EZ-Pass?

[RoyTemple]

Did a search. Nothing popped up on this question.

 

Just got an EZ-Pass for us on my R1200RT, mostly for use on the Massachusetts Turnpike. They provided no specific instructions as to were to put it on the bike. Anyone whant to share their experience with this?

 

While your at it. I also got one for use in my car. The instructions say to mount it on the windshield just to the right of the rear-view mirror. I'd rather not mount it on the windshield at all as it will be used rarely, maybe once a month if that. Can I just place it on the dash when I'm actually using it?

 

Thanks in advance for your experiences.

 

Roy

[Guest Kakugo]

If they work in the same way as those used in France, Italy etc you do not need to mount it on the windshield.

 

Either use some Velcro to put it in a convenient location (for example near the clocks) or just put it in your tank bag map holder or jacket pocket.

 

The latter can be done IF your jacket hasn't got any thick insulation: the signal from these devices is pretty weak and can be easily blocked.

 

If you want to be really stylish you can fit this holder from Givi.

[mjac]

I have had a EZ Pass dual lock'ed under the nacelle (sp?) for the last 7 years. Yep, it works under the plastic.

[mos]

Roy , in the wife's Outback ,the EZ pass just sits on the dash. Works great. You may have to us some sort of double side tape . Depends on the dash.

I will send you a couple of pictures tomorrow of how it is mounted on the RT.

Mike

[David13]

They have different names. Here it's FasTrak.

By law they must work state wide.

They do.

I think also the law was you must attach it to the windshield. I never did. As they also say use it in multiple vehicles.

Which I do.

On the bike I have used it in several different places. In the back pack, but then it only works if I lean forward. Or in the travel bag, near the top, on the tail of the bike.

That works.

I never attached it to a bike or car.

dc

[enfoman]

As I work for one of these Authorities I guess I would have the "authority" to chime in and discuss.

 

The square box EZ pass you have is a transponder that is activated when the vehicle and the transponder reach the toll booth. To ensure that the signal reads properly make sure that the underside unlabeled side is facing up as the receiving station antenna is directly overhead in the booth. In most cases, mounting the transponder to the M/C windshield will be enough if it is sloped enough to reflect the signal. Also, placing it in a tank bag should pose no problems. Just ensure that the transponder is secured enough or with a line keeper in case it vibrates off of the mounting location. If it is lost and then used by someone, you may be billed by their use of the tag. Not a good thing of course but as a camera captures a plate registration you can fight the charge of course but what a hassle!

 

Also, FWIW, every lane in the NYS Thruway Authority toll plaza take EZ pass tags, (other states may vary). Sometimes I go through the Manned lanes to ensure transmission of signal or wave hi to the attendant. The more traffic they get, the better it is to justify their employment of course.

 

If using the tag for the first few times, or within another toll authority, take the manned lanes to ensure activation. If it does not recognize it, there is no use in putting it over your head and waving it. Just show it to the attendant.

 

If you happen to forget this and go through a lane that says contact EZ pass or is red, make sure to go to toll station manager and then a manned lane on exit or you may be billed for the whole length of the toll route. Not a good thing.

 

 

Owners of older transponders take note as like all portable equipment that needs an electrical signal, the battery may be weak and thus the unit will need replacing.

 

Not all EZ passes work everywhere. I found this out with the bridge authority in NYC. Make sure to pick a manned lane in that case. Drivers were very irate as I had to wait for an attendant to key the gate open after I handed him my transponder to open it.

 

One more thing that has happened to a few people. Sometimes people have independent tags for their vehicles. I once heard of a guy that used his truck to tow his bike and they both had tags. He got charged double as both transponders were activated. Most tags come with a mylar pouch to mask the signal and not trigger a toll. It would be best to use the pouch on the bike's transponder of course to advert that.

 

 

 

Legal=========

These observations are based on my current experiences and in no way is an endorsement or an opinion of the EZ pass or any authority. Of course your experiences may vary with other authorities and I make no representation of such.

[Skywagon]

We have EZ pass system that is a little different than describe here. The device for your car is much like an inspection sticker with electronics. I think they cost about $15 to acquire plus normal toll fees. For the motorcycle, it is a little box like enfoman describes....However in Texas they are vehicle specific. You can't move the one that attached to the windshield as it would be destroyed. I tried moving it to the new car but there was no way. The box for the motorcycle is supposed to be vehicle specific too. You could however move it, but not sure if the scanner would figure it out and somehow you get fined.

 

When I lived in California, I could do as you ask..move the box to any vehicle...but not here. I have a BMW shelf on my bike. I have it glued down to the shelf. I was a little worried someone might steal it, but 7 years later it is still there.

 

On my Lexus, they actually make one that attached directly to the front license plate.

[Steve Kolenda]

Roy,

 

EZPass is located inside my tank bag and works fine.

