Maybe you guys have the answer to this one. There's a bunch of stoplights in my neighborhood that do not pick up my VFR750 on their under street sensors. It's mostly bad at night when there are no cars to trip the light behind me & I end up just running the light. In California thats an automatic $500 fine. I called the city & they said it would be fixed...that was 10 months ago. I even asked a cop (at a donut shop, no shit) and he said that it was a crap shoot & I should just hope that the officer was in a good mood that day. I've seen ebay listings for a doodad that you can stick under the bike that makes you visible to the sensors. Anybody tried one of these things? Any other suggestions? Seems to me hoping for a happy cop isn't very satisfactory! Thanks
try putting both feet down on the pad that will complete "the circuit" there is a thread on here about the same thing.
Forget the doo dads. Go get some of those round shinny earth magnets. They look like a blank for a quarter and are super strong magnet. I put like six on the underside of my frame. Do not get them near heat because all magnets will loose their magnetism when heated. They are supposed to interfere with the electric field in the wire buried in the road. Which a lot of metal, like a car does. Seems to work if you have enough. I have two lights by me I never could trip. They do now. Either the city upped the intensity of the lights or the magnets work. I don't seem to be struck at lights anymore other places either.There are write ups on the web about doing this. That's were I found it. Google is your fiend.
I thought there was a post on here, maybe VFRD, regarding the actual law and how an MC can go on the red light if, A) the sensor didn't pick up your presence and B) there was sufficient time that had elapsed without the sensor detecting you. I've heard some people say that they put down their kick stand on top of the sensor to allow it to detect the bike. Not sure if that really works, I recall trying it but then a vehicle came up from behind, thus nullifying the action. If magnets do work, I'm wondering if magnets from computer Hard Drives would be a good choice. Those friggin' things are strong. Gave myself a blood blister once when the two halves I was trying to pry apart snapped back together pinching my finger, OUCH! I have a handful of old HDs that are pretty useless now a days, too little drive space to be practical. Some have just given up the ghost.
I tried that once Grey but it really didn't work out to well. Funny thing about magnets is they don't stick to an aluminum frame,or an aluminum swingarm,or an aluminum motor case either. :lol: True story Double O. I was stopped at a red light when a motorcycle cop pulled up alongside me. Oncoming traffic could proceed through the intersection but since there were no other vehicles behind us to trip the light it never changed to green. I waited through four light changes before I turned to the cop and said "You gonna give me a ticket if I run this red light?" He said "No". I then said "You gonna wait here until the light changes to green?" He said "Yes". I thought about it for a moment and said "Well in that case maybe I better stay here and keep you company". He broke out laughing,gave his throttle a blip,and said "C'mon" and we both rode through that red light together.
Be careful listening to what someone says about going through red lights. What OOTVS is saying could hold true in one jurisdiction but may not in another. Example, you can lane split under certain situations in California. I am not sure if you can anywhere else, certainly not a lot of places. You can also make a u-turn at a controlled intersection on a left turn signal in California. Few other places have that one on their books either. In Quebec, unless there is a sign that says you can, you cannot turn right on a red light. So know the local law before you go through any red lights. What is interesting to note though, some traffic laws are absolute liability, meaning if you perform an unlawful act, you have committed the offence. Such as speeding. Speed limit is 60. If it is proven your were doing 61, you are guilty. But most laws are written in a manner that if you do something "without lawful excuse", you commit an offence. I would argue, but don't know if I would win, if you sat at a traffic light through a few cycles, and your bike did not trigger the sensor, then I would suggest that a deficient piece of equipment was preventing you from lawfully proceeding. Therefore, you waited a reasonable time, watched for a safe moment, and exercising Due Care and Attention, I proceeded through the red light. But if you know the light is not operating according to expected standards, take it up with the authority responsible and do not allow them to say "It is what it is" I had that very message deliver to me by one of our city traffic engineers one time when I phoned to complain that my bike would not trigger the sensor. He actually told me to go through the red light. I came right out and told him what I did for a living a couple years previous to this and suggested his advise was negligent and a letter would be sent to the Mayor's office as well as the local Police Office, the one I had worked at, advising them of his response, if the sensors were not fixed within a week. They were fixed by the next day when I went to work. Traffic lights are purchased and maintained by taxes. Guess who pays those. Some are gasoline taxes which you pay for the gas in the bike. The traffic control devises must work to satisfy all traffic, not just the mega vehicles.
