Free Republic

One of my most sublime summer moments this year came on a gorgeous sunny day as I zipped along St. Paul's downtown riverfront, the warm wind whistling past my ears, on a motorized vehicle that made almost no noise.Yes, it was an electric scooter. No, it wasn't a Segway Human Transporter (good guess, though). I'll get to that upright contraption in a second.We're all conditioned to hear rumbling engines when moving on self-propelled vehicles, so the relative silence of an electric scooter is an unexpected delight.So many kinds of electric scooters are now on the market, at so many prices,...

WASHINGTON - The maker of the Segway Human Transporter has agreed to recall the motorized scooters because riders have been injured falling off when its batteries are low. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (news - web sites) announced the recall Friday, saying that three people had been injured. One suffered a head wound and needed stitches. The recall involves about 6,000 of the single-rider, two-wheeled scooters that can travel up to 12 mph. The scooter uses gyroscopes to keep it upright, making it less likely to fall or be knocked over. The Segway was unveiled in December 2001 to much...

President tries his hands on a Segway Recreation part of Bush clan gathering at Maine estate President Bush and his father, former President Bush, ride on Segway scooters Thursday at the senior Bush's family estate in Kennebunkport, Maine. ASSOCIATED PRESS KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine, June 13 — President Bush opened a long Father’s Day weekend at his parents’ estate here, starting his R&R by riding a Segway — the standup, motorized scooter that resembles a push lawnmower.