Topic: green light trigger

[WFO]

Is this thing BS?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GREEN-LIGHT-TRIGGER-HONDA-CB650-CB-650-NIGHTHAWK_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ34284QQihZ023QQitemZ360058858349QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

[Bob Wessner]

Save your money.

[WFO]

I thought it was BS (just wondered)

[bender01]

They just passed a law here in SC that cycles and scooters can  go through a red light if safe. Because of that sensor thing. Is that legal elsewhere? 

[Joel]

Has anyone had a problem with the sensor driven lights while riding these old cycles?

[MoTo-BunnY]

Gawd, I get stuck at lights ALL the time around here in Portland. I even have a "list" of lights that I refuse to even try to do a left turn at, because of being repeatedly stuck at one that absolutely refuses to change for me (like 82nd and Powell, for instance). I have done everything that is supposed to help - hover over the magnetic ring thingies off-center, roll repeatedly over them back and forth, curse profusely in multiple languages, you name it - but nothing seems to work on some of them. 

Not only is it damned aggravating and makes you look retarded stranded there, but also totally unsafe stuck in traffic with a light that won't change - a sitting duck to some dolt in an SUV gabbing on a cell phone not paying attention, ready to run over you with 4000# of metal        good times. .  . .

Its the 21st f'ing century and we STILL can't use technology to make traffic lights recognize vehicles are waiting there and change? (let alone, the joys of being stuck waiting forever at a red light late at night with not another vehicle around, anywhere other than yourself, finally to get the green only to roll down the block and catching the very next light, AGAIN with no one but yourself for miles around - yeah, THAT's fuel efficient .  . . )

[/rant]     

[Steelo]

Here in Western Australia major intersections have a marking to position your bike in the lane to trigger the sensor. Other lights you have to hope someone pulls up behind you or opposite you in the oncoming lane.

[MoTo-BunnY]

Here in Western Australia major intersections have a marking to position your bike in the lane to trigger the sensor. Other lights you have to hope someone pulls up behind you or opposite you in the oncoming lane.

Kinda related, but not really. .  .lol. . .is that I just read how some parts of Australia had signals like this, "back in the day" (up until the early 70s, I think it said?)



pretty funky and kinda cool - I like how you would know how much longer you had to wait and how long the yellow lasted.   

[troppo]

well i`ve never seen anything like that, but then i was only born in the late sixties

[Steve F]

Has anyone had a problem with the sensor driven lights while riding these old cycles?

Most of the traffic lights in the Chicago area work at sensing the bike, but there are a few that refuse.  I think the buried wire in the pavement is going to be phased out soon, and they're installing infrared sensors that look like cameras that target specific lanes or areas of the pavement.  They usually mount them on the light poles across the intersection pointing in your direction. Those seem to work quite well, and are easier to maintain.

[UnCrash]

Here in Maine, I've found that some sensors aren't very ~ sensitive...

I position my bike right on top of either the left or right side of the sensor wire and keep my revs up at 2500. 

Ususlly works for me.

[WFO]

Ya i was surfing ebay and found that (thingie) and said boy wouldn't that be cool (if it worked) and yes here in colorado i have found a few lights that don't recognize a 500lbs motorcycle it's kinda irritating i think here they are pressure sensors i look for the square and place my bike on top of it with no success. It is pretty dangerous to force a biker to run a red and i would bet a cop not buying the (light wouldn't change) story.

[jtb]

well i`ve never seen anything like that, but then i was only born in the late sixties

Troppo, your use of the term "old fart" is an affront to us REAL Old Farts.  (born in the 40's) 

[troppo]

Sorry jtb, but i get called a grumpy old fart at work when i try to tell the apprentices at work that cleaning up after yourself and respect for equipment are important work ethics........
I gues there "old farts" and "ancient farts" hehehehehehe

[Chad]

My Honda (Accord) doesn't set off a few red lights around here. I've sat at a left turn arrow for 3 cycles before finally running the red light.

[kghost]

Definitely worse on a 350F 

Some that will change on a 750 won't on the 350....and then theres some that won't change no matter what the bike....

Only bike I could get to consistently trigger the magnetic gate at my shop was the Goldwing....

I feel your pain...I have to ride thru the grass and push the gate button to even get out on the road.