Good points Randy. The laws from state to state do differ. What I recall was that someone had posted an article about a new amendment to a law that exempted MCs from being ticketed for running through a red light with the specific criteria mentioned in my post. It was not about CA but IL or VA. I did look up the law in CA and thought I downloaded from the CA DMV or CHP websites an excerpt of a similar law in CA but I can't seem to find it on my computer.
In NC they have added a defense for running a red light. But as a defense it means that after you get your ticket you can try and use this. § 20‑158. (e) Defense. – It shall be a defense to a violation of sub‑subdivision (b)(2)a. of this section if the operator of a motorcycle, as defined in G.S. 20‑4.01(27)d., shows all of the following: (1) The operator brought the motorcycle to a complete stop at the intersection or stop bar where a steady red light was being emitted in the direction of the operator. (2) The intersection is controlled by a vehicle actuated traffic signal using an inductive loop to activate the traffic signal. (3) No other vehicle that was entitled to have the right‑of‑way under applicable law was sitting at, traveling through, or approaching the intersection. (4) No pedestrians were attempting to cross at or near the intersection. (5) The motorcycle operator who received the citation waited a minimum of three minutes at the intersection or stop bar where the steady red light was being emitted in the direction of the operator before entering the intersection.
If the lights are all in your town, you could writing the DOT. Send it certified, RRR. Send the same letter again 2 weeks later. Maybe - and its a big maybe - if you got ticketed for "running" one of the lights you could pass copies of your letters along to the judge. Having an official record of a complaint to any town or municipality usually get some results. It might help... Of course, they could say you never stopped to begin with, or ran the light at 5mph, or stopped and went immediately, etc. - in which case all the letters in the world won't mean squat.
Funny thing about magnets. They stick to steel frames on the Gen 1's. With enough of then you will either trip the light or bring home plenty of extra car parts.:second: Centerstand may be or on the bolts that hold them. Put a tin plate on the bottom of the fairing or what ever. magnets will then stick to that. Try it and see if it works first. You may need more than just a couple.
I like that one. Also worthy of note, many places are replacing the under the pavement sensors with I believe infrared sensors mounted well above the traffic on the overhanging light standard. These will detect the presence of vehicles that come to the stop line rather than the magnetic switch. While these in theory work very well, and maybe they do work well most places, anywhere that has a lot of precipitation and use sand or grit on their roads in colder weather, they have problems with them. Even though they are mounted high, a am convinced a mist of dirty water vapours does make its way up there and in time, the sensors on these become less sensitive as well. Basically, whom ever is responsible for these traffic control devices should just do their jobs and get out there and service them. And we as motorist, should tell them there is a problem. Don't just sit there and swear at it or blow it off. It is not a problem if you don't tell someone it is a problem.
I don't know if this actually works or if it is coincidence but I have good luck spinning the starter. I read somewhere that the electrical field is picked up by the sensor.
:lol:^^^^^ Removed my centerstand Grey,never used it unless I was in the garage performing maintenance. Figured there was no sense lugging around that 4 lbs of extra weight while I'm out riding if I'm not using it. Bought a Biketek rear stand instead. Don't have any bolts to stick those magnets on either,replaced all the hardware that I could with Titanium. Wouldn't you know it,magnets don't stick to Titanium either. Was out in the garage this afternoon doing some rear brake work and took a good look at the underside of the lower frame cradle. Kinda crowded under there but with the centerstand removed there's now some space available on the left side. Think I'm gonna install some 3M two sided tape there and stick some magnets to that. Gonna give your idea a try and see if it works. :thumbsup:
I knew you guys were the ones to ask. I run into this all over San Diego, so posting a letter to all of the city traffic managers in every burg isn't realistic. I have a bunch of those super magnets laying around the shop...guess I'll give 'em a try. Sitting at a stoplight for three cycles at 2:00am really pisses me off. The one that really grabs me has ticketing cameras on it. Thanks for the answers guys, as always, VFRW's crew has been an invaluable asset!
