Bmw C1

phoenix_nights

Ok now nobody laugh but i am thinking of acquiring one of these.

Could be moving out of the city to commuter land and thus won't be able to cycle anymore. This scooter is safe etc.



Some questions:

Its only 125cc so no need for motorcycle licence. Guessing insurance about 500 euros...about right ?

This is why i was thinking of a C1.

Anyone had any experience on these transportion devices:)

I have an aussie full motorcycle licence but figure the hassle of trying to convert to Irish would drive me up the wall. Also cant really see the point when i am going to get charged 1500 euros to drive anything over 125.

Any ideas, sarcastic remarks, welcome........


Normal Scooter.




C1.

Cassiel

125cc - you require a motorcycle licence - either a provisional A or a provisional A1 (limited to 125cc only). Car B licence only covers 50cc mopeds.

They're bloody expensive and the looks are an acquired taste


C

madrab

yep you will still need a bike licence

& for all the safety of the c1, think of all that extra weight that you will have to lug around if you are filtering through traffic, wouldnt be my ideal choice, but each to their own...

Owen

You'll need a bike license, and good luck trying to find a C1. There were very little actually sold in this country. The idea behind the roof was to bypass helmet laws, but the EU saw things differently, and suddenly the C1 just looked ridiculous.

Benelli still make something similar I believe.

Owen.

phoenix_nights

ned78 wrote:

You'll need a bike license, and good luck trying to find a C1. There were very little actually sold in this country. The idea behind the roof was to bypass helmet laws, but the EU saw things differently, and suddenly the C1 just looked ridiculous.

Benelli still make something similar I believe.

Owen.

Yeah Benelli still make something very simmilar. Its not really a roof but a safety cell and i think i would prefer to look ridiculous than risk upsetting my quality of life. But they are an acquired taste. Easily enough to get one by popping over in the ferry to the UK and throwing one in the back of the estate.

madrab

phoenix_nights wrote:

Yeah Benelli still make something very simmilar. Its not really a roof but a safety cell and i think i would prefer to look ridiculous than risk upsetting my quality of life. But they are an acquired taste. Easily enough to get one by popping over in the ferry to the UK and throwing one in the back of the estate.

how big is your estate?

Tree

presumably its a converted van!

someone in cork used to have one and park it on the grandparade with all the other bikes, never much liked the look of em

phoenix_nights

madrab wrote:

how big is your estate?

One of these. Is 6 foot deep. Not sure about the height ?




Will try to get the dimensions....it may fit ! VRT is about 75euros for importing a C1.

Magown3

phoenix_nights wrote:

Will try to get the dimensions....

Don't bother... there's no way that a C1 will fit in there. You'll be surprised how big even a 50cc moped is when you're tryin to push it into the back of a car.

FunkyDa

You want a Monkeybike! See the Monkeybike thread.

galwaytt

ned78 wrote:

.. and good luck trying to find a C1. There were very little actually sold in this country.

...well, there's one for sale in Ivors's Motorcycles in Galway, if you're interested. 1890 946389

Now there's a novel idea.......an 1890 number for a bike shop!!

Paparazzo

The C1 is a bit of a joke in my opinion, i'll be laughing at you if you buy one! Pat Kenny drives one, that sums it all up. Having to buy a wiperblade for your bike is wrong! Also, I wouldn't fancy driving onw on a windy day, i reckon it's like a box kite.

phoenix_nights

Its a Urban Personal Commuter or Car Scooter not a bike. Jeez! Besides you'd also look pretty stupid being fed with a straw as well.

Paparazzo wrote:

The C1 is a bit of a joke in my opinion, i'll be laughing at you if you buy one! Pat Kenny drives one, that sums it all up. Having to buy a wiperblade for your bike is wrong! Also, I wouldn't fancy driving onw on a windy day, i reckon it's like a box kite.

phoenix_nights

The 1890 number is discontinued! Phoned up. 03 with something like 3000 miles. Looking for 5,200 cash. And its in the cream/yellow colour. Figure i would look enough a fool in one with out it being yellow as well.

galwaytt wrote:

...well, there's one for sale in Ivors's Motorcycles in Galway, if you're interested. 1890 946389

Now there's a novel idea.......an 1890 number for a bike shop!!

Gurgle

phoenix_nights wrote:

Its only 125cc so no need for motorcycle licence. Guessing insurance about 500 euros...about right ?

Same license for this moped as any other 125cc bike.
Insurance depends on your age and location.

I'd recommend just getting a bog standard Suzuki/Kawasaki/Yamaha/Honda 125 and some decent wet gear.

tbh I find it difficult to believe that plastic roof is much of a safety benefit. If you've ever crashed a bike you'll know you want to be as far away as possible from it when it hits the ground, not stuck in it.

Plus you'll have a lot of trouble finding a shop that will touch a BMW for maintenance or carry parts.

