First you need to know what kind of sensors your local traffic lights use. As previously mentioned, some use a strobe sensor which can be triggered by emergency vehicles while others use an inductive loop.

The strobe sensors require a strobe light on your part. I've seen them for sale in bicycle magazines and such. Some of the drawbacks to this would be where to mount them and they require power. Not sure how legal they are for a non-emergency vehicle to have them.

The inductive loop is probably the most widely used one. Contrary to popular belief, it not the motorcycles lack of weight that doesn't trigger these.Rather the lack of inductance produced by the bike. The Green Light Trigger that someone already posted is designed to address this type of sensor. Personally, I wouldn't pay that much for a magnet. Do you have any old hard drives laying around??? I used a magnet from an old hard drive (I've been told that hard drive magnets produce some of the largest magnetic fields for their size) on my bike and the problem was solved with the inductive loop sensors. Plus, it was free.

 

<rant>
The strobe lights you are talking about are illegal for non-emergency vehicals to use. In maryland the system is most likely Opticon made by 3m. The stobe light that triggers it is on a certain frequency. Techically it doesn't have to be visable light, some undercover cars have IR LEDs that do the same thing. When a light is triggered by the "strobe" a record is made in the computer system that controls it and any trafic cameras at the location (not red light camera) will take an image for verification. There have been some of our members at our firehouse who have gotten in BIG trouble for triggering a light when not on a call. They were tracked back to the time the light was trigger compaired against a record of the call times. Please, I beg you, do not use the strobe light, if you override a light that is being triggered by an emergency vehicle you are putting yourself and others in danger. I'm pretty sure none of us would like to be waiting at a stop light if you are in the back of an ambulance dieing.

Obviously this is my own opinion. Take it or leave it.
</rant>

Shut off your engine and start her back up, that usually does the trick I'm told.

MDFF

 

most turn signals use either the strobe, magnet, or weight sensor

some older signals use the weight sensors, but most newer ones use the magnetic sensor or the strobe...and some more modern ones actually use radio signals for the emergency vehicles so that that the light turns red all directions before they move through the intersection

as far as tripping the sensors for motorcyclists...i have only encountered one light where i had the problem of it not tripping in my area...im sure any old magnet and cable tie would work, so i wouldnt pay 15 or 25 dollars for it...but i like TheX's idea, just hit the starter...i cant vouche for whether or not it actually works, but im sure it would...makes sense

 

so after reading this i hella want to write to the "mythbusters" and have them do a whole episode on motorcycle myths !

 

Here in TN its legal to run a light if you sit through one cycle and your light doesn't change you can run it.