|
|
 |
|
BMW motorcycles, or scooters C1, a wacky covered gas scooter
|
|
|
The weirdest is the main stand (the C1 has no sidestand). BMW’s
engineers have dreamed up the world’s most complex prop, operated from the cockpit by two levers. The shorter of the
two drops the stand but leaves the machine on its wheels with the stand about two centimetres off the ground. The longer lever
retracts the front suspension, lowering the front of the bike on to the stand. Un-parking requires the same operation, in
reverse.
The C1’s body is a successful attempt to build a roll cage around a scooter without making it look like it’s
from a Mad Max movie. A heavy but conventional front end, front fender fixed like a Lambretta, flows smoothly into
an elegantly curved glass windscreen with a wiper on a parallelogram linkage that carries a light tube to pipe the detergent
for what der German-only manual calls “der wisch-wasch” directly to the blade.
The windshield continues
to a roof of bonded glass so heavily smoked as to appear black. Then the cage drops abruptly behind the seat to rejoin the
chassis where there’s a very small storage compartment (a custom-made top-box is available and essential because the
rider can’t wear a backpack).
The car-like fascia is neatly laid out with big, easily legible warning icons and
real gauges for speedo and fuel; the only liquid crystal displays are the odometer and digital clock. The switchgear is also
Italian and pleasantly chunky with firm rockers that are positive in operation and conventionally laid out - although it must
have the only twistgrip housing in the business featuring windscreen wiper controls!
The handlebars look high and a
too close to the rider but fit the upright seating position perfectly.
Piloting the C1 (I choose the term with care)
is totally unlike riding a scooter. The machine is too heavy and the seating position too enclosed to permit much paddling
around in parking lots; drag the thing round until it’s pointing the right way, strap in and take off in a straight
line. The bodywork prevents you seeing the road or the front of the vehicle so the steering, while reasonably accurate, is
remote and has no feedback.
Skip to more BMW pages
Leaning into a corner reinforces the feeling of flying rather than riding but (thanks to a 1488mm wheelbase and firm
suspension) the C1 is stable when banking and can be cornered as hard as the rather limited performance will permit. The Telelever
front suspension and ABS let you brake as hard as you like. It takes a while to become confident in the machine’s roadholding
but I was soon riding it much like a normal scooter - although it still feels very different.
The C1 is no wider than
a big motorcycle, can slice through traffic and is stable even at walking pace so is a decent commuter – though a single-seater.
It is, however, useless as a short-range delivery vehicle because stopping and starting are too complex and time-consuming.
The aerodynamics of the upper bodywork are remarkable by motorcycle standards but not perfect: there’s a vortex
behind the rider’s head that calls for a beanie to avoid earache and directs water down the rider’s neck at certain
speeds. Nevertheless, cruising without a helmet in a pocket of nearly still air without your eyes watering is very pleasant.
Mechanically,
the C1 is a big scooter with a roll cage, nothing more or less. The feeling of riding it, however, is unique and it will appeal
to the self-confident individualist who knows exactly what he or she expects from his wheels. Build quality, as always from
the Blue Propeller Company, is beyond reproach and goes a long way towards justifying its R49950 price tag.
Thanks
to John Carr at Trefco (Cape Town) for the loan of the test bike.
SPECIFICATIONS
Motor: Liquid-cooled
four-stroke single.
Capacity: 125cc.
Bore x stroke: Not listed..
Valvegear: DOHC with four
overhead valves.
Compression ratio: 13:1.
Power: 11kW @ 9250rpm.
Torque: 12Nm @ 6500rpm.
Induction:
Electronic fuel injection with Dell’Orto VA 23mm throttle body.
Ignition: Electronic.
Starting:
Electric.
Clutch: Centrifugal automatic.
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission by V-belt.
Suspension:
Telelever suspension with single gas-charged hydraulic shock-absorber at front, two hydraulic shock-absorbers adjustable
for preload at rear.
Brakes: 220mm disc with twin-piston Brembo floating calliper at front, 210mm disc with single-piston
Brembo floating calliper at rear.
Tyres: Front: 120/70-ZR13 tubeless radial. Rear: 140/70 -R12 tubeless radial.
Wheelbase:
1488mm.
Seat height: 701mm.
Dry weight: 185kg.
Fuel capacity: 9.7 litres.
Price:
R49 950.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There have been scooters with roofs - the Honda Gyro Canopy (which
I’ve ridden) and the magnificent Reliant-powered Quasar (which I haven’t) spring to mind - but never anything
as complex, as wacky or as carefully engineered to protect the rider as the BMW C1.
Dumping it would be extraordinarily
difficult but, if you did, the worst to happen would be a mussed hairdo and a dented ego. Neither crash helmet nor protective
clothing (other than to keep you warm) is needed.
