The rubber tire valves that come stock with my 2008 Street Glide is just another concern while you're riding down the road. I want to install the hard type tire valves; the new ones come in colors and right angles, etc. Also, with this type of valve, you can try out the new form of tire pressure monitoring. I still have plenty of life in my present tires so putting the new valves in while replacing the tires is not an option. My question is whether one can just deflate the tire, leaving it on the bike, and somehow push the tire enough to expose the valve, removing it and replacing same with the new valve? Mission impossible? Should I just forget it for now and wait till the tires need replacement?

 

If you have tubeless tires like on mags but NOT on spokes, you may get away with doing it as you suggested but you have to break the bead from the rim in order to get to the valve. If you use the valves that extend to the side, be very careful of interference with the brake caliper in the rear, they will contact the caliper if you use the wrong one. I hope you aren't referring to the "monitoring" system that is the one with the pop up that mounts on the valve, if it is save your money for chrome instead.

Generally the rubber valves you mentioned are the stems on tubes and not the valve assembly found on mags that can be replaced.

Give a bit more info about the bike when asking a question. Granted the SG has mags if they are stock wheels.

 

Thanks Peppi for your reply. Here's some add'l info on the bike.
The wheels are stock from the factory on the '08 SG. The valves are the typical cheap rubber valves that are usually replaced at tire changing time. The TPM device that I was referring to was the TireGard type where the valve cap is replaced with one that acts as a sensor to measure the air pressure and send it to a display monitor(I have heard good and bad reviews on this particular setup; and there are other systems out there that might be better); not the popup valve caps. BTW, Chrome Rims on a SG seem like a waste-you cannot see the beauty of a chrome rear wheel 'cause it's covered by the saddle bag and the front wheel in chrome would show the rim and not the spokes or other design for the twin brake discs are in the way.

 

I've been around bikes for quite a while and haven't heard many if any problems associated with the valve itself. As far as the monitoring sensors, IMO I think it's a bit of overkill and not needed. A tire pressure gauge used before rides will do the same thing. If you loose pressure while riding for some reason, you will usually feel it in the way the bike rides and handles.

 

A good old fashioned tire gauge is all I'll ever need.

 

We just bought a new car with tyre pressure monitoring on it. The beauty of it is it tells you when tyre pressure drops. That gives advance warning of a flat, but should also give better tyre life, if pressures drop below optimum, as they do over time. So I see tham as a good thing! If the warning light comes on, that is time to get out the olf fashioned gauge, to check what is going on!