| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Aaron Cake |
Posted - Feb 13 2005 : 10:28:23 AM
Check it out:
I was able try out a Segway yesterday at the World Of Motorcycles Expo.
I must say that it's very cool. As most probably know, it self balances and you make it accellerate and decelerate by leaning. A small twist on the left hand handlebar causes it to turn. Really, you move it by willing it, because if you think about what you want to do, it won't work. Very creepy, and very natural. It certainly goes too. Accelleration is brisk, and it will almost stop on a dime.
I want one. There's a dealer in town, but their website sucks, and I have not seen any in use here, so they must be new. The price is, well, high. But once I finish the RX-7, I won't really have anything to spend my money on, so....
Edited by - Aaron Cake on Feb 13 2005 10:29:30 AM |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Nerf Smurf |
Posted - May 08 2005 : 11:31:57 AM
Yes like wasssup1990 said, They showed one like that on th screen savers. It had more of an 4x4 ATV look and you could (if you wanted to) balence on the 2 back wheels. I forgot the top speed. I think 30MPH.
I also found a website that has a guide that shows you how to build something like the standart segeway. And also on that website it shows you how to build a self balancing uni-cycle to (although i think you have to balence the side roll your self). Looks cool tho!
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| Aaron Cake |
Posted - May 08 2005 : 10:07:26 AM
Yes, often you can just walk. However, I find myself in many situations where that gets annoying very quickly. For example, at the wrecking yard. Walking up and down the rows of a several acre lot in the blazing sun gets tiring real quickly. A Segway (or other scooter with suitably large tires) would help out. Same thing happens at the track. Walking from the pits to the staging area to the infield/outfield gets old, so a scooter is a necessity (many people use minibikes, pocket bikes, etc.). I'm not a lazy person, but I would rather take a Segway/scooter to the bank then walk the 6 blocks. I get enough exercise as it is, and right now I'm at a point where I just want to save the time.  My electric scooter runs at around 14 MPH with it's current gearing, which is quite a bit faster then most people's walking. Frankly, it's faster then most people's running speed.  I believe the Segway will do 12MPH, but that speed range depends on the model...
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| 02matada |
Posted - May 07 2005 : 05:34:34 AM
i may be boring but i think its easier to walk as these scooters etc arent that much faster anyway, its just for the novelty value, or if you are stupidly rich.
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| Aaron Cake |
Posted - Feb 28 2005 : 09:22:40 AM
I believe the Segway uses NiMH batteries...It's likely a very integrated system, so modification could be very difficult. Changing batteries means a new battery management system, charger, etc.
Not too sure how happy I would be going more then 20MPH. It's very stable, but stopping at that speed would be nuts. Remember, you are limited by balance and traction. A quick stop could throw you backwards. For that matter, climbing steep grades takes some practice as well.
As for the pocket bikes, they're cool, but most people ride them without any soft of intelligence whatsoever. They're not very popular around here, but I have heard that in some places, they are an absolute menace.
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| wasssup1990 |
Posted - Feb 28 2005 : 02:55:12 AM
Haha! Thats makeing me LOL. I'll probably watch the oscars here on this side tonight. Sorry a bit off topic there.
J.C. |
| BEatonNo1 |
Posted - Feb 28 2005 : 01:37:32 AM
yeah, the first time I saw one I thought it was a joke....a 20yr old driving a todlers toy
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| wasssup1990 |
Posted - Feb 28 2005 : 12:15:46 AM
Yeah, 40 pounds is 18Kg. My computer is like 15Kg, so most people could carry that pretty easily.
J.C. |
| Kale |
Posted - Feb 27 2005 : 2:59:58 PM
Well, at least with something small if it craps out you can always carry it home. I recall reading somewhere that Segways weigh upwards of 40 pounds.
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| wasssup1990 |
Posted - Feb 27 2005 : 04:49:56 AM
Hehe, there's a goof that rides his mini bike in the park behined the garden fence. He rips around on the pathways with this huge helmet on and a ridiculously small motor bike. Looks so silly! He doesn't do it much, probably fearing he'll get reported. And he's about my age, just imagine that. LOL "BEatonNo1" doesn't need to, he's already seen them; Hehe.
J.C. |
| BEatonNo1 |
Posted - Feb 27 2005 : 03:50:08 AM
put lithium poly batteries in it to add hours to your drive time (it may already use them?)
around here those scaled down motorcycles are pretty popular, you can get them with gas or electric motors (gas goes 30ish I think) i think people look pretty stupid on them personally. on campus people drive those on the sidetwalks, which could be dangerous .....everywhere else they use the bike lane
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| cirvin |
Posted - Feb 26 2005 : 9:13:34 PM
Technically, you cant ride bicycles on any sidewalk here in Geneva, but I've never been stopped.
http://daxter12.topcities.com <Its updated as of 12/9/04, check out the Punk Phone! |
| wasssup1990 |
Posted - Feb 26 2005 : 8:53:51 PM
Yeah if I had one I wouldn't modify it.
J.C. |
| cirvin |
Posted - Feb 26 2005 : 7:24:47 PM
you could raise the motor voltage or modify current limiters. That would probably give you some more go.
Then again, the thing is really expensive, i'd just leave it alone and be happy that i have one!
http://daxter12.topcities.com <Its updated as of 12/9/04, check out the Punk Phone! |
| Kale |
Posted - Feb 26 2005 : 1:52:51 PM
So how long do you think it would be before you tried to soop it up? Maybe a high-current 'afterburner'? Off-road tires? Splice an RX7 engine onto it?
I can see you now burning down the road with flames coming out from underneath the platform...
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| Aaron Cake |
Posted - Feb 26 2005 : 10:30:04 AM
Yeah, I remember all the hype several years ago about "ginger" and "it". Funny thing is that after I heard the description that it would "revolutionize personal transportation", I guessed it was an electric scooter.
Around here, I don't know if it is ilegal or not. I drive my electric scooter on the sidewalk all the time and nobody seems to care, so I don't think a Segway would cause much of a problem either.
I'm planning to rent one for my trip to Indianapolis in April/May. Should be fun.
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