Segway Scooter

Yeah, I heard fairly recently that Austin PD is looking into (if not already) using Segways to patrol downtown... I just don't think I could keep a straight face if I ever got reprimanded by a cop on one of those things.

 

I frequently see them downtown in Austin, being ridden by tourists. Someone has a tour business that uses them. When it cools off, maybe by November , I'm going to try one out for fun. If they cut the price in half, I would consider getting one. $5,000? That's crazy!

 

2500? I wouldn't want one at that price either.

 

You should check out the cost of electric scooters. $2500 is at least in the upper ballpark in that segment. I'm not saying that's cheap at all, but since I can't ride a bicycle, and my wife and kids can, I've been looking for something I can ride that's fun, quiet, can keep up with the bikes, and doesn't put out fumes. I might consider $2500, since I can afford it. Maybe. 5 grand? That's nuts.

I tried to check out one of these at Alien Scooters in Austin. They didn't have them in stock.



$1230.00 is half of what a Segway would cost if Segway cut their prices in half. A quarter of the cost of a Segway, in other words. Wouldn't have the "cool" factor, but is faster and would work for me. It costs ten cents to charge! Pretty short range, though, compared to a Segway.

http://www.alienscooters.com/compon...oduct_id,237/category_id,6/manufacturer_id,0/

 

I've got one of these:

http://www.rothmotors.com/products/2000xr-motorboard


It's MUCH cheaper.
It's MUCH more practical cause it folds up so you can carry it in one hand or put it in your trunk/closet.
It goes FASTER.
It is virtually silent as opposed to most scooters this size.

Only downside is you gotta be comfortable riding on the narrow board ...cause this thing is freaking fast.

EDIT:
Regarding Deckards scooter above, I looked at those.
The Motorboard is ...
still cheaper than that thing.
weights MUCH less.
is much more practical cause it folds.
is much more quite ...not gas and solidly built so no raddle noises.
Oh ...and looks much better.

 

Actually I am thinking about buying a moped that can go 30 mph and get 100 miles per gallon.

 

My girl is selling her car in the next few weeks and we're planning to get a couple of these:

 

A segway tour place in Galveston recently failed so they were selling them on the cheap. My friends dad bought three. At the end of day one, there was one.

Extreme segwaying does not pay off.

 

Very interesting... thanks! How's the ride? I have a bad back (disc surgery and can't sit on a firm surface, thus the need to stand up) and that's pretty important to me. I like the fact that it's so light. Makes it far easier for me to transport. Does the board have a part of it that's not "slick?" You know, so my shoes wouldn't slide off? It is pretty narrow.

Can it handle the hills of Austin?

 

Finally there is something more embarrassing than getting pulled over by a bike cop.

 

I think this says it all:
<embed src="http://www.theonion.com/content/themes/common/assets/videoplayer/flvplayer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="transparent" width="400" height="355" flashvars="file=http://www.theonion.com/content/xml/61101/video&autostart=false&image=http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/SEGWAY.jpg&bufferlength=3&embedded=true&title=In%20The%20Know%3A%20Do%20You%20Remember%20Life%20Before%20The%20Segway%3F"></embed><br/><a href="http://www.theonion.com/content/video/in_the_know_do_you_remember_life?utm_source=embedded_video">In The Know: Do You Remember Life Before The Segway?</a>

 

My friend got pulled over by a bicycle cop. He was driving a car. He got a ticket for an expired inspection sticker.

 

There was some music video with a fake Dick Cheney riding one of these things.....nice video

 

You could build your own segway. Google it.

 

Have any of you ever been on a Segway? I rarely see them anywhere, period.

I actually tried one about two years ago. It was actually pretty cool, and very interesting to see how it 'responded' to you balanced on it. I think as a concept, it's a nifty experience.

Of course, I don't know what the practical application or real 'use' of the thing would ever be, but who knows.

Not too mention (when last I heard) its pricing wasn't too impressive.

 

Thread bumps rule.

 

The lettering you see on the board is actually grip. So yes, it is not slick at all.

Hills? Not too sure since there aren't any in Houston. I have an older model that is so-so on the mild inclines I've seen. But I think the newer model specifically says they've worked on the torque to handle hills even better.