OK, content deals with my 1971 R75/5 but relates to the motorcycle not activating the electronic sensor in the ground at the gate leaving the parking lot. Just to let you know, I am not stuck there now.:) I am looking to use the underground parking at my work where a card access opens one gate and then the underground loop sensor determines the car is there and allows you to use the pass card to exit. I tried using a pass card the other day while riding my bike into the parking lot just to test if it would work on the exit. It didn't but the attendant knowing I was testing it let me out. In the concrete is an induction sensor of wires that when the car pulls over it, it breaks the system in such a way as to let the card reader know a vehicle is there. Not a technical description but I think you get the idea. When the bike goes over it, it appears there is insufficient something that won't allow the sensor in the ground to pick up me being there. I have heard that large pieces of metal over the sensor lines work but that is not practical on a bike. "Heard": a rare earth magnet may be sufficient but don't know. In lieu of numerous suggestions, has anyone had this issue and was able to find a fix that works?
I have a rectangular magnet attached to my centerstand....works about 90% at tripping traffic lights, may work for your gate issue,..I back it up with a few wraps of Gorilla Tape so it survives pot holes and off road jaunts.
Thanks for that. I am coating up a set of rare earth magnets in plastic paint and will attach it to see if it works. May not get a chance for a little while but when I do will check back and let you know.
Or you could simply make a request to building management to reset the sensitivity setting on the loop.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
After thought, coming in on a slight angle, stopping and rolling back can also "sometimes" help trigger those ...PIA sensors
Yet another method is to briefly put the bike on the side stand or deploy the center stand until it touches the pavement.
TRY lining the bike to the edge of the wire circuit. Place your motorcycle atop or near the sensor loop in the pavement at the works loop or at a red street light to trigger the sensor. This puts the maximum possible amount of conductive material above the wire loop. If you stop in the center of the square, you're making the sensor's job more difficult.
If that doesn't work, it's time for additional measures. ASK the building maintenance guys as suggested to change the sesitivity. Ask them what brand it is, maybe the manufacturer has ideas the building guys are clueless about.
Many times, when I've been stuck at a light, if there's a car behind me I edge as far forward as possible and wave to the driver to move forward so the car's wheels are inside the sensor loop. Usually, the driver is clueless about what I'm doing, but some pointing at the pavement and the light sometimes cuts through the fog.
Some states have passed laws that allow a motorcyclist to pass through a red light in a safe manner if it fails to recognize your presence. You can check your state's laws with this chart maintained by the American Motorcyclist Association.
As a longer term solution, if there's a light on your daily route that refuses to recognize your presence, do yourself and fellow riders a favor and try to get it adjusted. You may have to make a few calls. Depending on where you live and whether it's a city street or a state highway, it could fall under the jurisdiction of either a local or state government. The Federal Highway Administration document linked above offers suggestions on which sensitivity levels should be used to detect motorcycles. You could also volunteer to meet the engineer at the site with your motorcycle for some real-world testing to make sure the sensor is set properly.
The Electrical Principle Of How ILDs Work
ILDs, which are loops of wire embedded into sawcuts in the pavement, typically are installed 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 4 inches) below the road surface.
The loops are electromagnetic sensors. A loop amplifier in a traffic signal’s controller cabinet passes a small alternating current through the loop wire in the pavement at a very low frequency. An engineer usually sets the frequency at about 10 to 200 kilohertz (kHz). The current flowing through the loop wire generates a weak magnetic field around the wire.
The black arrows represent the current flow in the loop wire and the induced current flow in the cycle wheels and frame. The white arrows represent the magnetic flux generated by the current flows. The result is a change in the loop frequency. The loop amplifier can measure this change. Note that it is the shorted turn that causes the reduction in loop inductance and thus the actuation. Source: Based on Figure 2-9, FHWA, Traffic Detector Handbook.
The black arrows represent the current flow in the loop wire and the induced current flow in the cycle wheels and frame. The white arrows represent the magnetic flux generated by the current flows. The result is a change in the loop frequency. The loop amplifier can measure this change. Note that it is the shorted turn that causes the reduction in loop inductance and thus the actuation. Source: Based on Figure 2-9, FHWA, Traffic Detector Handbook.
An electrically conductive metal object, such as a vehicle passing over or stopped within the sensor’s detection area, induces eddy currents in the inductive loop’s magnetic field, opposing the original magnetic field produced by the loop. In other words, the vehicle decreases the loop’s inductance (an electrical property), producing an electrical signal. The signal is transmitted through a curbside junction box (a “pull box”) to an electronics unit housed in the traffic signal’s controller cabinet. The electronics unit analyzes the signal, interpreting it as the presence or passage of a vehicle, and sends an appropriate call to the traffic signal’s controller.
The sensitivity of the loop system is critical. Loop system sensitivity is defined as the smallest change of inductance at the electronics unit terminals that will cause the controller to activate. Many States specify that the electronics unit must respond to a 0.02 percent change in inductance, and typically many departments of transportation (DOTs) set the sensitivity setting at 4 or even lower by observing the flow of traffic and turning the sensitivity down until they stop getting detections and then turning it up a notch. (Note: On digital detectors with alphanumeric readouts, the scale typically goes from 1 to 10.) If no bicycles or motorcycles have gone by, inadvertently they might set the sensitivity too low.
https://advrider.com/f/threads/new-appartment-gate-sensor.675297/
https://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=7869.0
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