Age: new (`W' registration.)
Cost: about £4000
Insurance: about £100 p.a. TPFT, or £500 comprehensive
Economy: about 80 mpg around town
Good points: cheap to run; as safe as it gets on two wheels; keeps out rain
Bad points: wimpy engine; looks wierd
*** STOP STOP PRESS ***
May, 2004: despite initial optimism, the High Court has sided with the
police in the prosecution of Peter Parker, despite an initial acquital by
magistrates. It now looks like riders of the C1,
the only motorcycle specifically
designed to be ridden without protective clothing, will be required
be wear a crash helment for the forseeable future. Oh well.
*** STOP PRESS ***
March 3rd, 2003: in the first court hearing in the UK to consider the
matter, Bedford magistrates acquited a C1 rider of three charges of
riding a C1 without a crash helmet!
Even after some months of riding, I'm still not sure whether the C1 is
a two-wheeled car, or a motorcycle with a roof. For those of you who have not seen one,
I should point out that the C1 is essentially a 125cc scooter with a roll cage, roof and seatbelts.
If that sounds odd, that's because it is. There's nothing quite like it on the road.
BMW are pitching the C1 firmly at car drivers. It is interesting that their advertising
literature contains no reference to motorcycles or scooters; terms like `two-wheeler' are
used when comparing the C1 to its competition (``no other two-wheeler offers...'').
Clearly the target consumers are likely to associate the word `motorcycle' with
danger, oil, and getting wet, and C1 owners aren't going to want any of that, oh no.
This means that you're more likely to be able to buy a C1 from a car dealer than anywhere
else, and most BMW dealers in London seem to have one in the showroom. The main
thrust of the advertising is that the C1 is convenient, economical, safe, and
environmentally benign.
The C1's convenience comes from its roof and safety features, which mean that it
can be ridden in ordinary outdoor clothing, rather than motorcycle gear. This is
particularly handy if you travel on business and need to dress formally. Once you've
parked you're ready to start work, rather than to start hunting for a place to change.
Parking itself is much easier than in a car, as the C1 can park in motorcycle ranks. It's
actually slightly wider than an ordinary bike, but much narrower than a car. The C1 has
only a centre stand, and this is operated by a pair of levers rather than the usual
brute force. However, the mechanism does not cope very well when parking on a downward
incline, and the bike can roll forward off the stand, which is potentially dangerous. The
solution is to make sure that the C1 is facing uphill when parking on a hill.
BMW offers a range of luggage and carriers, but they aren't cheap. I use the large,
flat rear rack, and strap luggage on with a bungee net. This seems to work quite well.
The weather protection is surprisingly good, considering that the sides of the vehicle are
completely open. Provided you're moving, you can get away with wearing light clothing
even in heavy rain. I find the only things to get wet are my gloves. However, if your
journey involves a lot of standing still, then at least one leg will get wet, as you'll
need to prop the bike up when it's stationary. I'm not sure yet whether to invest in the
heated handlebar grips; the huge front fairing keeps most, but not all, the airflow
away from the hands, so heating might not be necessary.
The safety features of the C1 are quite impressive. For a start, it has a seatbelt (actually
a three-point harness). The belt keeps the driver firmly fastened to the seat, and should
prevent any contact with the road or other vehicles in the event of a crash, provided
that the safety cage holds up. There is a huge impact absorber to the front, and two smaller
ones at the sides, at about elbow level. There is no rear impact protection, but there
is a padded headrest which should help to prevent whiplash neck injuries in the
event of a rear collision. I understand that one of the BMW engineers drove a
C1 (intentionally) head-on into a building at 30 mph, and emerged from the wreckage unruffled.
The safety cage completely surrounds the upper body, but I can envisage ways in which the
rider's legs could be injured in a side impact.
All in all, the effect of these safety features is to make the C1 safe to ride in
ordinary clothing, which is a major convenience factor. However, this only makes the
C1 an attractive purchase if you currently don't think it's OK to ride a bike in
ordinary clothing; the majority of scooter riders seem to ride in ordinary
clothes anyway.
Currently the UK is the only country in Europe that is not considering the relaxation of
crash helmet laws for vehicles like the C1. This means that we are forced to wear crash
helmets, even though the risk of sustaining a head injury in the C1 is probably no greater than
it would be in a car. A number of C1 riders have decided to flout the law, and take their
chances if prosecuted. Even if you don't want to go that far, you don't need the same
kind of helmet that you would wear on an ordinary motorcycle; a light, open-face model
would be fine.
The C1 has a 125cc, fuel-injected engine, with a catalytic converter. Its acceleration
is about the same (dreadful) as other 125cc scooters, even though it is much heavier, probably
as a result of the increased engine efficiency (fuel injection is unusual in such small
engines). If you want a fast scooter, get a Gilera `Runner', not a C1. It's no match
for a 180cc, two-stroke machine, but then it probably isn't intended to be. The
C1 is very economical. Its petrol tank holds about £5-worth of petrol, and that's
good for over 90 miles, even around the city.
The C1 can manage a top speed of about 60 mph (perhaps more with a less
weighty rider), but is happier at about 50. Beyond this point it starts to
get slightly scary, particularly in strong winds. The roof and windscreen do seem
to pick up sidewinds and the bike is easily deflected in strong gusts. Motorway
riding is not very appealing, but is tolerable in reasonable weather. Whatever
the weather, the windscreen deflects windblast from the rider, and the C1 remains
comfortable to ride.
So what are we to make of all this? The C1 is a practical, sensible and convenient
means of transport for crowded cities. It combines most of the advantages
of a car with most of the advantages of a scooter, but does not really
supplant either. If you view the C1 as a motorcycle (or even a scooter), you
will be disappointed. It lacks the acceleration and manoeuvrability of a top-end
scooter, and is too obtrusive to park on the pavement in front of a shop without
attracting the attention of the traffic warden. Viewed as a two-wheeled car
it scores more highly. It is cheaper to buy and run, quicker everywhere except
the motorway, easier to park and generally much more fun.
©1994-2006 Kevin Boone, all rights reserved