Celebrity wheels

Riding around on a Segway is an easy way to get lots of attention

IT'S BEEN four years since Dean Kamen introduced the Segway Human Transporter, and it remains a head-turner to this day.

Segway of Hawaii What: Tours at Hilton Hawaiian Village (Tapa Tower) start at $89 with an additional $49 mandatory training session Reservations: 941-3151

"I feel like I'm riding around with a celebrity sometimes," said Segway of Hawaii owner Alan Rice. "All I'll hear is, 'Segway! Segway!' and see people turning and pointing."

That was the typical reaction during a media tour that Rice led through Waikiki and Ala Moana Beach Park in August. Both tourists and locals alike, on foot and in cars, would stop and stare as the devices rolled by. It's the best publicity he could ask for, and Rice doesn't have to pay a dime.

WHEN SEGWAY debuted, it quickly gained a reputation as being nothing more than a toy for rich grown-ups too lazy to walk.

Utilizing gyroscopic technology developed for the U.S. military, the two-wheeled unit runs on electricity that gives it a range of approximately 24 miles and a top speed of 12 mph. The state of Hawaii categorizes it as an assisted-mobility device, making it the equivalent of an electric wheelchair in the eyes of the law. Retail price is about $5,000.

Movement is intuitive. Lean forward, and the Segway will begin to glide. Braking is accomplished by leaning backward, and turns are controlled by twisting a grip on the device's left side. The newest Segway model, the i2, is even easier to ride. Released in August, it uses "LeanSteer" technology to make turning possible by simply leaning in the direction you want to go.

Rice, who started Segway of Hawaii after a successful career in marketing and film production in Hollywood, discovered the device in 2004.

"I was sitting at home, watching 'The Today Show,' and Matt Lauer was riding around on one of these things," he said. "And I thought, 'That's really cool; I want to try that.'"

After taking a Segway tour of celebrity homes in Beverly Hills, Rice was convinced that starting his own business was worth the time and effort. His wife, Jeanne, is a high-ranking executive at Hilton Hotels in Southern California but previously worked in Waikiki at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Her connections opened the door to discussions with the resort, which resulted in Segway of Hawaii opening for business at a kiosk in the Tapa Tower earlier this year.

"It took me 2 1/2 years from the time I decided this was what I was gonna do," Rice said. "I've been doing this for six months now, and I've gotten really good response. My sales have only gone up from day one."

THE FIRST step in learning to ride a Segway is to sign up for a training session.

Segway of Hawaii's Topher Erickson was on hand to help Rice during the media tour in August, and he spent about 30 minutes demonstrating the do's and don'ts of the device.

Do remember to put on your helmet before starting to ride. Don't scream at tourists to clear a path as you roll up behind them. Keep in mind the right way to dismount a Segway, so that it doesn't roll over you in the process.

We go back and forth in a loading zone outside the hotel, slaloming through a set of cones that Erickson has set up along the pavement. Once we've proved our ability to ride without looking like idiots, Rice motions us to follow him toward Ala Moana Boulevard.

"These things are just about hands-free," he said, motioning with his hands as he rolled along. "And we've yet to touch a toe."

Rice takes pride in the safety measures his company employs. By offering guided tours only, he's able to eliminate unsupervised joy riding. And the mandatory training ensures that everyone who takes a tour is competent enough to avoid getting hurt while riding a Segway.

Handicap-accessible ramps make it relatively easy for our group to traverse the distance between the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Ala Moana Beach Park. Within minutes we're at Magic Island, tooling along bike paths and attracting more stares than a supermodel strutting in the sand in a thong.

"The (Segway x2 model) will work in the sand, it works on curbs and trails, and it will even do stairs," Rice said. "It's a real off-road machine, and it's a real blast to ride."

Sure enough, the Segway I'm riding has no problem with the grass at the beach park, and I was also able to ride on the beach fronting the Hilton with no difficulty. Negotiating curbs isn't that tough, either.

While your legs get a workout from all the leaning, taking a Segway tour is definitely easier on the body than walking.

You can travel farther without getting tired, which allows for more sightseeing. And you're not cooped up in a rental car or tour bus, separated from the outside world by a glass window. The Segway allows you to immerse yourself in your surroundings while remaining mobile.

WITH A fleet of more than 30 Segways, Rice's tour business aims to follow similar endeavors in other cities around the country. Segway tours are currently available in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, and are offered internationally in France, Italy, Australia and Thailand.

Locally, tour offerings include "Honolulu: History and Culture," a "Downtown Glide Ride" or "Waikiki Glide Ride," and an expanded "Waikiki/Kapiolani Park/Diamond Head Adventure" that takes more than 2 1/2 hours to complete. Prices range from $89 to $110 and are in addition to the mandatory $49 training session required in order to ride.

Although Rice hasn't had a vacation in almost a year and lives apart from his family in Southern California, he believes his efforts will result not only in more tourism business, but more local residents turning to the Segway as an alternative means of daily transportation.

As the only official Segway dealer in Hawaii, he's already sold units to the Honolulu Police Department and the U.S. military, and hopes that more people will consider purchasing the device.

"You can go outside, get on the city bus ... roll out and do your business, roll back in and go back home," he said. "So many physically challenged people are using these and getting out of wheelchairs, and it makes them feel alive.

"I think that in time more people will accept (seeing the Segway) in the community."