Big dumb drunk jerk = time for a new handle bar

BillPaxton · 03-26-2007, 03:06 PM

This Saturday at the pub some obnoxious drunk guy ran up to my glide and was about to stand on it (although I backed it to the corner on the opposite side of my table as suggested) and I yelled for him to stop - so he proceeded to "rev" the handle bars and attempt to jerk it right and left like a bicycle stearing wheel. By the time I got up and to him he had ripped my button off and "pilled" the rubber around the grips and now the handlebar is permanently loose but not quite wobbley. Tried to grab him and get him away from it and he ran around a table and started spouting that he just figured they were for "public use" then he bolted before I could get his info for repair costs.
Grrrrr.

Desert_Seg · 03-26-2007, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillPaxton

This Saturday at the pub some obnoxious drunk guy ran up to my glide and was about to stand on it (although I backed it to the corner on the opposite side of my table as suggested) and I yelled for him to stop - so he proceeded to "rev" the handle bars and attempt to jerk it right and left like a bicycle stearing wheel. By the time I got up and to him he had ripped my button off and "pilled" the rubber around the grips and now the handlebar is permanently loose but not quite wobbley. Tried to grab him and get him away from it and he ran around a table and started spouting that he just figured they were for "public use" then he bolted before I could get his info for repair costs.
Grrrrr.

Bill,

Sorry to hear this. However, all may not be lost:

1. The handlebar is held on by a bolt that is "hidden" under the gray trim around blinky and the key port. Pry this up gently and you can tighten the bolt.

2. The handlebar is linked to the Control Shaft by a bayonet style connector. It may be that the "jerk" was able to lift the handlebar off of the bayonet.

Hope you can fix it.

Steven

gbrandwood · 03-26-2007, 03:12 PM

That sucks and blows, Bill. What is it that makes people think they can do stuff like that to other peoples property? Complete morons! I had a similar situation whilst parked up in a store recently. Two "grown-ups" were grabbing the handle bar and trying to stand on the platform, despite the beeps and shakes. When I said do you mind getting off, they said, "Why?". If I was quicker with my words (rather than shocked), I'd have said "Show me your car, and I'll jump all over that". They left soon afterwards, no damage done.

I hope you can get something sorted. The button should be easy to replace but the rest? Maybe Antony (madsegs) has a few ideas?

dgbint · 03-26-2007, 06:05 PM

Visit your local dealer !

It doesn't sound like you will need more than a few minutes of their time, to tighten bolts and replace the button.

Shouldn't cost you more than 20 bucks.
Heck, it might even be free.

We would check this out and probably fix it for free if you were our customer.
We would tighten the bolts, give you a cup of coffee whilst you waited, and then give you a smile and 100 business cards as we waved you 'bye for now'.

Michael
Segway Southern Cross
Australia

BillPaxton · 03-26-2007, 06:16 PM

Thanks everyone! I did get the button back in and found and tightened the handlebar so functionally I'm back to normal. The only real damage was the tears in the rubber of the grip but for now I can live with that. Besides, I'm at the pub every weekend, next time I see the guy I'm going to speak with the cops that stand at the corner and see if they can provide some financial justice!

KSagal · 03-26-2007, 06:47 PM

Where are all those gliders with the stun guns and tazers when you need them?!

My guess is that was not the first time that guy was a jerk, nor will it be the last... What he needed was a good old fashioned louieville slugger accross the knuckles... Or an arrest.

As far as people continuing to abuse your property after you arrive on the scene, that is not a problem I deal with too much... A little aggressive, in your face attitude goes a long way... I am more likely to recieve someone's quaking knees or bladder control issues than I am a wize lip, once I catch someone abusing my stuff.

Of course, I do not endorse creating a problem, but I do advocate selectively ending them...

wwhopper · 03-26-2007, 07:03 PM

Next time I come by and see your Porsche sitting in the driveway, I might look to see if the keys are in it. ;-)

Bill, You need an I-2 - with it's alarm feature, you would have glided in, put it up against the wall, hit the alarm, and the dude would have just gotten on a piece of screaming and shaking metal, and he would have gone nowhere.

I hate to say it, but when we leave our machines in glide mode and with the platform out, someone is going to jump up on it. And most probably fall off, since they don't know how to ride one.

I remember seeing that happen at SegwayfesT 2003 in Chicago, we would all be parked and having lunch, and people would just walk by and step up on the Segways like it was their right to do so.

BillPaxton · 03-26-2007, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwhopper

I hate to say it, but when we leave our machines in glide mode and with the platform out, someone is going to jump up on it. And most probably fall off, since they don't know how to ride one.

Oh, I always turn it off and put into a corner behind my table on kickstand - this guy just wouldn't give up. I love my I167 and could never switch to a gen2, just doesn't feel right to me.
BTW Karl, I am in complete agreement that an offensive stance often circumvents confrontation, I am relutant to subject my wife to seeing me in that light. But man, would have LOVED to have had a stun gun with me...

PeteInLongBeach · 03-27-2007, 04:25 AM

So, what's the best way to handle such an assault? Given some of the areas that I glide through, I do carry a small pepper sprayer (soon to be a bigger one), but would this have been appropriate in this instance?

