Getting around South Beach on a scooter

[Gus]

wuicho, the jet pack looks fun, but do I have to wear that silly looking suit. It would be impossible to pick up chicks in South Beach dressed like that. The only thing missing is a cape.

P.S. Chonga girls are HOT!

[BryanSereny]

Flip-flops are proper shoes for riding motorcycles/scooters! You should try it some time :)

The 2nd rule of scooter etiquette, WEAR PROPER SHOES FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD.

Have you ever stubbed your toe? Times how that feels by 50.

Perhaps the carefree couple in the picture above was never forced to watch the "Red Asphalt" driver's education video.

"Innocent men, women, and children are being killed out there, in the kind of number we expect to see during a war. Last year, 362,000 Californians were wounded during this war, and in just that one year, 5,000 died."

Just hearing about that video use to scare me. Sometimes 'shock and awe' tactics work.

Hey Alex, please don't be put off by all this heavy-handed talk. Motorcycle riding is a pastime many people enjoy here.

[Suzanne C]

Check it out: maybe an electric scooter...


You know, for those out there who are not allowed to drive, this is a perfect option....

1.Electric scooters are allowed on public transit (bus/train/plane) whereas gas-powered scooters are prohibited.
2.Noise and air pollution of gas-powered scooters is eliminated.
3.Electric motors provide quick starts and hill-climbing without the delay of gas engine "ramp up".
4.Although often purchased as a "toy", electric scooters often serve as transportation - whether for local errands or when youngsters go to college.

or someone looking to avoid the high cost of gas, insurance, auto payments & parking on SoBe while keeping mobility...

Key Biscayne residents use golf carts.

[Gus]

Flip-flops are proper shoes for riding motorcycles/scooters! You should try it some time :)

Yes, although it might feel cool to operate a motorcycle/scooter wearing flip-flops, this is the (minimum) consequence if you wreck...

(Flickr photo: miami motorcycle accident)

[kapnet]

Hi Suzy,
Thanks for the reply.
I have seen Segways around Fort Lauderdale before. They rent them at the beach for tourists to play with. Unfortunately, there are a few problems with the idea of using them for transportation.

1. They're slow (top speed 12mph).
2. They are not street legal - no signals, headlights, horn, licence plate etc. You are required to ride on the sidewalk and even then I'm not sure it's legal.
3. You can't carry anything with you.
4. You can't legally park it anywhere and even if you could it can almost be picked up and carried away by anyone. Looking at it, I can't see how you could even lock it to a post.
5. They are battery powered and if I had to travel from say Lincoln to 5th it would most likely run out of juice before I get back home to charge it up again.

I appreciate your thoughts. Once I move there I will follow up with my thoughts of getting around South Beach on some form of motorized 2 wheeler.
Keep up the good work at MB411.com.

Alex

This guy's post is a misinformation campaign worthy of the CIA.. here's the truth about segway

--they are legal to ride on streets with speed limits of 25mph or below

--they are legal to ride on the sidewalk throughout florida... cities can override if they want, key west is the only one that has done so to my knowledge

--I have carried 50 lbs of stuff in my bag... hand it on the handlebar and the segway balances itself no sweat

--you can legally park it on any sidewalk.. i do have a lock i use.. someone could pick it up... but it would be worthless to them... each key is electronically serial numbered.. no way to hack it... one guy was busted in NYC when he tried to get a key "hack" (which didnt exist)

--battery lasts a long time... 2 hours of continuous riding is the most i have ever done... regularly take it on 6 mile trips

[Suzanne C]

Hey Kapnet, thanks for the info and welcome to the site.

Let's play a quick game of 20 questions, or something similar.


What kind of segway do you have?
Do you find it hard to manuever?
Do you drive it primarily on the sidewalk or street?
How long does it take to charge the battery?
Is it heavy (like if I live on a third floor apartment and need to haul it up some stairs)?
Can you fit two people on there?
How about a dog? (Not a joke, I'm serious)
Do many people ask you about your segway? :red:

[kapnet]

Hey Kapnet, thanks for the info and welcome to the site.

Let's play a quick game of 20 questions, or something similar.

