An interesting ride!
The first things you do when boarding is take the scoot off the center stand (s), a two step procedure. A large central lever takes the scooter off the main stand, and drops the machine onto a smaller stand that raises only the front wheels just enough to provide some stability. You then retract the second stand with a smaller lever, and you are ready to twist and go. The process sounds more complex than it really is, and only takes five seconds to complete.

Engine and CVT behaviour are vintage 90s stuff, with a rudimentary ECU for ignition and an early-days fuel injection system. The 125cc engine I tested was clearly not as responsive as current engines – great for 2000 but not up to today’s power, response and fuel efficiency standards.

The main lever that rises in the middle operates the main center stand, the red one releases both safety belts, and the short lever under the red one operates the helper stand that steadies the bike before you set the main stand. It may look a little busy but is dead simple and takes five seconds to master.

The aluminum chassis and roll cage certainly keep both power and suspension loads under control. The standard fork and dual rear shocks are not adjustable, as they may be on high-end scooters today. The front disc and Brembo caliper make you feel secure, despite the limits we suspect of the skinny front tire.

As you can see on the pictures, passenger space has been replaced by a cover on which you can put a very large top case, about the size of those you see on large Harley cruisers. BMW offered an optional passenger seat kit at the time, at which point storage capacity dropped to practically nothing.

I approached the first ride expecting the thing to be top heavy, to fall over easily. Well, it is and it does – at the start. After aonly 10 minutes in Paris traffic, the weight becomes part of the machine’s personality, just a little heavier than your typical scooter.

Performance was below that of modern 125s, and I would expect a modern C1 to come with Full Monte injection and ignition ECU, as well as a bigger motor, say 250 to 400cc, to provide contemporary performance.

The C1-E electric scooter project
One look at the C1-E shows most if not all of the features of the grandfather, resurrected in a compact single seater package. BMW did not reveal technical specs nor performance figures, only that production is “currently not planned”.

No doubt that a well priced gas-powered version would be an interesting proposition, as would a larger two-seater. The C1, and any new model built along the same lines, was and would be an expensive machine to build. But if the Men from Munich ever come out with competitively priced models, they would certainly have a sellable product on their hands, something to get new people aboard their brand early.

The Project C1-E is a pretty and compact machine, likely close in weight and performance to a 50cc scooter, I suspect. You can clearly make out the red lap and crossed chest belts, and the wrap around seat protection.

My thanks to
Executive Concept, 114, Avenue du Général Leclerc, 92100 Boulogne Billancourt (France). Tél. : 01 46 05 30 08 (http://executive-concept.com/)






Photo Credit : Bernard Suquet, BMW