"Trigger Green Traffic Lights"

[themess]

A well-adjusted sensor will trip for a bicycle. Ones near my house do it all the time.

[twistedwankel]

My MSF instructor -bound to give us lawful instructions- just told us to turn right at the red and detour around the light.

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.

[chuckycheese]

Go for it!

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..

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.)

[argonsagas]

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.

[MelodicMetalGod]

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.

[jpaul]

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.

You are correct in that the detectors work by sensing the interruption of the electromagnetic field of the inductive loop. A magnet will have a greater effect on that field than another piece of metal with the same mass. Iron and steel will have a greater effect than aluminum. I've had some success by positioning my bike so the crankshaft is directly over the loop, as close to the corner as possible. This should maximize the effect that my bike has on the sensor, but if the sensitivity is set low enough it still won't trip the light.

[MelodicMetalGod]

You are correct in that the detectors work by sensing the interruption of the electromagnetic field of the inductive loop. A magnet will have a greater effect on that field than another piece of metal with the same mass. Iron and steel will have a greater effect than aluminum. I've had some success by positioning my bike so the crankshaft is directly over the loop, as close to the corner as possible. This should maximize the effect that my bike has on the sensor, but if the sensitivity is set low enough it still won't trip the light.

Agreed. However, the real issue is the sensitivity of the sensor. If there is a sensor that is truly suspect, the best (and least costly) course of action is to contact whatever governing body controls the sensor and aske them to adjust it properly.

[82Shafty]

There is a light like that by my house and I have had to blow it several times.


Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

[MelodicMetalGod]

There is a light like that by my house and I have had to blow it several times.


Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

I've blown a static red light exactly once. Waited for about 5 minutes on cold rainy night after 1 am, no other traffic anywhere...except for one car that was about 1 mile away when I finally decided to roll against the red. Result: 1 ticket. The car that I saw so far away was a cop. He pulled up at the next light and wrote me a ticket in spite of my explanation. And cops wonder why they don't have more fans!!!

[RevRoy]

I used to be a cop, and I never stopped a biker who ran a red light. I knew whey there were running it. I was a motor officer, and I personally knew of several traffic control lights that would not react to a Harley. The citizens used to wonder why the wheel cops ran certain red lights.

I have found that lowering the center-stand works on some lights but not on others. On the others, I simply treat them as a Stop Sign. If you have to run a red light because it will not sense your bike, and if a cop stops you, the question to ask is, 'How long do I have to stay stopped?'

If you plead "Not Guilty," in my area the judges ask what happened, then dismiss the ticket.

[crabtrap]

I sat at a light at 4:00am for 5mins! so finally i want through,right across the street was a cop (i did not see,but he watched me the whole time) he pulled me over searched my bike (pulled seat)
and flat bedded it to impound.so be careful

[carzar252]

there are a few lights that I am finding in reno that muck up my riding time to time. my buddy works for the city and he gave me some tips (he rides too)

1. if there are camaras on the light post get in the center of the lane, that helps.
2. if there is an octagonal cut out on the ground in the lane, get right over it.
3. if that shiza doesnt work, be carefull and go for it.
4. watch out for the fuzz.

[Matchless]

Some more interesting views here: http://www.diylife.com/2007/09/24/tr...raffic-lights/

[spyug]

For a cheap source of the magnets used in the commercial green light triggers found in the M/C mags and of the same type as mentioned in that article grab a defective computer harddrive. Crack the case and you will see a platter (the disk) with a stylus (writing arm) poised over it. The contraption looks like an old record player. Where the arm is fixed to the drive casing are two opposed magnets. Unscrew the fitting and remove the magnets.

The magnets are affixed to metal brackets which you can trim away to suit your fitting to the bike frame or center stand.

If you don't have a defective drive stop in at the local computer repair store they will have a ton of them lying around and you should be able to get one for cheap.

Recycle...reuse....words to live by.

Cheers,
Spyug.

[seekinsoul]

For a cheap source of the magnets used in the commercial green light triggers found in the M/C mags and of the same type as mentioned in that article grab a defective computer harddrive. Crack the case and you will see a platter (the disk) with a stylus (writing arm) poised over it. The contraption looks like an old record player. Where the arm is fixed to the drive casing are two opposed magnets. Unscrew the fitting and remove the magnets.

The magnets are affixed to metal brackets which you can trim away to suit your fitting to the bike frame or center stand.

If you don't have a defective drive stop in at the local computer repair store they will have a ton of them lying around and you should be able to get one for cheap.

Recycle...reuse....words to live by.

Cheers,
Spyug.

I never thought of that. I have at least one dead HD lying around (hard drive, not the other HD, lol). That will save me a few bucks, which is always good