If you're obsessed with the BMW sticker, get a proper one. This thing is just a cynical effort to increase exports to Asia.

phoenix_nights

Gurgle wrote:

tbh I find it difficult to believe that plastic roof is much of a safety benefit. If you've ever crashed a bike you'll know you want to be as far away as possible from it when it hits the ground, not stuck in it.

So would i if it was a plastic roof but its not.

The driver is protected by shoulder height protective bars, an impact absorbing front wheel guard and a rigid aluminum roll-over cage. The C1 thus incorporates a car-style safety cell, formed by its aluminum "space frame" and roof struts. The C1 is fitted with twin seat-belts in a "cross your heart" fashion to keep the rider safely inside the vehicle.

Gurgle wrote:

If you're obsessed with the BMW sticker, get a proper one. This thing is just a cynical effort to increase exports to Asia.

[/QUOTE]

Missing the point.

Idleater

phoenix_nights wrote:

Missing the point.

What mileage will you be commuting? And what route (motorway backroads etc)?

L.

phoenix_nights

Blanch to City Centre and back again. Thats all. Have my bicycle and car for other means of transport.

nereid wrote:

What mileage will you be commuting? And what route (motorway backroads etc)?

L.

bushy...

Since your worried about safety, the crash test photos above are probably done at 28 mph , be a different story at 45 mph ...maybe broken neck ?
I'm thinking that since the c1 would decelerate faster than a car hitting the same thing

Idleater

phoenix_nights wrote:

Blanch to City Centre and back again. Thats all. Have my bicycle and car for other means of transport.

That is quite a short run, and most of that will be in heavy traffic so you will not gain much above a car using the C1. Mainly because filtering on a C1 will not be as easy as on a "normal" moped, even one of the bigger ones.

If the journey was going to be a long one with a good bit of open road then I would say fair enough, but in my opinion, you would be better off with a nimble bike or moped to get through the traffic rather than just being agrivated sitting in it.

The big mopeds (for example the suzuki burgmann or the honda silverwing) would be very comfortable to drive if a moped was your thing. However one thing to note is that insurance on "big" mopeds is quite expensive because they are now being used as getaway bikes.

The other thing of course is what licence you will be on, Provisional or Full. I would be okay with driving a restricted bike but a restricted big moped would be another thing.

L.

Paparazzo

Apart from the looking gay part, you might think they look safe, but crosswinds would surely be a major danger on the C1. They're bad on any light bike, the C1 would be lethal

Gurgle

phoenix_nights wrote:

The driver is protected by shoulder height protective bars, an impact absorbing front wheel guard and a rigid aluminum roll-over cage. The C1 thus incorporates a car-style safety cell, formed by its aluminum "space frame" and roof struts. The C1 is fitted with twin seat-belts in a "cross your heart" fashion to keep the rider safely inside the vehicle.

I didn't know that.
And for the commute you're talking about, a 50cc moped would be just fine.

nereid wrote:

That is quite a short run, and most of that will be in heavy traffic so you will not gain much above a car using the C1. Mainly because filtering on a C1 will not be as easy as on a "normal" moped, even one of the bigger ones.

Not true. You can filter down that road on an R80, which I'm pretty sure is wider than this.

Paparazzo wrote:

crosswinds would surely be a major danger on the C1. They're bad on any light bike, the C1 would be lethal

Actually, thats one point where I'd trust the BMW badge to mean its been done right.

Carefully consider this bit though:

me wrote:

Plus you'll have a lot of trouble finding a shop that will touch a BMW for maintenance or carry parts

Idleater

Gurgle wrote:

Not true. You can filter down that road on an R80, which I'm pretty sure is wider than this.

You can filter on a Road King if you want to but it doesn't make it easy.

My point was not only about filtering in neatly aligned traffic :rolleyes: but more about manouverability for filtering in "normal" traffic conditions where not everyone aligns their car directly behind the vehicle in front.

I would be willing to wager that it would be easier to "nip" in and around all the badly positioned vehicles on a "normal" moped than on one of the C1's.

The safety aspect of those bikes would be somewhat negated by the fact that you are comprimising on manouverability in a more restricted space (between car lanes) than was envisiged by the safety shell design. I.e. it is less likely to have a head-on or 90 degree collision when filtering in traffic.

To benifet from filtering, you require eyes on the back, sides and front of your head, and unfortunately, I don't think the C1 provides as close a field of vision that would make filtering an "easy" task.


L.

Garibaldi

Gurgle wrote:

Carefully consider this bit though:

me wrote:

Plus you'll have a lot of trouble finding a shop that will touch a BMW for maintenance or carry parts

Well, on a Blanch to CC run, turning left at the M50 will bring you to Joe Duffy's in 5 mins, and I haven't been able to fault them for getting parts rapidly.

madrab

Garibaldi wrote:

Well, on a Blanch to CC run, turning left at the M50 will bring you to Joe Duffy's in 5 mins, and I haven't been able to fault them for getting parts rapidly.

but at what cost?

