Magnetic Traffic Signal Changer

I recently purchased a Signal Sorcerer traffic light changer. It's basically a magnet that attaches to the bottom of the bike to help with automatic traffic sensors. This is not a question about its effectiveness. There is a light in my neighborhood that just won't change for me, and the Signal Sorcerer is the only thing that helped on my other bike.

Recenlty purchased an '08 and after reading the owners manual I noticed a warning about placing anything magnetic near the front or rear wheel hubs. The manual says that it could interfere with the ABS rotors.

Any thoughts on whether the Signal Sorcerer (which is basically a magnet), if placed under the bike on the frame (about mid-bike), could cause any problem?

Thanks.

sdw4321 said:

I recently purchased a Signal Sorcerer traffic light changer. It's basically a magnet that attaches to the bottom of the bike to help with automatic traffic sensors. This is not a question about its effectiveness. There is a light in my neighborhood that just won't change for me, and the Signal Sorcerer is the only thing that helped on my other bike.
Recenlty purchased an '08 and after reading the owners manual I noticed a warning about placing anything magnetic near the front or rear wheel hubs. The manual says that it could interfere with the ABS rotors.

Any thoughts on whether the Signal Sorcerer (which is basically a magnet), if placed under the bike on the frame (about mid-bike), could cause any problem?

Thanks.

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Wouldn't worry about it. Mine's installed on my center stand - never an issue.

:blink:

There's a frame?

I just run lights that don't change for me....

Toecutter said:

I just run lights that don't change for me....

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Ditto on running "defective" traffic lights. I was just ready to do that yesterday as soon as traffic allowed, but a car pulled in behind me and triggered the light. I don't worry about getting a ticket because a cop would have to be a real jerk to ticket me for running a defective traffic light. In my mind it's no different than a traffic light that's gone dead or blinking; it's broke so proceed with caution.

I usually just run the lights that won't trigger after waiting for a while, but there's one at a T intersection on the way into work where my view of oncoming traffic from the right is pretty poor. I need to call the municipality and have them come out to adjust that sensor.

Anytime you guys want to use Western technology for Traffic Light controllers (in the road - not on the bike)....just sing out.

No such issue with traffic devices in Aus.....and I thought the USA was techno advanced?

If I am the lone waiter in the left turn lane waiting for the light...

...based on a tip from this board a year or two ago, I have been putting down the center stand to the pavement so the "detector" sees more steel. Have not had a traffic light fail me yet...100% results for me.

Thanks to whoever sent that tip in. :clapping:

Putting a magnet on the center floor of the frame may damage the cpu causing advanced timing in the ignition which will decrease your gas mileage. However, it does do a good job of luring the metal pieces in the oil to a lower level of the crankcase. You'll notice a "shinier" metal flake coming out on your next oil change.

wheatonFJR said:

Thanks to whoever sent that tip in. :clapping:

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How soon they forget... Yer welcome.

Back to the original question. I installed one at the bottom of the chin fairing; I just Gorilla Glue and stuck it on there. I have had no problems at all. My suspicion is that if you kept it at least 12" away from the the sensor on the abs, that you won't have any problems.

The lights are a hazard to motorcyclists and create unsafe riding situations. I would suggest notifying the city maintenance dept - in writing. If you get a ticket or are in an accident, this might save/make you some money. But seriously, I have done this three times and they fixed all three lights in Escondido, CA. I dealt with the lights for years before calling and writing.

I actually built a site at roadhazardreporting.com with contact info for all the city departments in San Diego county. It didn't get used much so I let the domain go.

According to the Highway Patrol in CA, it is acceptable to make the turn after two full light cycles and the road is clear. That one is not on the books, so you are taking your chances.

sdw4321 said:

I recently purchased a Signal Sorcerer traffic light changer. It's basically a magnet that attaches to the bottom of the bike to help with automatic traffic sensors. This is not a question about its effectiveness. There is a light in my neighborhood that just won't change for me, and the Signal Sorcerer is the only thing that helped on my other bike.
Recenlty purchased an '08 and after reading the owners manual I noticed a warning about placing anything magnetic near the front or rear wheel hubs. The manual says that it could interfere with the ABS rotors.