BMW looked through the eyes of a car driver who fancies a scooter
to cut through gridlock but doesn’t want to reach the office looking like something from a Dennis Hopper movie - and
hates getting wet.
Hence, a scooter more like a light aircraft than a car or a scooter
despite its relatively conventional drivetrain.
BMW’s space(age) shuttle has a liquid-cooled 125cc four-stroke
single from Austrian manufacturer Rotax. It has two overhead camshafts, four valves, a 13:1 compression ratio and a superb
fuel injection system from famed Italian carburettor maker Dell’Orto (their first, and very impressive). It’s
rated at 11kW at 9250rpm with peak torque of 12Nm at 6500rpm - impressive for a scooter but barely enough for a bike weighing
185kg dry.
The drive train goes through a very ordinary centrifugal clutch and constantly variable V-belt drive to the rear wheel.
The clutch takes up at fairly low revs - no problem with such a torquey motor - and removes the need to go accelerate from
rest in bursts that sound like a chainsaw.
The C1 reaches an indicated 106km/h, three more than the handbook
said it would, flying straight and level in still air and will better 90 into a stiff wind.
Acceleration is less impressive
(that weight again) but on full throttle will stay ahead of the four-wheelers up to about 60km/h, enough to ensure that all-important
margin of safety.
The motor’s cruising sweet spot is about 90km/h, when the C1 will burn about 4.2 litres/100km/h,
but as much as 5.4 flat out. The Rotax is unexpectedly vibratious, especially on overrun, with a patch of shaking around 80km/h
but it’s not enough to blur the mirrors. It’s also loud enough to be intrusive, especially on the open road, and
reinforces the impression of an aircraft rather than a road vehicle.
Only after a couple of days did I realise how
much noise a crash helmet shuts out.
The bike is built inside an alloy cage welded up from a mixture of round and square
tubing and a couple of strategic castings, the more important of which is just for’ard of the motor. It acts as the
main engine mount, the front suspension location and takes the reinforced lower mounts for the roll cage - two round tubes
going all the way around the passenger with a neat cross-brace behind the seat.
It has enormous structural rigidity
but is also the main reason for the C1’s weight.
The front suspension follows BMW’s well-known Telelever
set-up with a single non-adjustable, gas-charged shock absorber behind the front wheel. Not only does it handle the job of
stabilising a 185kg package on a 13” front wheel with aplomb but it also makes possible the most complex main stand
geometry I’ve yet seen.
The 12” rear wheel (and transmission) ride on conventional hydraulic shocks, adjustable
for preload only. Rear-wheel travel has to be very short so the suspension is firm to the point of harshness so I left the
preload ring on its softest setting and it never bottomed - though the front did. Severe bumps are transmitted via the firm
backrest to the rider but on smoother surfaces the ride is acceptable by scooter standards.
My longest ride was a bit
more than an hour. Earache was a bigger problem than a sore bum - wear a beanie if you plan to ride a C1 on cold mornings.
A
185kg scooter (yes, the weight again!) needs exceptional brakes. The C1 has Brembo discs: the front a twin-piston floating
calliper on a 220mm stainless-steel rotor, the back a single-piston calliper and a 210mm disc. Odd, then, that the rear wheel
locks up so much more easily than the front – or it would if it could…
You see, the C1 has second-generation
anti-lock brakes as developed for the F650GS by German hydraulics specialists FTE and using a 100mm slotted ring on each disc
carrier. It works superbly; the left brake lever tickled my fingers as the rear wheel came close to locking but the front
never kicked in. Using both brakes together hauls the C1 to a stop hard enough to operate the seat belts’ inertia locks.
Yes,
seat belts. The C1 has two, a normal three-point item from the left and a cross-strap running from the rider’s right
shoulder to the left hip. More than that, although the motor will start and idle happily, it will not rev hard enough to pull
away unless both belts are in place. They pull the rider against the vertical backrest and are a darned nuisance if you’re
in a hurry - like most light aircraft, the C1 has a long pre-flight checklist.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Site Map
Some minor assembly required. Free shipping available to Continental US only. Scooters, motorcycles, skateboards,
and go karts usually leave warehouse within 3 business days but may take up to 14 depending on availability. PLEASE READ OUR SAFETY INFO. All riders must wear protective equipment at all times including helmet, knee and elbow pads, and glasses. We
are not responsible for riders that don't obey the law, drive irresponsibly, or don't wear safety equipment. Product
may not be exactly as described as models are improved and upgraded often. Contact us at admin@extremely-cheap-gas-powered-scooters.com.
Copyright 2003 - 2007
|
|
|
|
