BMW C1

The BMW C1 is an enclosed scooter manufactured by Bertone for BMW.

Models and options

Two models were manufactured. The '125' model has a 124 cc capacity four valve, four-stroke, water-cooled, fuel injected engine producing . The '200' model has a 176 cc engine producing . Both engines were manufactured by Rotax and include a CVT gearbox.

BMW-supplied accessory options could be added at point of sale or sometimes retrofitted such as:

Three different options were available for the space behind the rider, all of them with matching key/lock and could be swapped out quickly:

A windscreen wiper with washer fluid completes the 'two wheeled car feel' and together with the roof/passenger cell creates a bike which has a higher centre of gravity than just about any other. In addition the rider is held upright against the seat's backrest by a four-point seat-belt. This makes handling at slow speed, and in particular taking corners in tight spaces or manoeuvring the bike at walking pace difficult until experience is acquired. The C1 weighed approximately with a 40/60 weight distribution towards the back.

History

BMW's intention with the C1 was to appeal to car drivers in crowded city streets. The idea was to offer the convenience of a scooter or motorbike but without many of the associated dangers or hassles. The C1's most innovative design feature was its emphasis on safety. BMW tried to add passive safety and car-like crash testing to the scooter. It claimed that in a head-on collision, the C1 offered a standard of accident protection comparable to a European compact car. That was the prime marketing strategy to convert car buyers; the C1 was claimed to be so safe that the rider did not need to wear a helmet to ride it. This was achieved by using two shoulder-height roll bars, a crumple zone around the front wheel and an aluminium roll cage creating a car-like safety cell. It also had twin seatbelts reminiscent of an aviation style four-point harness to keep the rider in place.

Many countries deemed the use of seatbelts in conjunction with wearing a helmet to be unsafe. The added strain on the riders neck from the added weight of the helmet could cause significant injury to the restrained rider even in a low speed head-on collision. Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Israel and Spain authorities were quick to allow an exception to the helmet law for the C1. However, poor C1 sales in the United Kingdom may in part be attributable to the British government's refusal of BMW's request to change helmet regulations for C1 riders. The C1-E uses components supplied by electric scooter manufacturer Vectrix and is powered by a lithium-ion battery.

See also

References

External links

C1 Category:Motor scooters Category:Vehicles introduced in 2000