Any thoughts on whether the Signal Sorcerer (which is basically a magnet), if placed under the bike on the frame (about mid-bike), could cause any problem?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the only problems that might potentially develop would be related to your lighter wallet and (perhaps) your sanity.

A magnet of that (miniscule) size will not cause problem with the ABS sensors unless it was within a few inches of the sensor itself. Just don't stick it to your wheel hub and you should be good to go.

I found one of these things stuck to the bottom of the forks on a used KLR I owned (briefly) and about choked laughing. It's now stuck on a tool box in my garage to make sure that all the wrenches are in the proper Feng shui and sometimes I tuck it into the back of my jeans for optimum chiropractic spinal health or run it over the fuel line in my vehicles to align the hydro-carbons for maximum fuel economy.

OK Fred . . . Impress us with some factual data . . . do you really know what you are talking about? I've never seen hard data on this topic. Not provoking you, just curious if there are some known facts on the topic.

amansker said:

The lights are a hazard to motorcyclists and create unsafe riding situations. I would suggest notifying the city maintenance dept - in writing. If you get a ticket or are in an accident, this might save/make you some money. But seriously, I have done this three times and they fixed all three lights in Escondido, CA. I dealt with the lights for years before calling and writing.

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+1 this is the proven way to get results. The key to getting a fast response for these types of conditions (including dangerous road hazards, like potholes) is to 1st put it in writing to the appropriate agency and 2nd use a phrase like "hazardous condition" "dangerous" and my favorite "life threatening for a 2 wheeled vehicle".

My street is off a state highway. When some construction work was done they left a depressed 'pothole like' hole right in the curve. When it rained it filled with water & was invisible. It was a bone crusher hitting it in a car. After several calls to the state I wrote one letter. Three days later it was repaired.

Toecutter said:

:blink:
There's a frame?

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Who do you think you are, JB? :glare:

I have a magnet (can't be runnin' lights all over town). No noticeable problem with my ABS. But I am so freakin' smooth on the brakes, and of course never need to do an emergency stop 'cause I anticipate everything a mile ahead, that I never use 'em ha ha. :blink:

amansker said:

OK Fred . . . Impress us with some factual data . . . do you really know what you are talking about? I've never seen hard data on this topic. Not provoking you, just curious if there are some known facts on the topic.

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Ummm... I know a few things about magnets and such.

But traffic light sensors buried in the street aren't magnetic sensors (they are inductive sensors). A magnet is no better than an equal size piece of ferrous metal at triggering one.

https://auto.howstuffworks.com/question234.htm

The above explanation is a bit over simplified. They don't actually use a DC source (battery) to drive the loop. They run an AC signal through the coil to detect a change in the coils impedance (inductance) when adjacent to ferrous metal. It is not the metal moving through the coil that induces the signal that is detected. The presence of the metal changes the frequency of the signal through the loop.

As to if the Signal Sorcerer magnet would effect your ABS sensor:

Magnet fields, like all radiant energy decay at a log rate with distance. This means that that little magnet's field is too small to effect the local field at the tip of the ABS sensor unless they are very close together (like within inches). It also means that (if you still believed that traffic light sensors will sense a magnet) the field from a Signal Sorcerer that is glued to the bottom of a motorcycle would be very weak by the time it gets to the ground.

twowheelnut said:

wheatonFJR said:

Thanks to whoever sent that tip in. :clapping:

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How soon they forget... Yer welcome.

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Alzheimers Barney...Alzheimers.

amansker said:

According to the Highway Patrol in CA, it is acceptable to make the turn after two full light cycles and the road is clear. That one is not on the books, so you are taking your chances.

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I carry a small printout of the CA legal code that allows one to run a defective light on my bike. Could come in handy in the event of a less informed police officer.