I'm usually one of the most pacifist people you'll ever meet, but this kind of thing really hits home and prompts me to wonder what I'd do in the same scenario...

cruiter · 03-27-2007, 09:39 AM

Stun gun or pepper spray? Which to use? I carry both in the pockets of my bag now. I think on the street with a dog problem or something similar, the pepper spray might be better. However, in a case like yours in the bar, the stun gun would effectively target the individual without residual effects to the other patrons (except one would probably offer to buy you a round after that).

BTW, since carrying either one, I've had no reason to "quick draw" the zipper and try one out. But I still charge the 9v in the gun about once a week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillPaxton

Oh, I always turn it off and put into a corner behind my table on kickstand - this guy just wouldn't give up. I love my I167 and could never switch to a gen2, just doesn't feel right to me.
BTW Karl, I am in complete agreement that an offensive stance often circumvents confrontation, I am relutant to subject my wife to seeing me in that light. But man, would have LOVED to have had a stun gun with me...

03-26-2007, 03:06 PM	#1
BillPaxton Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Jupiter, FL Posts: 581	Big dumb drunk jerk = time for a new handle bar This Saturday at the pub some obnoxious drunk guy ran up to my glide and was about to stand on it (although I backed it to the corner on the opposite side of my table as suggested) and I yelled for him to stop - so he proceeded to "rev" the handle bars and attempt to jerk it right and left like a bicycle stearing wheel. By the time I got up and to him he had ripped my button off and "pilled" the rubber around the grips and now the handlebar is permanently loose but not quite wobbley. Tried to grab him and get him away from it and he ran around a table and started spouting that he just figured they were for "public use" then he bolted before I could get his info for repair costs. Grrrrr. __________________ Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. ~Ernest Hemingway

03-26-2007, 03:12 PM	#3
gbrandwood Advanced Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: North west England, UK. Posts: 3,043	That sucks and blows, Bill. What is it that makes people think they can do stuff like that to other peoples property? Complete morons! I had a similar situation whilst parked up in a store recently. Two "grown-ups" were grabbing the handle bar and trying to stand on the platform, despite the beeps and shakes. When I said do you mind getting off, they said, "Why?". If I was quicker with my words (rather than shocked), I'd have said "Show me your car, and I'll jump all over that". They left soon afterwards, no damage done. I hope you can get something sorted. The button should be easy to replace but the rest? Maybe Antony (madsegs) has a few ideas? __________________ Gareth Brandwood The comments posted are made by the fat figners of the individual and do not necessarily represent the views of the brain.

03-26-2007, 06:16 PM	#5
BillPaxton Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Jupiter, FL Posts: 581	Thanks everyone! I did get the button back in and found and tightened the handlebar so functionally I'm back to normal. The only real damage was the tears in the rubber of the grip but for now I can live with that. Besides, I'm at the pub every weekend, next time I see the guy I'm going to speak with the cops that stand at the corner and see if they can provide some financial justice! __________________ Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. ~Ernest Hemingway

03-26-2007, 06:47 PM	#6
KSagal Glides a lot, talks more... Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Pelham, NH, USA. Posts: 10,356	Where are all those gliders with the stun guns and tazers when you need them?! My guess is that was not the first time that guy was a jerk, nor will it be the last... What he needed was a good old fashioned louieville slugger accross the knuckles... Or an arrest. As far as people continuing to abuse your property after you arrive on the scene, that is not a problem I deal with too much... A little aggressive, in your face attitude goes a long way... I am more likely to recieve someone's quaking knees or bladder control issues than I am a wize lip, once I catch someone abusing my stuff. Of course, I do not endorse creating a problem, but I do advocate selectively ending them... __________________ Karl Ian Sagal To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. "Well done is better than well said." (Ben Franklin) Bene factum melior bene dictum Proud past President of SEG America and member of the First Premier Segway Enthusiasts Group and subsequent ones as well.

03-26-2007, 07:03 PM	#7
wwhopper Advanced Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Washington, DC, USA. Posts: 4,894	And you left it in glide mode and turned on... Next time I come by and see your Porsche sitting in the driveway, I might look to see if the keys are in it. ;-) Bill, You need an I-2 - with it's alarm feature, you would have glided in, put it up against the wall, hit the alarm, and the dude would have just gotten on a piece of screaming and shaking metal, and he would have gone nowhere. I hate to say it, but when we leave our machines in glide mode and with the platform out, someone is going to jump up on it. And most probably fall off, since they don't know how to ride one. I remember seeing that happen at SegwayfesT 2003 in Chicago, we would all be parked and having lunch, and people would just walk by and step up on the Segways like it was their right to do so. __________________ Will W Hopper DCSEG Washington, DC, U.S.A.

03-26-2007, 06:05 PM	#4
dgbint Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Posts: 991	Visit your local dealer ! It doesn't sound like you will need more than a few minutes of their time, to tighten bolts and replace the button. Shouldn't cost you more than 20 bucks. Heck, it might even be free. We would check this out and probably fix it for free if you were our customer. We would tighten the bolts, give you a cup of coffee whilst you waited, and then give you a smile and 100 business cards as we waved you 'bye for now'. Michael Segway Southern Cross Australia

03-27-2007, 04:25 AM	#9
PeteInLongBeach Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Long Beach, CA Posts: 1,127	So, what's the best way to handle such an assault? Given some of the areas that I glide through, I do carry a small pepper sprayer (soon to be a bigger one), but would this have been appropriate in this instance? I'm usually one of the most pacifist people you'll ever meet, but this kind of thing really hits home and prompts me to wonder what I'd do in the same scenario...

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)