Gurgle

Garibaldi wrote:

Well, on a Blanch to CC run, turning left at the M50 will bring you to Joe Duffy's in 5 mins, and I haven't been able to fault them for getting parts rapidly.

Really ?
For BMW bikes ?
Mines been laid up a couple of years, but I always had to get parts from motorworks.

Garibaldi

Yes, really. Unless I've been duped, and mine's actually a Hyosung that they just stuck a BMW badge to.
And it's at the cost of your soul. :eek:

Gurgle

Garibaldi wrote:

And it's at the cost of your soul. :eek:

So thats just the soul, right ?
No money then!

Garibaldi

Depends. Do you believe you even *have* a soul? If not, then you're scuppered. It's only when you've sold your soul for some personal gain that money gets involved.
I'm currently saving for a BMWectomy to regain my soul. But the labour costs involved are enormous. :P

Chunkylover

Garibaldi wrote:

Yes, really. Unless I've been duped, and mine's actually a Hyosung that they just stuck a BMW badge to.
And it's at the cost of your soul. :eek:

hey no bad mouthing hyosung, yeah it takes a bit longer for parts and you have to put up the the bikeworld sales reps but it adds to the excitement barrelling down the M50 with a mirror held together with security tape

Garibaldi

At least yours is an underrated heap o' ****. Mine's an overrated one.

madrab

now now gents lets settle this with a sensible nod to smart thinking honda drivers & call it a day

phoenix_nights

....so in the end decided against the C1 but may get one and put it in storage.

....am going to get one of these in black. Electric. Perfect. Can throw into the back of the estate and no worries with petrol leaking either.

galwaytt

nereid wrote:

The big mopeds (for example the suzuki burgmann or the honda silverwing) would be very comfortable to drive if a moped was your thing. However one thing to note is that insurance on "big" mopeds is quite expensive because they are now being used as getaway bikes..

.."getaway"? from what? the traffic?

And, as an owner of an Aprilia Atlantic 500, you're wrong about insurance. It'a also legal to ride on a Provisional, due to power/weight ratio. For a big city though, a 250 would be better. Sweeter, more responsive engine. And a bit lighter too, 'suppose.........

Actually, the AA500 is so good, my R1150RT hardly moved all last year.....the AA is sooooo good.

Oh, btw, my wife is selling her 01 YP125 Majesty. 4.9k miles, some scratches, on NI plate. Goes/stops everything etc works perfect. About Eur1175 gets it for ya, or o.n.o. Got her a 'proper' bike last week, so it's now officially retired, and won't be used anymore.

Idleater

galwaytt wrote:

.."getaway"? from what? the traffic?

eh no.

Getaway as in "from the scene of a crime - for example robbery".

I cant find the link now, but there were reports that the big mopeds were being used as getaway bikes instead of cars or sports bikes because they can be left running outside the target and with a simple twist and go they are doing 100kmph. no gear changes, anyone with half a brain can drive them etc etc.

As regards insurance on the big mopeds:
Aprila ATLANTIC 500 Group 6
Aprila PEGASO 650 Group 9
Gilera NEXUS 500 Group 6
honda SilverWing 600 Group 7

L.

gonk

Coming to this a bit late, especially since the OP is now going for another machine, but anyway. I've had a C1 for 4 1/2 years now and use it for a daily 40 mile roundtrip commute, combination of Dublin city centre and dual-carriageway/motorway. To address some of the points raised:

(1) Filtering. Yes, it's not as nimble as a small moped, but I manage OK and certainly better than anything with panniers.

(2) Crosswinds. Again, no big deal - you get used to it and just give other traffic a slightly wide berth than usual.

(3) Insurance. As the C1 has only one seat, it qualifies for the 25% discount for machines which can't carry pillions. Got this through AON Bikecare.

(4) Safety. There is simply nothing safer on two wheels. For example, I know of an English girl who crested a hill in Spain to find an out-of-control car skidding sideways towards her on the wrong side of the road. She hit it head-on at an impact speed she estimated at 50mph and came out of it with two badly sprained wrists. As well as the crash "cage", they are fitted with BMW's Telelever front suspension, which eliminates diving under hard braking and also helps on rough road surfaces. Many C1s are fitted with the optional ABS, which so far as I know is unique in a bike of this engine size.

(5) Helmets. The C1 was designed to be used helmetless and in most European countries an exemption was granted. In fact BMW claim you're safer without one, as the risk of whiplash is greater with the mass of a helmet (don't forget, you're belted in). Ireland and the UK however wouldn't grant the exemption - this was decided at national level, not by the EU.

(6) Availability. They went out of production in 2002, so only second-hand now. At the time of writing Maddock's in Bray have a 2001 C1-200 (confusingly, this is the 175cc model) with an asking price of €3,000. See www.maddock.ie

(7) Comfort. I ride mine all year round and the weather protection, like the crash protection can't be beat.