What a Segway owner will do for the people.

[drolsinatas]

AS I'm walking out of AutoZone today I catch a little Japanese kid trying to get on my Segway to show his dad how it works. I didn't get pist or anything, but I did have to raise my voice a bit to get the kids attention before it was too late. I left it on in Red Key mode up against the wall.

I felt bad and talked to them for a bit (even though I was in a hurry to get back to work) and gave them a quick diplay as to what kind of a beating the Segway could handle. I drove down a curb saying "it's very strong and I do this all the time". I turned around to go back up the curb, but the curb was too high to go up gracefully. I made it up no problem, but I SLAMMED the battery (saphion li ion) up against the concrete leaving a nasty set of scratches and making a loud bang. They looked at me in shock and I said "this thing is REALLY tough".

Deep down I was upset I did that. I know the machine can handle it (right?:-/) but I feel the burden of responsiblity, being the only guy around with a Segway, to show it to everyone instead of just ignoring them like some yuppie gliding by being like "LOOK AT ME!", "I HAVE ONE YOU DON'T!).

Anyone here ever make a video for your hometown? Almost like a commercial? To show them how great it would be for them to have one too? I think I'm gonna make a short documentary, about what life is like using Segway instead of a car, and share THAT with the people instead of the countless displays of beatings to show how strong/reliable the machine is.

This thing rules.

[austin@SOH]

I thought it was interesting because our local news did a special on them so it informed the community about how they work. Now when I go gliding I hear "Hey those are the Segway things on the news" It really helped with the acceptance and also showed the reporter learning how to ride. One of the more interesting parts was when the reporter went straight into the camera man but she then stated that she would need a little more practice and did not make a big deal about it.

Austin Colby
Segway of Hagerstown

[ElectraGlide]

quote:[i]
Deep down I was upset I did that. I know the machine can handle it (right?:-/) but I feel the burden of responsiblity, being the only guy around with a Segway, to show it to everyone instead of just ignoring them like some yuppie gliding by being like "LOOK AT ME!", "I HAVE ONE YOU DON'T!).



I dont feel it is my duty to show my Segway to everyone that wants to look at it or try it...would you let someone take your Harley for a spin in the parking lot ? Most people politely ask questions, only a very few actually touch or try to mount the machine without asking when it's sitting against a wall. Most tell me they have seen Segways on TV but never before in person. I tell them where the LOCAL DEALER is located if they care to try one. I give a short demo to select avid Segway fans, a typical 360'turn, ride forward, ride aft, but I normally dont let anyone actually get on the machine .... I just dont want to risk injury to others or damage to my machine. Besides....sending them to the local dealer might just create a sale !
( I hope your machine didnt get scratched during your Demo )


Steve

[wwhopper]

(Speaking in my olde man voice) In the old days there were plenty of videos of folks gliding around their town being shared on this site. Not so any more!

Will W Hopper
DCSEG Member
Come out to the Mid-Atlantic Regional SEG America Event - SegwayFest - DC Sept 23-25 in Washington DC - The Most Segway Friendly City in America!

[JaredHT]

drolsinatas,

If you're interested....Go to a car dealer (used) and ask for the contact information for the person that does their steering wheel/plastic repairs.

I banged up the batteries on my personal Li-Ion (the same way too!) and I call the person and had her come and remold the front of the battery...looks good as new and only cost $30. Of course, make sure he/she goes slow....you wouldn't want to get those packs too hot.

Peace,

JaredHT
Jared M. Cavalier
Segway of Ohio
330.535.2200
888.6SEGWAY(673.4929)

[Dragan]

It's painful getting the first scrape on something new, isn't it? Jared's right on the money,a local plastic repair/plastic welding place can repair the cosmetic damage fairly easily, but the heat involved has to be managed carefully, especially with lithiums. They are sensitive, and I'd be looking for someone with a good track record to repair the scrapes if you decide to go ahead.
Wayne

Segway of Alberta - Calgary
www.mysegway.ca

[Sunday]

Could you spray on a Rhino Liner type of surface to help protect against scrapes? 3M makes a pretty good spray on product.


Mark

Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

[Dragan]

Ineresting idea...I can't see why it wouldn't work, of course you'd have to isolate the battery mounting screws, and tape off the gearbox, chassis, etc.

You might start a new look, Mark!
Wayne

Segway of Alberta - Calgary
www.mysegway.ca

[KSagal]

When I am asked to do tricks it almost always comes from a 25 or less year old, and since I am deep into my 40's and look older (I have been rode hard and put away wet too many times...) I usually just tell the questioner that I am old, and don't do tricks anymore since I gave up skydive instruction.

That usually does the trick...


Karl Ian Sagal

Each road you travel should be just a bit better for having had you pass.

[legpain]

YOU LEFT IT ON!!!!! My goodness, no one tried to steal it? I guess this big city I live in, LA, makes me a little paranoid but I would NEVER leave my HT on and NOT locked up!! Damn!!!!

John

[drolsinatas]

yeah, I usually leave it on. After showing it to so many people, I am confident anyone who attempts to jump on it and run (without having tried one enough to be comfortable on it) will fall off, and anyone who knows enough about it to be good at it is respectable and wise enough not to steal.

Shutting it down and and locking it up all the time for short periods of time feels like the Segway made my life more complicated then simple, so I stopped. It's almost never out of my sight, and I usually never have to get off it. My home town treats it like a wheelchair.

So far , really old men, and really young kids have been the only ones to try and touch it unsupervised. If there's a way, I'd like to put GPS on it so I can moniter it's location from home in the event it does get stolen. IS there a service like that anywhere, besides the expensive lo jack?



This thing rules.

[cmonkey]

If I can't keep a constant eye on my seg, I'll leave it in standby mode with a lock through the wheel. Some people still want to put a foot on it, and in standby, it'll start shaking. People don't expect that and are pretty quick to back off.

I love my magic carpet!

[Sunday]

I read an article about GPS dog collars, to track lost dogs. I wonder if that would work for peace of mind.


Mark

Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

[dave_h]

Cool idea! I hope they come up with some sort of GPS or better security device in the future. It's so easy to just leave my seg in stand-by mode when I just need to run in some place, but I'm afraid to do so because of the curiousity factor.



yo yo yo

[Dragan]

there are a number of GPS based, consumer grade tracking systems besides lo-jack. Check out www.gpscentral.ca for some ideas
Wayne

Segway of Alberta - Calgary
www.mysegway.ca