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BMW’s patent filing of an updated C1 scooter emerges online

Once again, will BMW claim car-like level safety for its next C1 scooter?

Motodeal
BMW C1 Patent

Sketches of BMW’s new patent have emerged online hinting at a revival of its C1 roofed scooter which was originally released back in the early 2000s. The C1 was one of the most recognizable scooters when it first came out giving it a cult status in Europe. BMW claimed that the design of the original C1 was capable of providing car levels of safety to its riders. However, such a claim was considered to be a gamble for the German motorcycle brand as the model only had a production run of only two years selling around 12,000 units in that period. 

BMW C1 Reboot

Despite such a questionable precedent of its sales, BMW is still once again dipping its toes into giving it another shot. The firm’s patent of its new design was filed back in 2018 which was just published recently. With the new design, the new modular scooter can either be ridden with or without a roof by simply removing a couple of pieces of bolts from its roof attachment. Sort of like a convertible BMW Z4 roadster if you may, but with two wheels. 

Inspiration for the new C1 draws from BMW’s C evolution electric scooter which was first introduced back in 2014. It came clad with carbon fiber and with an aluminum structure that covered the rider. Once again, BMW tries to look into safety as one of its main selling points, similar to what the original design once focused on. The bike will have engineered crumple zones, four-point harnesses, and even airbags to make sure the rider can come out in one piece in the event of a crash. 

There’s no doubt that the reintroduction of the C1 modular scooter would be coming in a different time and people might have a different perspective of it once the new scooter comes out. 

While the initial release of the C1 may not have come out at a great time the new version of it just might be a hit. People already have a different perspective when it comes to motorcycle safety than they once had before. With that in mind, a motorcycle with safety as its main selling point could be a big hit for the company. However, it's still up to the buying public to decide if this revival will be welcomed or not. Perhaps the newer version would have a longer production run than what it had when it was first introduced in the early 2000s. Until then, we’ll all just have to wait and see when they introduce it as a concept and whether or not it reaches its production stages.

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