[Topher]

I teach electrical apprentices here in Oregon. Many of our electricians are hired to install these sensors, I've even install one myself. Knowing how they work, I thought I'd buy on of those triggering devices (a different brand than the original post). It's just a strong magnet, which would work if it could somehow be isolated from the rest of the bike. Since it's attached to the bike (separated by a plastic case) it adds it's magnetic field to the bikes field. This is a bit like peeing in the ocean to try and change the tides. I did notice an improvement on a couple of signals around Portland, but I still found a couple that wouldn't trip.

[OldSchool_IsCool]

I teach electrical apprentices here in Oregon. Many of our electricians are hired to install these sensors, I've even install one myself. Knowing how they work, I thought I'd buy on of those triggering devices (a different brand than the original post). It's just a strong magnet, which would work if it could somehow be isolated from the rest of the bike. Since it's attached to the bike (separated by a plastic case) it adds it's magnetic field to the bikes field. This is a bit like peeing in the ocean to try and change the tides. I did notice an improvement on a couple of signals around Portland, but I still found a couple that wouldn't trip.

Maybe a strong horse shoe magnet built into the heal of your riding boot??

[silentone]

Most of the lights near my office won't change for me.  I've often sat through 2 or 3 cycles before someone comes up behind me and it changes.  Also, the security gate at my apartments will not open for my bike.  I had to get a remote control from management (for $40) so that I can trigger the entrance gate and ride out that side.

[Raul CB750K1]

From what I know, those sensor are wire loops. Thus, the best way to trigger them is to position the metal in the center of the loop. It is easy to see the cuts in the asphalt from where the wire is buried.

We had a problem in our garage door. Sometimes, when the car was manoevring, it won't cut the infrared and the door would start closing, and a couple of times it hit the car. So we installed wire loops in the garage, in such a way that when the car is manouevring the door won't go down.

The hard part was to fine tune the sensitivity. Too much sensitivity and the door closing down would be sensed as a car, and the door would start opening again in a never-ending cycle. Too little sensitivity and the car wouldn't be detected. The hysteresys cycle was very narrow. It also depended on the temperature. Finally, we had to cut new grooves in the floor to make a smaller loop, further from the door, and now it works fine.

[MoTo-BunnY]

From what I know, those sensor are wire loops. Thus, the best way to trigger them is to position the metal in the center of the loop. It is easy to see the cuts in the asphalt from where the wire is buried.

That's interesting advice as our own ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) recommends doing the exact opposite (i.e. positioning your motorcycle off-center of the loop)

(below quote from page 23 of Oregon Motorcycle & Moped Manual - 2006-2009 found at: http://www.odot.state.or.us/forms/dmv/6367.pdf

"Many intersections have an electric sensor,
called a “loop,” which is a wire imbedded (sic* - LOL)
in the road surface to trigger a traffic light.
Sometimes these sensors have trouble
detecting motorcycles. Oregon usually uses
two loop designs; round and diamond. The
sensor is most likely to detect a motorcycle if
the largest portion of the motorcycle, such as
the lowest part of the frame, is directly over
the outline of the loop. Do not stop in the middle of the loop as there is a “dead
zone” in the middle. If the loop is not visible in the pavement, position your bike
one-third of the lane width away from the lane line with the front wheel stopped
just before the stop line."


*should be "embedded"

[Hush]

Some of our lights here in NZ are timed so that thingy would be jack all use.
The sensor type lights wont detect bikes, I got pulled up by a cop one morning after going though a red after waiting 3 cycles.
After explaining the situation he laughed, told me had a bike too and told me just to be careful If I had to do that to get through a light.
At least timed lights give everyone a fair go, we also have a heap of round-a-bouts these days as they cost nothing once installed and create better traffic flow.
Seems like a world wide #$%* ha ha.

[strangedaze39]

These work, actually you can make these extremely easy yourself. I'll find the vid for the diy and post it soon.

[strangedaze39]

http://www.instructables.com/id/Trigger-GREEN-Traffic-Lights/?ALLSTEPS

Check it out:

http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/828731/trigger_green_traffic_lights.swf

Hope that helps 

SD

[Gordon]

I don't even know why they installed the vehicle sensors at all the intersections here in Denver, because they sure as Hell don't use them.  All the traffic lights I've come across in the past four years are on timers, and it makes absolutely no difference if you're in a car or on a bike, or even if it's in the middle of the night.  You have to wait through the entire intersection cycle before you get to go, even if there's not a single other vehicle around.  I go to work at either 4am or 5am, so I run a lot of lights on a daily basis.