Crazy LEFT Turn question??

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Mar 30, 2008 | 04:58 PM

#11

Kski

Tourer

Joined: Mar 2008

Posts: 333

Likes: 1

From: Texas

RE: Crazy LEFT Turn question??

I was taught that you can try to drive the kickstand into one of the wire lines and that might work, otherwise yeah you gotta do a right on red then a u-turn. Hasn't happened to me yet but I'm waiting for it. Those frickin' things are everywhere around here.

Mar 30, 2008 | 05:09 PM

#12

cHarley

Club Member

Joined: Feb 2007

Posts: 16,320

Likes: 306

From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh

RE: Crazy LEFT Turn question??

I recommend checking your state laws on this issue. A number of states have recognized this problem and permit a rider to procede with the left turn, WITH CAUTION, after having waited at least 1 full cycle of the lights.

Personally, I have never had a light fail to trip if I stopped on the sensor wires but some states do a better job of calibrating the sensor loop than others.

Mar 30, 2008 | 05:09 PM

#13

Dale Franks

Road Captain

Joined: Jun 2007

Posts: 512

Likes: 1

From: Escondido, CA

RE: Crazy LEFT Turn question??

The thing to remember that magnetism and electricity are essentially the same thing. The magnetic sensor for the light is looking for that magnetic surge to trip it. Unfortunately, motorcycles often don't have enough iron to trip the electrical switch via thre bike's magnetic field.

So, what you do is stop the bike over the little lines cut into the asphalt. Turn the bike OFF. Then restart it. The electrical surge from the starter should have enough amperage to kick the sensor over, and tell it that there's a vehicle in the lane.

Mar 30, 2008 | 06:17 PM

#14

DrPlastic

Outstanding HDF Member

Joined: Oct 2007

Posts: 2,398

Likes: 34

From: Newport news, Virginia

RE: Crazy LEFT Turn question??

The loop in the road creates a magnetic field. A motorcycle usualy does not have enough mass to force a change in the electromagnetic field that the loop induces. It takes a combination of metal, weight (mass) to induce a change in the magnetic field inorder to have the system sense that there is something over the sensor loop. The magnetic thing that they are refering to spoofs the sensor into thinking a larger mass is over the loop. The magnetic trigger's magnetic field interacts with the magnetic field (inductance of the loop) of the sensor and changes the light!

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question234.htm

Heres the patent...

http://www.delphion.com/cgi-bin/view...&MODE=fstv

[sm=trust_me.gif]

Mar 30, 2008 | 06:26 PM

#15

DPete

Seasoned HDF Member

Joined: Aug 2007

Posts: 39,377

Likes: 2,111

From: Central, Ca.

RE: Crazy LEFT Turn question??

I've had it happen, sittin through 2 or 3 cycles of the signal. Instead of running the red left arrow I go back into the thru lane and go to a different intersection. It's a pain in the a$$ when you are first in the turn lane

Mar 30, 2008 | 06:39 PM

#16

Wecroft

Outstanding HDF Member

Joined: Jul 2007

Posts: 2,004

Likes: 12

From: Parkton, Maryland

RE: Crazy LEFT Turn question??

Like they said, the lights are tripped by metal. What do you have that hasn't been pierced?

Mar 30, 2008 | 06:43 PM

#17

HuronBob

Cruiser

Joined: Jun 2007

Posts: 149

Likes: 0

From: none

RE: Crazy LEFT Turn question??

There are at least two lights on my comute that act just like this... I just go when it is safe..... Never had a problem with that... use common sense...watch for cops!