I took a SPA thermal couple and hung it down 2 inches below my frame and get "road surface temperatures"; works great. Not uncommon to see 3 to 4 degree differences from the OEM temperature, in front of the radiator, and my frame temperature. The roads tend to hold heat; but in the morning the temperature gradient changes. I did not say this was a cheap alternative; I just had an extra guage that had pressure on top and temp on the bottom so I utilized the temperature system.