Total Motorcycle Community Forums

So its 12:30 AM and no ones around me. I'm in the left turning lane.... for about 8 minutes and NO ONE is coming. The light just will not turn green.

So I make a right turn instead (while in the left turning lane) then took an alternative route.

Is there a camera or something that doesn't detect motorcycles? How can I make it turn green?

Jas0n wrote:So its 12:30 AM and no ones around me. I'm in the left turning lane.... for about 8 minutes and NO ONE is coming. The light just will not turn red.

So I make a right turn instead (while in the left turning lane) then took an alternative route.

Is there a camera or something that doesn't detect motorcycles? How can I make it turn green?

There's a device buried in the road that detects vehicles either by capacitance or magnetic field.

Unfortunately, bikes don't have enough metal (steel, really) to trip these devices.

Some companies sell doodads you can attach to your bike, but I don't think of any of them actually do anything.

Your choices are pretty much to run the light, wait for another car to come behind you, or do what you did.

This was brought up in my BRC. The instructor said you can try buying a magnet. He also said to call the owner of the light (city, township etc) and let them know that it didn't register to your bike. They are supposed to be able to adjust the sensitivity. One other solution was to place your bike near the top left of the sensor area (if you can identify it).

I believe that the motorcycle handbook here says that you are to wait for 2 complete light "cycles" and if it doesn't pick you up, you can safely run the light.

Look up at the traffic light. If there is a camera pointing down at you, don't run it. If there isn't, run the damn thing, no one's around to care.

I'm assuming the sensor in your area is the same system as the one here in Toronto.
Look for a box shaped tar snake in the lane and stop your bike directly over one of the tar lines. Some bikes will trip the sensor. I ride a Vulcan 500 and here in Toronto my bike has tripped the sensor every time. If your bike won't trip the sensor then try dropping the kickstand right on the tar line. If neither trick works then carry a BB gun and shoot out the red light.

I always used the starter button trick over the lines, to kick out loads of magnetic fields to trip the induction loop

I just stop on the tar'd lines. never had one not trip yet.

I always used the starter button trick over the lines, to kick out loads of magnetic fields to trip the induction loop

Sorry to be a noob but what's the starter button trick

Pull the clutch and get off the throttle as you approach, and wait for the revs to drop to your bikes idling speed, then push the starter button as you go over the sensor