Clarification of Answer by
tlspiegel-ga
on
17 Apr 2005 15:19 PDT
Hi rcrossle,
First, I did an extensive amount of research before answering your
question. The answer I posted is what I found.
In reference to your clarification request, I asked my friend who
drives a Harley about this dilemma. Although we have no toll booths
in Arizona - he knew what the problem was. He suggested you put it
between the forks, because the EZ Pass has to be at a certain level in
order for the transponder to recognize it. If you put it on your
license plate (in the rear) the transponder is not going to recognize
it for 2 reasons: too low and you've already passed the toll booth.
The only other suggestion I have is for you to contact the Motor
Vehicle office in your state and ask them.
You can't put it on your license plate because the size would cover your plate.
Here's more:
E-Z rider has a question that's difficult to answer
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyNjcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY0NDM5MDAmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk5
Where do you attach an E-ZPass transponder when your motorcyle lacks a windshield?
Although E-ZPass billing mistakes sometimes approach biblical
proportions, it was still surprising to learn that those who
administer the rapid-toll-payment system lack any Solomon-like
solutions for cyclists who prefer the wind in their faces.
"Operators at the E-ZPass service center are happy to tell you to
mount the tag on the windshield," said Tortosa, "But when I tell them
I don't have a windshield, there is dead air on the phone."
Obviously, Tortosa was dealing with minions. That's why people contact
Road Warrior. They know that we, like the sages and scribes, have
direct access to gods whose work is so big and loud that their names
must be capitalized - like DOT, DMV, NJ Transit, and E-ZPass.
"We tell people to keep it in their breast pocket," said Greg Megow,
electronic toll collection operations manager for the New Jersey
Turnpike Authority, lead agency for the state's E-ZPass system. "The
radio frequency signal should read the card through a jacket."
Well, it doesn't, says Tortosa, "especially in winter when I'm wearing
long johns, two shirts, a jacket, and heavy gloves."
An elevator operator at Middlesex County Community College, the
56-year-old is hardly a cycle novice. He's ridden bikes for three
decades and taught motorcyle safety at the college.
"Everybody's juryrigging E-ZPass holders to their bikes or bodies," he
said. "I want somebody to say what's safe and acceptable."
Tortosa said three calls and trips to the E-ZPass service center in
Newark yielded four different suggestions - the aforementioned
breast-pocket solution, the
waving-the-transponder-while-passing-through-the-tollbooth protocol,
and the often derided gas-tank- or license-plate-mount techniques.
Cyclists deplore "waving."
"A motorcyclist needs to use two hands to downshift to a low gear at
tollbooths," said Tortosa. "The right hand is for the throttle, the
left for the clutch."
Curiously - and rightly - the pamphlet that came with Tortosa's
E-ZPass transponder warned against waving because the electronic
reader might not pick up the transponder. Waving could also create a
safety hazard.
"By all means, waving is a bad idea," said Megow. "Drivers shouldn't
take their hands off the handlebars. Safety is primary."
As for mounting E-ZPass tags on a motorcycle license plate, this
suggestion obviously was made by someone with limited observation
skills. In nearly every case, licenses are mounted on a cycle's rear,
where an accurate electronic reading would be difficult. A gas tank,
too, usually does not face the reader.
Road Warrior found additional options, none of which is ideal.
Handlebars and fenders tend to be too curved and slippery to hold a
transponder adequately. Dangling them from a necklace or lanyard seems
to invite danger. Pasting them to helmets or slipping them inside
pockets stitched to the outside of sleeves invites ridicule from the
fashion police.
"Most people who spend $16,000 to $20,000 for a bike want something
that looks halfway decent," Tortosa said huffily.
Megow sympathizes with that.
"We recognize that the transponder is not the most decorative thing," he said.
One e-mailer, who identified himself only as Wolf, bragged about his
own indelicate solution. Wolf says he grips the transponder in his
teeth as he passes through the tollbooth. This technique probably is
practical for cyclists named for toothy predators, but it may not work
well for people with names like Worm or Snail, or those with extensive
metal bridge work that might interfere with the E-ZPass signal.
When contacted, officials of several New Jersey motorcycle clubs could
not think of a solution. Neither could Bart Natoli, sales manager of
Amol Motorcycles Inc., of Dumont, which sells all kinds of cycle
products.
"Maybe there's something on the Internet," said Natoli.
=========
Best regards,
tlspiegel
