Has anyone tried those things that are supposed to trip traffic sensors @ red lights?
 

Today I had to wait for 2 cycles of a light for a car to pull up in the turn lane next to me before a light would change. I could see where the traffic sensor was in the road, and I was dead square on top of it, but the light didn't change for me. Anyone tried these things, and do they work?

Thanks, Jay

I believe that it is just a big magnet that bolts to the bottom of the engine block and helps trip the sensors. Supposedly, many of the pavement sensors work by sensing a hunk of iron above them (maybe they sense the change in magnetic field like a big metal detector) and many motorcycles just don't have enough iron to trip some of them (there were a couple in my my city that always gave me problems).

A couple of years ago, I stopped by the county sheriff's office and politely explained my problem. Since many of the officers rode bikes too they were aware of the problem and told me to wait a little while and if the light didn't change, I could look both ways and proceed (go) even if the light was still red.

They were reasonable and acknowledged that some signals were faulty- and gave a way to work around them. Hopefully your local police will do the same if you stop by and chat with them nicely.

After talking to a few friends, and reading a Wiki article on the subject, I'm going to build my own with two of these:

https://www.allelectronics.com/mas_as...49,mag_112.jpg
https://www.allelectronics.com/make-a...-X-1/8//1.html
and I'm going to enclose them in this box, which I will attach to the bottom of the bike:

https://www.allelectronics.com/mas_as...0,1551_kbk.jpg
https://www.allelectronics.com/make-a...-X-0.8//1.html

Bicyclists have the same problem but much more severely. Many lights around here have a bicycle painted on the pavement in a spot where the sensor is most sensitive. Bicyclists also have the advantage that they can lay the bike down to put more metal closer to the road, although that may only work for steel-framed bikes.

I believe the inductive loop technology that they use is similar to a metal detector, FWIW.

I read a few possibilities in the Wiki article. One of the things they mentioned was to put a magnet salvaged from a junked hard drive in the heel of your boot, and when you stop, put your heel right down on the induction loop. I decided to put magnets on the bottom of the bike though.

Magboots FTW!
https://home.comcast.net/~abunny2000/...n/PDVD_165.jpg

Yeah, but I can't just turn the camera sideways... ;)

try going smack in the middle of the loop instead of on the edge.

(like the ol magnet in the coil of wire induces a voltage, doesnt work when you rest the magnet outside the loop)

All the lights here use the dual loop (where 2 wires are buried in the center of the box) and I've tried to line up right in the center each time, but this time the light didn't change.

I always park it right on the induction wire and never seem to have a problem. The Buell does have that big exhaust can hanging four inches from the pavement though.
With the Triumph I would shut it off and restart it, somebody said somewhere that energizing the starter sets the loop off. Although it seemed to work, I'm not sure about it.

Jim

Yeah, I've been parking right on the loop as well. I don't think I'll have a problem once I mount the two 3" neodymium magnets on the bottom.

Another thing I read says that if you put your kickstand down, and lay it right on the induction loop that works sometimes too.

lol has anyone with a small car had trouble triggering them? once or twice in the chevette Ive had that problem.

I've read that magnets on the bottom of the car help small cars too.

From what I've read the magnets should be placed under the rocker panels on either side of the car.

Just put the kickstand down directly where the sensor wire is. No magnets needed.

True story...

One night back about 1979 or so, a friend and I were riding out to the local (Glendora, CA) pizza place (Zio's) for pizza and beer. Each of us was carrying a passenger (both of our passengers also rode). I was riding a Yamaha XS-400, my friend was riding a Kawasaki KZ-400.

We pulled into the left-hand turn lane, and sat squarely within the coil for the sensor. We sat there for two cycles of the traffic light, waiting for the left-turn arrow. Finally, we decided to just go...we waited until it was safe to proceed, and turned. At that moment, a Glendora P.D. patrol car pulled up behind us. We were stopped in front of Zio's. One of the two cops in the car actually had the ticket book out and was ready to cite us for turning against the arrow. One of our passengers started to argue with the cop, who claimed that his Honda 750 would trip the signal. My passenger (the arguer) agreed, saying his Honda 750 would as well, but he would be quite willing to go to court to state that these two bikes didn't trip it.

Long story short, that cop actually put away his ticket book w/o writing us any tickets.

Re: Has anyone tried those things that are supposed to trip traffic sensors @ red lig
 

Joe Bob I do the same thing you did. If the light makes a complete cycle whether I'm on my motorcycle or in one of my cars and it doesn't give me my greem light I'm going to check to see if everything is clear and go on. There's a light coming out of the hospital parking lot where my wife works that I've ran several times, because it just wouldn't change from red to green. I've also found with some of the local lights it takes more than one vehicle to trigger the lights into changing, in those cases I back up and run over the sensor again to trigger the light if no one else comes up behind me to trigger it.

Re: Has anyone tried those things that are supposed to trip traffic sensors @ red lig
 

Lights that won't change for a car should be reported to the DOT (or equivalent department whatever its name is). They are malfunctioning.

Re: Has anyone tried those things that are supposed to trip traffic sensors @ red lig
 

What if they won't change for a scooter or bicycle? :)

Re: Has anyone tried those things that are supposed to trip traffic sensors @ red lig
 

hop off and walk it as a pedestrian, hop back on when across the intersection. I'd imagine an iron-based kick stand would work, as would magnets on the bottom, same as the other bikes.

I usually plan my route to avoid the bad lights around town unless there's someone behind me, in which case I pull as far forward as is safe. luckily all the bad lights are avoidable for me.

Re: Has anyone tried those things that are supposed to trip traffic sensors @ red lig
 

How about clipless pedal cleats?
https://drivemybike.files.wordpress.c...atcompare1.jpg

Re: Has anyone tried those things that are supposed to trip traffic sensors @ red lig
 

I'd rather put a rare earth magnet in the heel of my boot.

Re: Has anyone tried those things that are supposed to trip traffic sensors @ red lig
 

I've been using a Signal Sorcerer for more than 5 years now on 3 different bikes ('01 Triumph Thunderbird, '82 Kawasaki Spectre and '08 Triumph Scrambler, my current ride) and they do work. As you said, they are basically just a powerful magnet that you affix to the lowest point of the bike and try to position right over the wires of the induction loop. I would say they work on 95% of the lights around here.

In most cases I rode the bike for several weeks before getting the SS so I was able to ride to the intersections without the SS and then with it, and the difference was dramatic.

The older SS was a rectangular strip that seemed to fit well on the frame of the bike. The newer one I got for my Scrambler is a round disc. IMO it's not as easy to stick onto the frame. It also doesn't work as well, although that could also be because the bottom of the Scrambler frame is farther from the road.

Nevertheless, I swear by them. Yes, they do work.