What kind of segway do you have?
Do you find it hard to manuever?
Do you drive it primarily on the sidewalk or street?
How long does it take to charge the battery?
Is it heavy (like if I live on a third floor apartment and need to haul it up some stairs)?
Can you fit two people on there?
How about a dog? (Not a joke, I'm serious)
Do many people ask you about your segway? :red:

i have the XT.. off road kind... little less easy to get thru doorways (still fits) because of the wide tires... but a much better ride over sidewalks/ obstacles / and off road

its so easy to ride... people learn it in 20 seconds... i even got my 72 yr old granddad to ride it

i live on a side road.. so i street until i hit the main roads.. then sidewalk

very heavy - mines 85 lbs... i lift it into car... you can take it upstairs by letting it climb ( you help it.. but it does all the work) .. not an easy process, tho

one person only... took my small gf on back once.. but not very useful that way.. if ur mate is fat forget it!

dog too dangerous.. leash could get caught in wheel (but yes, I did it a few times - carefully)

EVERYONE stops to ask... sometimes i cant take it if i dont have time to talk

good luck!

[kimosabe]

I was told the segway is ilegal to operate in SoBe and NoBe.. Is this true? I was gonna use it to do food deliveries up and down the beach.. I also see it being used in SoBe ( Rentals) I can't figure this one out.

[Suzanne C]

Where'd you hear that Kimo? a knowledgeable source?

It's Sunday so I don't have anyone I can call but I'll definitely dig tomorrow...the diggin' is my favorite!

Kapnet: do you live on the beach? I'm sure an officer has seen you on your Seg. Any tickets? Warnings?

[kimosabe]

I was told by a Chef that speaks with the local law enforcment here on collins NoBe. They said no motor vehicles are allowed on the sidewalk that only law enforcment is allowed to use them..?? Trust me Im stumped too. I need to know for sure before I get one. I know you can operate then in Ft Lauderdale.

[timjoe]

i enjoyed this thread on scooter riding because i ride a scooter (that's me on my honda elite 80) and will bring it to MB when i arrive in january...the emphasis on wearing a helmet was a surprise!...i rode my scooter helmetless for two months in MB during 2002 and can't recall seeing a single rider wearing a helmet...also, it was surprising to read the warnings about parking on the sidewalk or risk getting a ticket)...in 2002, i always parked on the sidewalk in MB...i even parked it on the sidewalk overnight, chained to a lamp post...everywhere i went people parked on sidewalks...i never got a ticket and never saw a cop ticketing anyone...(hardly ever saw cops in MB at any time, for that matter)...are things so much different from 2002?

[Maria de los Angeles]

Hi Tim!

I have a friend who commutes with a scooter in MB. I'll ask her what her experience is like and get back to you.

[Gus]

timjoe, thanks for posting a picture of your scooter, but please be careful where you park it. I've had numerous friends get ticketed for parking their scooters on the sidewalk. As for theft, titimiami just told us about getting his motorcycle stolen from inside a parking garage.

[Maria de los Angeles]

Hi Timjoe, this is what my friend replied:

anyhow, a scooter is treated as a car. we are ticketed, not only ticketed, but the tickets are the same in dollars as a car. so this applies to parking, stopping first before turning right on red, yielding, etc. i, for one, do believe all vehicles need to be cracked down upon. there are no exceptions, according to the cops. i think the parking situation is abominable because driving a scooter obviously uses far less fuel...and space. of course, our Republican based police could care less about being "green." oh yes, and you can expect a ticket if parked at a motorcycle/scooter spot with meters. here, too, we pay the same as a car

[timjoe]

hi to all,
i've been on the beach now for two weeks and riding my scooter extensively every day...i think MB is the best place on the continent to ride a scooter...i've been a lot of places with it, even all over alaska...anyway, for anyone who has a scooter and hesitates to ride it into miami due to safety concerns over the mcarthur causeway, i highly recommend the venetian causeway...absolutely beautiful ride over to the big city and back...it costs $1.50 toll to go the final quartermile into miami (then you'd have to pay the toll again on the return trip to the beach) but, hey, who needs to go all the way across?...the trip to the toll booth is just beautiful!...i highly recommend it to anyone who has not yet done it on a scooter...i even made a short movie of myself and janet riding our bike on the venetian...you can see it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSBT-dM7j5c