I REALLY want to be an "Official Member" by getting a SEGWAY...plz help.

[Jet]

Originally Posted by Mikelj84606

I have been looking into SEGWAY for SOMETIME now and i would REALLY love to jump on board (no pun intended). If any one has a previously loved (aka used) SEGWAY that they would be willing to put up for adoption, I would ecstatically take advantage of the opportunity. I am good friends with the owner of the local SEGWAY dealership near my hometown, but the SEGWAY units he offers are a bit out of my budget. I can't get the unit and all the accessories i would need, but if i were to buy one used from him i could. The problem is his are WELL used and would need repairs often. I would love to be an official member of the forum by having a SEGWAY but this is my dilemma.

Segways are expensive to purchase and expensive to maintain. Dont bother as buying new only provides a limited warranty and does not protect against damage. Best case if you did buy new and experienced an issue, the unit would likely be out of commission for 2-3 months and you would still be liable for shipping charges.

[bud01234]

Originally Posted by Jet

Segways are expensive to purchase and expensive to maintain. Dont bother as buying new only provides a limited warranty and does not protect against damage. Best case if you did buy new and experienced an issue, the unit would likely be out of commission for 2-3 months and you would still be liable for shipping charges.

I'm sorry, but I've read your post several times and it almost makes sense but each time I read it, it gets harder to see your point.

Depending on your financial situation and compared to a powered wheelchair, (or a bass boat), Segways are not necessarily expensive and certainly far less expensive to maintain than either of the above. (I've had my i2 for 2 years with 1,800 miles and have spent 0 (zero) cents on maintainance. I did buy a new set of tires for $100.

Not sure what you mean that if you experienced an issue, the unit would likely be out of commission for 2-3 months and you'd be liable for shipping... arn't most "issue"s handled at a dealer level?

Just curious, what kind of Segway do you own?

[Rolacoy]

I think that Mike may have been just jerking us around, he has not came back with any answers or comments. I know I ask some dumb questions, but I stay on the thread to learn and catch the heat from you all.

Also I live in East Texas so our climate is pretty good for gliding. I went out today for about 1/2 mile ride, it was 53 degrees and damp, it rained last night. I only wore a long-sleeved shirt, tee shirt, pants and shoes. A mile and I would have been ready for a hug from a ugly fat woman.

[PeteInLongBeach]

Originally Posted by Jet

Segways are expensive to purchase and expensive to maintain. Dont bother as buying new only provides a limited warranty and does not protect against damage. Best case if you did buy new and experienced an issue, the unit would likely be out of commission for 2-3 months and you would still be liable for shipping charges.

Expensive is relative. Let's compare segways to snowmobiles, jetskis, racing bikes, golf carts, electric wheelchairs, riding lawnmowers, etc., and ask if anyone takes issue with the costs of those other products? And, besides being recreational, I have found the segway to be much more useful in a more practical sense than most of those other devices.

I disagree with "expensive to maintain". Other than putting air in the tires, one could go several years and many miles with no other maintenance needed. Eventually it will need tires, perhaps some elastomeric couplings, and ultimately new battery packs, but such consumables normally do not need replacement for quite a long time.

Where I can agree is that they can be expensive to repair, if the need arises. This seems to vary widely, from those that have never needed repair, to those that were repaired under warranty, and those that needed repair after warranty. And, if I recall correctly, when my i2 needed work during the warranty period, I don't believe I was charged for shipping or anything else.

As far as the "limited warrantly", not sure what you mean. I believe it covers just about every technical problem that might come up except for normal wear & tear items. And, I believe they are offering a 2 year warranty currently.

And please, do enlighten us about which company's product warranty "protects against damage" and why segway is somehow remiss in not offering such coverage. Perhaps you are confusing product warranty with insurance...

[Rolacoy]

We got the 2 year warranty on the 2 i2's that we bought last Tuesday. As I understand what Reina Ellis, Segway told me that any Segway that was in stock the 1st of November and any Segway that is add to stock of any dealer during November this year carries the 2 year warranty. The buyer must make their purchase of one of these machines during the month of November to receive the warranty.

[Jet]

Originally Posted by PeteInLongBeach

Expensive is relative. Let's compare segways to snowmobiles, jetskis, racing bikes, golf carts, electric wheelchairs, riding lawnmowers, etc., and ask if anyone takes issue with the costs of those other products? And, besides being recreational, I have found the segway to be much more useful in a more practical sense than most of those other devices.

The closest analogy to a Segway would be an electric bike... Which at a technical level is a bicycle plus 1 battery, 1 motor, 1 hardware/software controller all of which can likely be replaced locally without having to send it to NH and wait three months.

Originally Posted by PeteInLongBeach

I disagree with "expensive to maintain". Other than putting air in the tires, one could go several years and many miles with no other maintenance needed.

Yes they could go several years without maintenance but if they do require maintenance, downtime can be considerable and diagnostics time consuming. Feel free to send me the official book with all Gen 1 and Gen 2 error codes.

Originally Posted by PeteInLongBeach

And please, do enlighten us about which company's product warranty "protects against damage" and why segway is somehow remiss in not offering such coverage. Perhaps you are confusing product warranty with insurance...

Trek and a bunch of other bike manufacturers - You crack or break a frame, they will replace it no questions asked.

Garmin - A design fault on their GMR18HD and GMR24HD Radars which caused Radar loss after 1-2 hours of runtime. Garmin did a silent recall on all affected used and replaced with new.

You bend a wheel mount triangle on a Segway and Segway will require you purchase a new Gearbox and of course there was the Gen 1 control cable issues.

[PeteInLongBeach]

Originally Posted by Jet

The closest analogy to a Segway would be an electric bike... Which at a technical level is a bicycle plus 1 battery, 1 motor, 1 hardware/software controller all of which can likely be replaced locally without having to send it to NH and wait three months.

Yes they could go several years without maintenance but if they do require maintenance, downtime can be considerable and diagnostics time consuming. Feel free to send me the official book with all Gen 1 and Gen 2 error codes.

Trek and a bunch of other bike manufacturers - You crack or break a frame, they will replace it no questions asked.

Garmin - A design fault on their GMR18HD and GMR24HD Radars which caused Radar loss after 1-2 hours of runtime. Garmin did a silent recall on all affected used and replaced with new.

I was referring to regular maintenance, you are referring to incidental repair. Very different. Segways require almost no regular maintenance, other than maintaining battery charge and air in the tires.

Your Garmin reference is not related to a warranty against damage - a design fault is not customer inflicted damage. And the bike frame reference is less about accidental damage and more about assurances in their frame assembly/welding and their promotion & marketing of such. I'm sure that warranty does not extend to incidental damage to other parts of the bikes.

[msfireboy]

"I think the Segway is great! I also think very few people would be able to replace their car with it. I think people have great intentions but once they get stuck at work due to a freezing rain storm their Segway would spend more time in their garage then their car (imho)..."

Freezing Rain? Snow? Buddy you're in the wrong country! I live in Sydney Australia and I only know about those things in theory - like reading about them on Wikipedia...Anyway- whatever smokes your tyres (or I think it's 'tires' in the US)

Cheers from Aus.