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"Trigger Green Traffic Lights"

  • Thread starter Thread starter bexabarr
  • Start date Start date
You can also just hit your starter button for a second (yes while the bikes running) and the starter motors electric field will trigger the light as well as these magnets. Try to get your bike near the tape also. That's how I do it.
 
I have never tried that brand, but I did have a large magnet tie-wrapped to the centerstand on my Kaw Voyager. It seemed to work on a couple of lights around here, but a better solution is to talk to the city or county engineering office to see who is responsible for adjusting the sensitivity of the sensors. By law, they should trip for any vehicle that is allowed to use the road, so they need to know that it is not set properly. If you have the time, offer to go with them to the intersection so that they can use your bike for testing.


.
 
I tried the magnet, it helped some. A tip from a user here: pop the center stand down while you wait, it triggers them. (just kick it down till it touches, you are already offcenter near the edges as a smart biker... not sitting in the oil in the middle of the lane.)

Works too!
 
Maybe its one of the perks of riding an older bike. I've never encountered a problem with my 850.
 
Gave up and had to run a red the other day. Tried the starter, tried rolling over the seams, just would not stinkin' change...
 
In the motorcycle class, they said that it was legal to go on a red light if you are certain that it is a sensor light, and if you have been there for 45 seconds or more. In Wisconsin anyway..
 
Yeah I was stuck there probably 2 minutes. By that time I felt pretty justified in running it, law or not... And it was perfectly safe, good visibility, low traffic....
 
I like the quote in the Hough book...

I like the quote in the Hough book...

talking about the growing amounts of double-yellow lines on 2 lane road ways not leaving much passing options. Goes on to say that its up to the rider if you want to stay stuck behind slow traffic or pass on the double yellow....

says something like--its no more 'illegal' to pass on the double yellow than it is to speed. probably goes for redlights that won't change. Every now and then there's one here in Colorado Springs that sticks on red...even at 4AM with NO other cars coming in the cross-direction. Look around for cops and run it.
 
Nicholaschase29 said:
In the motorcycle class, they said that it was legal to go on a red light if you are certain that it is a sensor light, and if you have been there for 45 seconds or more. In Wisconsin anyway..
Click to expand...

In my class in Maine they said it is illegal to run the red no matter what AND it's illegal to use the trigger device! WTF? :confused:
 
After waiting 7 minutes for the light to change (32nd and Sheridan - for Colorado people), I told my passenger to, "hold on a second", put the kickstand down, got off the bike and pushed the pedestrian "Walk" button. ...She thought it was pretty funny.:-D
 
zach_denver said:
After waiting 7 minutes for the light to change (32nd and Sheridan - for Colorado people), I told my passenger to, "hold on a second", put the kickstand down, got off the bike and pushed the pedestrian "Walk" button. ...She thought it was pretty funny.:-D
Click to expand...

Ooh, I gotta try that one...
 
they just passed a new law here in Texas requiring smart (HA!) lights to be able to detect and switch for motorcycles. (power in numbers!)

Lights known not to switch for motorcycles have been switched to dumb timer mode and now rotate green based on a set timer and not by the magnetic sensors.(till they can be updated)

pretty much all the new signals going up around here use machine vision now instead of magnetic sensors. they have cameras that "see" when something is at the light and also are programable to adapt for the changing traffic patterns.
 
And riding with traffic, I find that some drivers will stay so far back from my bike (at least they showed some consideration, right?), that I was stuck up at the induction zone with cars waiting behind me and a light that wouldn't change. I inch up past the stop line and motion the driver to move up right behind my bike. That freaks'em out. Some have no idea what I'm trying to get them to do and keep as far away from me as possible.

My MSF instructor -bound to give us lawful instructions- just told us to turn right at the red and detour around the light.
 
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A well-adjusted sensor will trip for a bicycle. Ones near my house do it all the time.
 
MalFet said:
My MSF instructor -bound to give us lawful instructions- just told us to turn right at the red and detour around the light.
Click to expand...

My story too but I'm still going to try the magnet as I found a huge old one off a 2way car antenna that sticks magnetically to my exhaust crossover. I will go to the three intersections I know can't read my bike.

Okay I tried it and no difference. I left it on for a month and somehow it just disappeared? So I don't think it is worth anything.
 
Last edited:
Go for it!

Go for it!

Nicholaschase29 said:
In the motorcycle class, they said that it was legal to go on a red light if you are certain that it is a sensor light, and if you have been there for 45 seconds or more. In Wisconsin anyway..
Click to expand...

It's legal in a few states but not many (you can Google for a list). I got a ticket for running a light last year and beat it in court. I run them every single time and have complained to the city several times...I've also gotten more talented at looking for cops so have had no more problems.:-D

EDIT: I just checked and found that it's legal in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Idaho. (It failed, miserably, several years ago in California.)
 
Last edited:
I bought on of the mentioned devices, put it on the G centrestand and found no difference whatever.

I tried a bigger magnet on the GK, and had similar results.

I tend to agree that it is the sensitivity that is set, and here o one pays attention to motorcycles, so most of the lights do not detect them.

I usually expect a car or truck to roll up behind me, but several times this has not happened, and then I just look for a break and drive through.
 
My understanding is that it has nothing to do with magnetic fields from the vehicle. Rather it is simply a matter of interupting the electromagnetic field of the inductive loop. If you haven't triggered the light, chances are you just need to move closer to or farther from the loop. Any metal, not just iron, should do.

PS: I believe MCN published an article on this very topic in the last 12 months. It was very informative and they worked with a city and their engineers to get the real scoop.
 
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