Closest Thing To A Car On Two Wheels
If you’ve been to Europe in the last 10 years you’ve probably seen these things, but if you haven’t you’re going to do a double-take.
This little baby, a BMW you will notice, is called the C1 CityScooter. It was first released in 2000 and was built by a specialty manufacturer in Italy. There were two models, one a little bigger than the other. Sales apparently didn’t hit BMW’s targets so 2002 was the last year they were produced, but you still see a lot of them on the streets. The stats are as follows:
- Dry Weight – 375 pounds
- Gas Mileage – 80 per gallon
- Engine Size – 125cc or 176cc
ABS, heated grips, and a lot more were available as accessories.
According to the article about this bike on Wikipedia, France has a helmet law but some countries consider it dangerous to have a seat belt and a helmet, C1 riders are exempt from the helmet law. That confirms my suspicion because in two weeks over there I never saw anyone on any kind of motorized two-wheeler not wearing a helmet, except one person in a C1. On the other hand, Sweden does require helmets but allows you not to use the seat belt.
The C1 never made it to the U.S., just another example of how when it comes to motorcycling, Europe is like another country. Or 12. I’ll have more to tell you about in upcoming posts. Stay tuned!
Biker Quote for Today
Two wheels? Lets ride!
Tags: BMW C1, enclosed scooter
