Talk:BMW C1

Reasons for Failure in the UK

The article seems to suggest that the C1 failed to take off in the UK due to the crash helmet laws not being relaxed.

I think that I'd dispute this - the bike was expensive, cumbersome-looking, underpowered (all that weight being hauled around by a 124cc engine!) and less than appetising for pillion passengers (who had to sit on a ledge at the back, outside the protective crash cage.) It didn't appeal to motorcyclists (patently), and car drivers were too pampered with aircon and in car stereos to want to swap.

I'm not too sure about the driving license situation, but I think that car drivers would only be able pootle around on L plates on a 125cc C1, and I think that they would probably have to do CBT as well... Paul-b4 15:02, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Good point. I didn't write the prose in this article although I did copy it across from the BMW Motorcycles article. I have toned it down a little and added some citation about helmet law and UK market. --Cheesy Mike 15:38, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Another point - I seem to recall seeing something about BMW C1's being regarded as "inappropriate" for the bike test, i.e you couldn't buy a C1 and pass your test on it.

See the following;- http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/LearnerAndNewDrivers/PracticalTest/DG_4022723[23]

A standard motorcycle (category A) is defined as a solo motorcycle between 121 and 125 cc, capable of exceeding 100 km/h (62.1mph). Please note that the BMW C1 motorcycle is not a suitable machine for a practical test. ""

I would think that this is enough to kill of any machine.... Paul-b4 (talk) 08:09, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

At the time BMW was seeking to get UK approval for the C1, a minnow of a project, it was pulling out of the UK. According to inside sources at BMW, it was the political backlash for selling Rover (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/679169.stm) - a whale of an issue, that prompted the government to show no interest in furthering C1 sales by accepting the no helmet proposal. At the same time, BMW was having difficulty understanding the C1. The car dealers were selling luxury vehicles and found it difficult to pitch this two wheeler. The motorcycle dealers tend to be male, testosterone oriented, and spoke of the C1 as girly. Within BMW this problem went all the way to the top... the vehicle was invented to satisfy political pressure from the green side of the German Parliament (Mercedes answer was the Smart Car). It had no strong advocates within the corporation. Thus, green politics created it and vindictive politics killed it. I write this commentary as an insider. 210.48.92.62 (talk) 21:22, 19 August 2008 (UTC) Anon Witness

An interesting theory, but I'm not sure if it can be cited as a key reason for failure of the C1. I doubt that the government would retaliate against BMW "asset stripping" Rover by not making the C1 exempt from the crash helmet law - there were a few "Cabin scooters" around at the time, and making an exception of one could possibly open the flood gates. I can see that an established motorcycle seller may feel that scooters were not "for them", and it goes without saying that a car dealer would rather flog customers another car rather than a scooter. Ultimately, though, the C1 was hefty, both in terms of price and size. I'm sure that there are many lady C1 riders out there, but I am also sure that many more women would have been put off by the apparent bulk of the scooter. Anyone going to a BMW showroom would expect a performance vehicle (bike or car), and the C1 did not fit this category. Paul-b4 (talk) 15:47, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Removing external links

I removed two sites from the list of external links. It would be good if the links were discussed here instead of simply being reinstated. Here are the links I removed and my reasons:

• UK Free C1 Owners Club - this is a web based forum with virtually no content. It has only been setup since June and many of the forums within it have very few posts. It is a duplication of the other forums listed and adds no value to this article. External links is not meant to be an exhaustive list.
• UK C1 Safety site - this is a single Wiki page with little content that has not been updated since 2006. As a Wiki, if the content is useful then it should be put on this Wikipedia article instead.

--Cheesy Mike 17:58, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

I just removed all the club links. They are all simply web based forums with discussions but no encyclopaedic content that adds value to this article. If anyone can identify some quality C1 related websites then please add them. --Cheesy Mike 20:40, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

Advert tag

Lines like "BMW build quality is particularly noticeable..." are obviously POV. Including a large blockquote and lengthy defense of the plan to have riders go without helmets, without any mention of what motivated regulators in the UK decided helmets were mandatory is way out of balance. Needs to stick to facts and carefully frame individual opinions lauding the good qualities of the C1. --Dennis Bratland (talk) 20:26, 7 January 2012 (UTC)