[walton66]

+1 on the tankbag

[biometrics]

Just search eBay for "EZ-pass"... they have a large variety of EZ-pass transponder holders for little money that would make shifting the device from one vehicle to another a snap...

[Firenailer]

Hey Roy,

 

I mounted mine to the shield on my RT ( as I did on my 04 GT and a Yamaha before that ) with the velcro strips it came with and have never had a problem.

 

I did cover it with my AMA sticker and it works fine. Here in NY the tag is bike specific so I can't move it back and forth to my car. It works fine.

 

Bob

[na1g]

Here in MA I use my EZPass (formerly "FastLane") on the RT and in my car. I don't want to semi-permanently attach it to either so in the car I just keep it loose in a cup holder and hold it up to the windshield as needed. On the RT I tried clipping it to the top of the windshield with a plastic spring clip (sold for closing potato chip bags, I think) Velcroed to the transponder. That didn't work so well but I was able to clip and un-clip it while in motion, probably not the wisest thing to do. Now I just keep it in the tank bag map pocket where it seems to work just fine. We are going to get the new high-speed toll system here in MA so I hope it still works then.

 

pete

[Dundee387]

I've painted my ez pass to match it mounting location...

 

Also worked in my jacket pocket as we'll..

 

[Over]

Thankfully we don't have so many toll roads in the UK.

 

My nearest one is for the Dartford Crossing a few miles outside of London, and my DartTag lives just to the left of the windshield mounted mirror and works just fine have a VW pickup truck.

 

The good news is that bikes go free! ( still have to mass through operator barriers as opposed to automatically being let through)

[marc11]

Mine is stuck low on the windscreen using the dual lock velcro. In fact this is where I have placed it on every bike I have owned for the past 10 years or so. Never had an issue with any toll, and if it rains, I just pop it off and stick it in my pocket inside a zip lock baggy, just like my cell phone.

[nbooth]

I have it in the clear plastic map pocket on my 1200RT and it works fine...

[Fathom]

The problem I've had in mounting the EZ Pass to my RT's windscreen has to do with the curvature of the screen -- it constantly comes loose. My solution (which others have mentioned) is to keep it in the clear map case on my tank bag with the flat (unlabeled) side facing up -- that seems to work fine.

 

In VA, the tags are moto & car specific. This is an issue because we've recently gotten HOT lanes (aka "Lexus lanes") which charge a sliding scale toll based on the volume of traffic at the time. People can use them -- regardless of vehicle occupancy -- to avoid traffic jams, and the fee is only charged if travel between the on & off ramps averages 45 mph or higher. There is also an HOV-specific tag that carpoolers can use to avoid paying the toll, but cops can identify cheaters pretty easily and ticket accordingly. The (one particularly) nice thing is that there's no charge for bikes, regardless of traffic or time of day. Many people don't want to use the HOT lanes, as the adjoining lanes are free and the cost can be steep -- $3 or $4 bucks during periods of high-demand. Using a car transponder in the HOT lanes on your bike will incur the toll, whereas the bike-specific transponder will not. To sweeten the deal, the HOT lane (private company, not the state) provider has negotiated to post a 65 mph speed limit, while the standard lanes remain 55. I've used them several times, and I've gotta say, the reduced traffic + higher speed limit are pretty sweet. There is of course the "die, yuppie scum" aspect to it which is discomfiting, but when I look around and find 80% more breathing room around me and silky smooth pavement, I get over that pretty quickly. Just another advantage of two-wheeled travel in the Old Dominion.

[moshe_levy]

Sitting in the chaos of junk in my tankbag. Never had a problem.

 

-MKL

[CarrotNC]

I bought a SunPass for use in Florida, and recently North Carolina QuickPass agreed to recognize the same system. So one pass covers two states.

 

The model I bought is a portable one that can be taken between vehicles, you just need to register each license plate to which it applies. Has suction cups on the back so it's easy to swap around. NC QuickPass doesn't offer one of these units, only the FL SunPass does.

 

NC uses a photo of license plates to match vehicles to transponders - if no unit registered to the owner of the vehicle then they'll mail a bill. This works out great for me as the transponder stays in one vehicle but has three license plates registered on it. So each time I ride on the toll road the system will either pick up the transponder if I'm in that vehicle, or will match the license plate to the transponder registration and uses the discounted billing rate.

 

So no, my bike doesn't have a transponder fitted but I still benefit from the system and discounted toll rates. Technology is great when it works!

[Chip]

I live in Houston, Texas and use the same type of EZ pass on my bike as I do my car. In other words, I use the car type that mounts below the rear view mirror.

 

For the bike, I mounted it on the inner side of the fairing, about even with the front forks.

 

It's been there for over two years with no issues. I ride daily and hit a tool booth coming and going from work.