Lost Segway! Also - unusual Segway sounds.

[BenBethel]

I had my HT replaced by Segway a few weeks ago - I received the new one in the morning and put the old one and all the original stuff in the box and sent it off that afternoon. DHL came and picked it up and away it went.

Well, Segway calls me and says they're about to charge me for packages that haven't arrived - there's a power base, mat, control stick, and a gearbox - almost enough things to make a new HT! I tracked everything and they all got there.... except the one airbill that Segway *didn't* mention, the replacement HT!

DHL calls and says - "We show a 110lb box that you sent from Phoenix - it got to our hub in New York but never arrived in New Hampshire, there's no arrival scan". So, they opened a claim for me and I'm waiting for the paperwork to get it all processed. Now, the question is "Is this a theft by a DHL employee?" and the suggestion for me would be:

NEVER SEND YOUR KEYS WITH YOUR SEGWAY. This way, people can steal it, but not use it.

However, on that note, I'm sending my HT back sometime this week to have a really loud noise checked out - but they want the red key. That's okay, but this time I'm making sure I save copies of every airbill and keep better track of everything!

By the way - the noise that I'm getting is like this -

normal - 0 to 9.4mph:

oooooooooooooo-ooooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-

9.4mph to 12.5mph, not hitting limiter:

-eeeeeeeeeeee-aaarrrrrrrgggggrrrrgrrrrgrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

the rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr part of the sound is like a buzzsaw or airplane propellor - not that loud, but more of a gnashing, gnawing sound rather than the sweet whine of machinery. happens after about one mile at higher speeds, definitely different than my first segway and the others I've listened to movies of.

Ben

www.benbethel.com

[AtlSeg]

Ben, when I sent back my original mat after the replacement came, I didn't think anything about it (as I used LLC's DHL airbill). Then got a call from LLC asking if I returned it. I had to do some looking, but found my copy of the airbill in a huge stack of "miscellaneous stuff to be filed," checked the tracking, and found it had arrived the day after I sent it. Moral: Don't lose your copy of the airbill!

Dick (Richard) in Atlanta

[dhugger]

Wow Ben, I'm sorry to hear all that. You've really had some bad luck[/:(]

-Derek Hugger-

[Jeff Allen]

Ben. I'm beginning to be afraid to read your posts. You musta done somebody wrong in a previous life or something. I hope Segway will go out of their way to take special care of you. You seem to be very patient. I hope you are getting all your bad luck over with at once. But just in case I would be extra careful during thunderstorms and try to avoid trailer parks.

<s>Hang in There</s>, er, I mean I hope things start going your way. [^]

Onward!
Jeff Allen

[stevew]

The HT gearboxes are supposed to be bulletproof! What a shame you're again having trouble with your HT, Ben. I've been deliberately tough on my HT while it's still under warranty, being a firm believer in infant mortality, and I attack the steepest hills I can find in Belmont -- I'm around 220lbs . I occasionally get a chirp as I'm climbing but it never lasts more than a fraction of a second. --Almost sounds like the tires are squeeling. Ben you may be a candidate for the mil spec version!

[BenBethel]

Thanks for all your support everyone - yes, even the guys at Segway told me to buy a Powerball ticket!

I can also say the following to show that I shouldn't be working the HT too hard: I'm 150 pounds, almost 5'9", never ride against the speed limiter (I know this because most of the time I'm riding hands-free, which requires balance and I don't like the control stick whapping me in the crotch!), and I live in Phoenix with lots of sunshine, and my entire commute is smooth and flat without hardly any turns! I commute in a straight line for 2.3 miles, then again for almost 2.2 miles and come home 4.5 miles with only a small number of turns.

But, I probably also commute at higher speeds more than anyone else out there - these sounds don't come at low speeds, only above 9mph. And it starts grinding a little bit more about every 3/4 or 1 mile, starting with a sound like taking your fingernail on the tiny spinning piece of metal on a wind-up jukebox, and every 3/4 or 1 mile more it gets louder and louder and louder until it sounds like a guitar pick against a small office sized fan with thick plastic blades, then finally towards the end of 4.5 miles sounds like a blender crushing ice at low speeds.

That's the weird thing about it - it's just not there when I start a ride each day... it only happens after riding a good distance. Hmmm....

Anyway - I'm sending it overnight to them tomorrow I guess - they'll get it on friday but I bet none of them are working over the weekend. Perhaps I should send it on Tuesday so I can have it back by Thursday? I'll have to call and ask which is better for them...

Ben

www.benbethel.com

[wheels]

Ben;
I'll bet the problem with the HT is the grind angle of the smaller gear of the non-integer herringbone gearset. You can tell them I said so.
In your case, replacement is the only solution.

One way..... SEGWAY ! !

[dhugger]

Ben, I've had that noise, but only for a fraction of a second. It happens every once in a while. Is it normal? Who knows...

-Derek Hugger-

[Neelix]

Ben, remind me to never ride in an airplane with you!

I hope that it all gets worked out. That really sucks. But just remember, at least you have a Segway that malfunctions, compared to no Segway at all! =)

-------------------------
Fear not, for even though I come from the Forbidden City, I surely do not agree with the rules.

[BenBethel]

Hey, I usually have stellar luck, must just be the month for everything to happen at once! A tenant hasn't paid rent (it's the 21st), another tenant was supposed to buy his place from me long ago, I had a job offer but it sucked, my roommate got fired from his job and is moving out - it's just one thing after another!

Anyway - I posted a message about hot days and batteries, check it out.

In the meantime, I'll post follow ups to this when I find out what the sound is...

www.benbethel.com