounds familiar, Greg…. The first time is always “interesting”. It does get easier.

I bought a battery operated inflator that lets you pre set the pressure. Connect it, turn it on, and it stops on queue, which is great for the rear tire. I have found that if I rotate the Spyder until the rear valve is around 2 or 3 o’clock, I can then sit on a mechanics stool, release the FOBO, screw on the compressor, inflate, reinstall the FOBO, all without getting down on the ground. One bugbear is when you want to change the default pressure in the FOBO app. The fronts are fine, but having to get your phone in close enough to the rear FOBO to press the OK key to resync is a bit painful.

I hope it works as well for you as it has for me.

Pete

[Peter Aawen]

It does sound like you had fun! . But hopefully, it'll be well worth it in the long run....

My apologies to Fab Rats, but their motto does seem to apply here...

"We do things Nice cos we do them Twice!"

[bigbadbrucie]

Greg, I feel for ya....I really do. Like each of the others...BEEN THERE, DONE THAT. One of the good parts of your day is that you brought some levity into my otherwise dull, overcast, sometimes wet day. Thank you for sharing.

[Spindel]

I installed these sensors a couple of weeks ago both on the Spyder and on the Goldwing. Excellent system being able to monitor pressure without crawling on the floor, or having extra gauges on the handlebars. In addition, only one app that works for multiple vehicles, and the ability to quickly check air pressure makes the rides safe. I am very pleased with this system, and can really recommend it.

[gkamer]

Greg, I feel for ya....I really do. Like each of the others...BEEN THERE, DONE THAT. One of the good parts of your day is that you brought some levity into my otherwise dull, overcast, sometimes wet day. Thank you for sharing.

Well I figure we can either get frustrated at the little misadventures in our lives or laugh at them, learn something and move on. I chose the latter.

[GreyGhost]

My FOBO set shows a different psi than three, yes 3, gauges, but I’m ok with that..just see what they show when you know the psi is where you want it and monitor for leakage..26.4 is actually 28..

[sledge]

Well I figure we can either get frustrated at the little misadventures in our lives or laugh at them, learn something and move on. I chose the latter.

Yessssssss , I like the Last one too.

[Saluda]

Are you all installing these on rubber valve stems ?

[FrogmanDave]

I installed mine a week ago. Everything went fine the first time as I just followed the app prompts and the FOBO's synced the first time within about 30 seconds. It seems to take between 30 seconds to a minute for the Spyder to turn green on the phone or in BRP Go to be able to be selected and display on the screen but once it does I can return to that screen instantly. Great product so far!

Are you all installing these on rubber valve stems ?

I did install mine on the factory rubber stems. No way am I unmounting tires to install the metal stems.

[Mikey]

Ok, now that all of you guys are installing these Fobo's, what are you guys seeing, how much air are you loosing and having to replace lost air? How many times a year are you having to add or take air out?

[DuckDodgers]

I installed mine a week ago. Everything went fine the first time as I just followed the app prompts and the FOBO's synced the first time within about 30 seconds. It seems to take between 30 seconds to a minute for the Spyder to turn green on the phone or in BRP Go to be able to be selected and display on the screen but once it does I can return to that screen instantly. Great product so far!



I did install mine on the factory rubber stems. No way am I unmounting tires to install the metal stems.

I installed the Fobo's and attempted to use the metal T-valve stems that Fobo sells as an accessory. The idea being you don't have to remove the sensor to add air when needed since there is another attach point. The T-valve worked great on the rear tire, however on the fronts the T-valve stems wouldn't tighten down enough to ensure it wouldn't rotate any on the rim. If the stem spun enough, they were in the way of the brake caliper when the wheel rotated past and made contact. There was a position you could put the T-valve and the assembly clear the brake caliper, but since there was still some movement possible I didn't chance it to ride like that. Removed the metal T-valves in front and went back to rubber stems.

[chunkmonk]

I installed the Fobo's and attempted to use the metal T-valve stems that Fobo sells as an accessory. The idea being you don't have to remove the sensor to add air when needed since there is another attach point. The T-valve worked great on the rear tire, however on the fronts the T-valve stems wouldn't tighten down enough to ensure it wouldn't rotate any on the rim. If the stem spun enough, they were in the way of the brake caliper when the wheel rotated past and made contact. There was a position you could put the T-valve and the assembly clear the brake caliper, but since there was still some movement possible I didn't chance it to ride like that. Removed the metal T-valves in front and went back to rubber stems.

