Magnetic car sensor light switches SUCK for small rides like ours. It probably doesn't help that we have so much ground clearance.

 

I don't recall where I read this but somewhere in my neck of the woods the powers that be said to give them a call to adjust the 'magnetic' pickup strength to 'see' a smaller vehicle such as a bike like ours at the location in question.

I don't know if its true as I just find a way around the lights that pose a problem. But I tried using the kickstand down on the line trick and for all I could tell I only looked stupid doing it.... I'm sure the aluminum skid plates that are on my bikes don't help anyways.

 

Yeah, most bikes just don't make a big enough magnetic footprint. Along those same lines, I was always wondering why most parking garages here in Japan won't allow motorcycles.

I finally found a garage in Sendai that would let me in, but they had to have a guy come out with an old metal street sign which he passed over the sensor to get the machine to dispense a ticket and the gate to raise. Same deal on the way out...I was blocked from exiting until they bought out the ol' sign again...LOL!

 

There is variation in the sensitivity of individual sensors.
Some work every time and some don't.
So they can be made to recognise bikes.
I guess it's just not important enough.....

 

never been to maine

 

I found McDonalds is the same way. You can't just pull up to the drive through because the cashier never knows you're there. You have to drive up to the window and surprise them.

 

Maybe Deej can fit a peice of sheet (steel) metal to each passenger peg that you can push down like a kickstand at each stop.

Either that or glue one of those sheet magnets across the bottom of each of those gas can holders.

 

IN washington state======cause its the only place I've tried this====but if the light stays red long enough====and I can safely do it======you dismount the bike ====run over and hit the crosswalk buttons for all the directions======it will cycle the stop light=========OR you can buy a ambulance strobe

 

hmmm... an ambulance strobe, I like that idea!

 

The kickstand trick works some of the time for me on the KLX. On my Versys though, I have an aluminum kickstand foot, and that trick doesn't work. A sport bike guy showed me something that works more often than not, though. If the light trigger is one of those wires buried in the asphalt in a rectangle or diamond, ride over the edge of it. Then, just thumb the starter once. All you have to do is blip it. The engine is turning faster than the starter, so the bendix won't grab and grind, but the electromagnets of the starter motor trips the light.