VFR not triggering traffic light sensor

What do you guys do when you're stuck in front of a set of lights and you're bike does not set of the sensor?

Just run a red
Wait for another car to pull up
Just add some metal to the bottom of your bike
After market gadgets to help trigger the loop

Any other clever ways you guys came up with!!!

 

I've run into this situation more times than I can count. I and others I've been riding with have tried to get the cars behind us to pull up closer and help trigger the light. We either get ignored as a bunch of waving idiots, or they go around us and run the red light themselves. I don't think most cagers understand our occasional red light difficulties.

That being said, if you can see a good distance in both directions and it's light to no traffic anyway, hell yes I run it. If there's just too much traffic to safely do so I will turn right, pop a U, come back to said intersection and make another right. I have been thinking about one of them electronic gadgets for my VFR but haven't done much research into the matter so I don't know where to point you there. DON'T ADD MORE METAL TO YOUR BIKE!! It is unlikely that you will be able to add enough to make a difference without seriously affecting your center of gravity, thus making her an entirely different bike. Plus worse fuel mileage, where to stick all that extra steel, blah blah blah.

Hope that helps ya, use your own judgement, ride your ride, and good luck sir.

 

This problem has been discussed for more than 20 years on various motorcycle BB's. To trip the sensors, cover your helmet in aluminum foil. To trip the sensors even before reaching the intersection, a pair of TV rabbit ears connected to the foil with 300 ohm wire works wonders.

 

I was told to park over a corner of the loop if it's square or over as much as possible if it's round, don't stop in the box. Worked for me so far.

 

This is a thread that I posted a while back.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/general-vfr-discussions/22124-tired-being-skipped-stop-light.html

 

+1 forgot to mention that, I allways try to stop on the sensor strip if possible, good call Squamish.

 

It all depends on the situation. I've never ran into a problem in heavy traffic where it wouldn't trip as there is .... well heavy traffic including behind me. It usually happens to me late at night when nobody is on the roads. I'm patient and will wait two full cycles. If it doesn't trip by then, it isn't going to and then I safely make my way through the intersection.

I have noticed one thing that seems to help. Often when you pull up to a light you can see where the sensors are buried in the pavement via a circle, hexagon, or octagon. If I drive over the middle of the sensor, it doesn't always pick the bike up as well. If I position the bike so that I am over as much of it as possible (to the left or right side of the sensor), it seems to pick up that my bike is there much better. I have verified this at an intersection that regularly gives me trouble and the light triggers much more regularly for me when I am off to the side and over as much of the sensor as possible.

 

just flip down the kick stand run over and push the crosswalk signal button......... just kidding.... I had this happen tonight tried everything..... finally a couple of cars pulled up behind me and tripped it....normally I don't have a problem ...

 

First thing you do is get the light to change somehow. Second thing you do is to complain to the authority responsible for the lights. They are adjustable/ Many are now motion sensors so the cutouts in the pavement are just coincidence. I have had luck on both types to push backwards then creep up on the pad again or make some sort of movement within the field of the motion sensor. The motion sensor is usually high up near the actual light so watch for that there. There is no reason what so ever why a motorcycle should not trip these switches. If they don't, the authority operating these systems are only providing a reason and means for motorists to break the traffic laws. And I would keep a record of some sort of any complaint you register in the even it is not fixed, and you find yourself at the receiving end of a red light ticket. You can haul their asses into court to explain why the device was not fixed.

 

You could build a "finglonger" like the proffessor in futurama has. Use it to push the crosswalk button. Problem solved.

 

Or you could let one of your fingernails grow really long!

 

It's legal to run the red light if you are on a bike in TN.

 

In Florida I put the bike on the centerstand and had a smoke, when a cop stopped and asked what I was doing I told him the light would'nt change. He told me to wait a reasonable time and if it don't work go thru if there's no traffic, then when I got stopped in the future I gave his name and what he told me to do.

 

They talked about that becoming legal in CA a while ago, on the news. I had forgotten to check into it, I suppose I should google it and see what heppened to with that.

 

Is that a true story or a joke?
Either way, it's pretty damned funny.
Why would you choose the centerstand over the side stand?

 

You can get a green light trigger @ CYCLE GEAR. Attach it to the bottom of your bike somewhere. They're $15 or use a very large magnet.

 

On the bike, I just run the light as long as there isnt a red light camera mounted there. Seriously tho, if your a law abiding citizen and all you could try stopping on the cut lines where they cut and removed the tarmac. It works for me.

 

It's hard to sit on bikes leaning on the sidestand. If your going to fight a red light ticket, having the cops name and his explanation of what he said to do goes a long way in court. True story. We allso reported our helmets stolen one night so we could ride without them, they told us we could ride home without them but be carefull. Best one was a cop that pulled up after I fell over at a red light (my friend was laughing his ass off) cop thought I was drunk. I had bell bottoms on (the 70s) when I got on my CL350 the pant leg went over the kick start, I couldn't put my foot down and just fell over.

 

What the cop said you could or could not do, may play a factor at sentencing but cannot be used in the actual trial. That is hearsay evidence and not admissible anywhere in the western world that I am aware of. The person who makes the statement must be present when this evidence is submitted. The judge or JP may convict, but give an absolute discharge because of what the cop said, but this would be given in summation and not under oath in evidence. But I agree with your thought on this.

I suppose one might successfully argue that seeing as the bike would not trigger the change, then the light is inoperable. When there is a power failure, and the lights are inoperable, the four way stop procedure comes into play. You may argue this point in court should you get a ticket, even if it were the camera type. However, I would hope that if you gave an honest explanation to a police officer who were to pull you over in such a case, he would have the decency to give you the benefit of the doubt and he take the next step to notify the authority to fix the light.

 

Since it was a common problem where I lived if I had to go to court I would've got a statement from the cop, I had his name + date and time and my friend worked for signal contruction, I dought he would've lied and I was getting to be a court expert in those days. In the 70s Harley bikers were raising hell in Fl. and if you rode a bike and had long hair you were a target, even thou I rode Honda's. Since you don't need insurance in Florida on MCs we never cared about anything but points.