I was hoping to have my FoBo2 kit installed by now, but time and projects being what they are...
I did a lot of reading, u-tubing, and telephone calling to look into this kit. It is definitely legit. Specific items I asked about with the channel vendor (as close to the mfg as I could get) - My kit came with metal stems (not T-stems, but stubby straight ones). The vendor told me that Spyders need to be monitored for tire pressure because of the nature of the geometry of the machine. They also told me NOT to use the stock rubber stems, because at high speeds the FoBo monitor was known to begin "wandering" (I'm guessing that means flex which, as the assumption goes, would lead to imbalance). I was also told that it was a good idea to have the tires balanced before remounting them if I were changing the stems. I was able to get hold of the manufacturer directly, who told me all of what I had been told was basically well-founded, adding that their testing showed that tire temp was also important (which is why it was included in the app), except that that last part was not quite true. What the manufacturer actually recommended was that if I were changing stems anyway that balancing was the smart play because the alteration of the steel stem plus the monitor would create an out-of-balance of about 30 grams (about an ounce, so that could be significant at higher speeds). Just goes to show you that there is a lot of assumption being made, but at least I had enough research to make an informed decision. And, like the OP, I no longer want to lie on the deck diddling with tire valves and using the great Karnac methodology to guess my tire pressure.

[troop]

2019 F3S with OEM rubber stems. Install was a breeze, even the rear. Working flawlessly.

[vito1943]

Installing all three sensors on my 2021 RT went relatively easily. With prosthetic knees and bad shoulders I had to lie flat on my back to do the rear tire, but then again I had to do the same every time I wanted to check the tire pressure in the past. I really like the FOBO system. I check it before every ride. When I installed the sensors I deliberately slightly overinflated the tires, putting 30 in back and 20 in front. Now a few months later, and several thousand miles riding later, the FOBO shows me 19 in front and 29 in back without once having to lie down on the ground again. Worth every penny.

[Bartender]

After much consideration with regard to the rubber stems vs. replacement metal stems, I decided to just use the existing stems. Once installed it was obvious to me that there was no risk of the weight of the FOBO causing extra or dangerous stress on the rubber stems. The FOBO units weigh nearly nothing and the stems are very short. The front stems are further shielded from movement by the geometry of the front rims. Have had the units installed for approximately 10,000 miles with no problems whatsoever. The really positive outcome from this thread is to have found that others have noticed that the FOBO units will report pressures that seldom coincide with other digital or mechanical tire pressure units. Thought my units were defective but now know that that is just the way they read. Really handy to have the ability to check tire pressure regularly without getting down on my back to check the back tire. Thanks all.

[EdMat]

I guess I am very lucky in that I can hook my home made octopus to all three tires, inflate to 18 PSI and wait several minutes to make sure everything is equalized then mount the FOBO's. My biggest variation is 4 tenths of a pound. I can live with that.

Also don't forget, buy a 4th FOBO or just get 4 to start with and put one on the air bag.

[Peteoz]

Are you all installing these on rubber valve stems ?

Mine are installed on rubber stems, Saluda….. 5 years on F3 and RT with zero issues.

[hypurone]

An FYI to any of you that may still be using the FOBO 1 system like myself.... Yes, they continue to work fine even with the "nag" at load about how this app is no longer supported blah blah blah.... You can ONLY update the firmware via an Apple device for some reason! I have only had 2 firmware updates available since owning these (2016 when I bought the byke) and doubt there will be any more...

I mention this, as there are some issues like releasing and reinstalling sensors and when you change batteries they can sometimes not get recognized etc, that do get resolved with the firmware updates.... ;-)

[FloridaSTS]

Ok, now that all of you guys are installing these Fobo's, what are you guys seeing, how much air are you loosing and having to replace lost air? How many times a year are you having to add or take air out?

I installed Fobo about a year ago. Initially, I was pretty anal about adding/deleting air to make sure everything was perfect. Then, I realized the balance between the right and left front tires is never more than 0.2 psi, and the psi for all three tires never varied more than 2 from spec. The change in psi is a more a factor of the ambient temperature change in my garage after the tires cool down from a ride. I haven’t adjusted air in 9+ months, and I don’t notice any difference in handling. I do like the monitoring convenience.

[Peteoz]

An FYI to any of you that may still be using the FOBO 1 system like myself.... Yes, they continue to work fine even with the "nag" at load about how this app is no longer supported blah blah blah.... You can ONLY update the firmware via an Apple device for some reason! I have only had 2 firmware updates available since owning these (2016 when I bought the byke) and doubt there will be any more...

I mention this, as there are some issues like releasing and reinstalling sensors and when you change batteries they can sometimes not get recognized etc, that do get resolved with the firmware updates.... ;-)

Chuck, are you using the FOBO 2 app? I am using it with my original FOBO 1 units and it is working fine also. Since I have an iPhone I might have a look at upgrading firmware…..I had not seen this notification……thanks

Pete

[hypurone]

Chuck, are you using the FOBO 2 app? I am using it with my original FOBO 1 units and it is working fine also. Since I have an iPhone I might have a look at upgrading firmware…..I had not seen this notification……thanks

Pete

I'm still on the FOBO 1 app.... I started to switch over but that requires jumping thru a bunch of hoops and I bailed on it....

[rv6a]

I am still not sure how accurate it reads. Below is a screenshot after riding 2up for about 45 minutes on a 75-degree day. Before I started my ride the front 2 tires were 19.2 and 19.6, the rear was 27. I have been running them low because of the increase during the ride. These are the original tires.

What I am really concerned about is the rear temp being so high. One thought I had is that it's higher than the fronts because the rear tire is in the heat slipstream of the radiators and engine.

As the bike sits now in the garage after riding 3 hours ago. All the temps are within 2 degrees. The TP are 19.9, 20.3, and 27.6

Screenshot_20220528-153344_FOBO Bike 2.jpg

[Peter Aawen]

I am still not sure how accurate it reads. Below is a screenshot after riding 2up for about 45 minutes on a 75-degree day. Before I started my ride the front 2 tires were 19.2 and 19.6, the rear was 27. I have been running them low because of the increase during the ride. These are the original tires.

What I am really concerned about is the rear temp being so high. One thought I had is that it's higher than the fronts because the rear tire is in the heat slipstream of the radiators and engine.

As the bike sits now in the garage after riding 3 hours ago. All the temps are within 2 degrees. The TP are 19.9, 20.3, and 27.6

Screenshot_20220528-153344_FOBO Bike 2.jpg

Sorry rv6a, but if you were running tires that were anything but the OE Spec Kendas, I'd be pretty sure that your cold start pressures are all TOO HIGH to start with!

The optimum cold start pressures for just about any car type pneumatic tire (other than the lightly constructed OE Spec Kendas) will ideally see an increase after an hour's riding of 4psi, so (given the caveat that OE spec Kendas are so lightly constructed & fairly often have pretty poor quality control in that construction too!) those minimal temp & pressure increases shown after almost an hour's riding strongly suggest that if you were running real tires, your cold start pressures would've been TOO HIGH and so you would have less traction, a harsher ride, greater risk of blow-outs/punctures from road debris, little hydroplaning resistance on wet roads, and greater wear rates et al than would be possibe at a more appropriate (ie, marginally LOWER!) pressure! And btw, the temp in the rear tire is NOT YET HIGH ENOUGH to properly activate the tread compound, but I'd bet it's only as high as it is because the centre 2-3" of the tread is being over-heated due to it being 'thrown out' as the tire rotates & so that bit is working/wearing more than it should & over-heating, but only bleeding a little into the rest of the tread!

If they were any other tires, I'd suggest that your front tires should be about 1-2psi LOWER when starting out cold (ie, about 17-18 psi); and that rear tire really should be about 1/2 to 1 psi LOWER when starting out cold (ie, about 26 psi)! While your rear tire temp & pressure increase is still a bit low, it is actually showing that it's getting somewhat closer to the ideal pressure than your fronts are - despite the excesive work/wear in the middle of the tread, the whole of the tread has barely got warm enough to work at all - the tread compound appears overall to still be very close to the ambient temp, which is NOT GOOD for all those reasons mentioned earlier!!

That said, given that they are Kendas, because of the way they are made & the risk that they aren't all that well constructed to boot, all bets are off.... . and while you might benefit from dropping the fronts a bit, (maybe even down to 17 psi? ) regardless of what pressure you run it at, that rear is STILL going to wear the centre of the tread as tho it's been over-inflated, even if you dropped it to 18 psi, and for a Kenda, that WOULD NOT BE GOOD! Even the best of those Kendas are constructed with materials that are about 1/3rd to 1/2 lighter/weaker than most other car tires are, so they really NEED to be close to about 18 psi up front and 26-30 psi in the rear just to carry the load; and if they do happen to be a set of well made tires from Kenda, something which used to be quite rare but is now a little less common, there's still no guarantee that changing their pressure would help much nor that they are any better made!

Sorry for the longish post . but I hope that helps some!!