Anybody ever ridden a C1
- Thread starter BillN
- Start date
Had one for a day as a loaner a few years back. Quite nippy, nice when it was raining, not much feel in the brakes, so would go for ABS. Easy enough to get on with, but I wouldn;t want one full time I don't think, but ask me when it gets to January and it's wet and cold.
Plus IIRC in Europe you don't have to wear a helmet, whereas in the UK you do in one of them.
DutchBryn
Registered user
The wearing of a helmet was said to be unwise, due to seat-belt.
UK law missed the point of the C1.
I have wondered if someone might produce a combination of Piaggio's 3 wheeler and the C1s passive safety / design.
Might be interesting, if expensive.
UK law missed the point of the C1.
I have wondered if someone might produce a combination of Piaggio's 3 wheeler and the C1s passive safety / design.
Might be interesting, if expensive.
Belts?
'....Remember, anything is possible in France with no MOT or Road Tax and TPFT insurance is not bad.......plus there is a good secondhand market for selling two wheelers if you don't like them...'
__________________ BUT due to the exchange rate all bikes here are VERY expensive. I did hear that the C1 proved very expensive to maintain & that was why 'my' dealer stopped using them as loan bikes; Anyway with the present traffic situation in the UK you might as well try and find a Sinclair C5;
'....Remember, anything is possible in France with no MOT or Road Tax and TPFT insurance is not bad.......plus there is a good secondhand market for selling two wheelers if you don't like them...'
__________________ BUT due to the exchange rate all bikes here are VERY expensive. I did hear that the C1 proved very expensive to maintain & that was why 'my' dealer stopped using them as loan bikes; Anyway with the present traffic situation in the UK you might as well try and find a Sinclair C5;
No 
and I wouldn't admit it if I had rode one 
and I wouldn't admit it if I had rode one 
My mate had the 200cc one. It was both hilarious and shite at the same time.
We commuted into london , he on that thing me on the GS. It had a radio/cd with auto volume control so that the faster you went the louder the stereo got....except we soon discovered that by moving your weight forward you could spin the rear wheel and do the same thing, I still have this vision of this stupid red thing wheel smoke wreathing the rear as Smack my bitch played out the speakers. He could wheelie the thing too which was rather worrying to watch.
He then started commuting to Kent round the M25 , went thru 3 engines under warranty and eventually gave it the boot when we used to ride our push bikes round to his and asked if we was coming out to play on it.
But...he commuted round London in the pissing down wearing a suit and an hein gericke rain suit and never got wet. A cab drove into the side of it knocked it over and he was fine . He even carried a pillion once ....
It does work, its does look stupid but it makes some sort of annoying sense if you're riding around town.
Stu
.
We commuted into london , he on that thing me on the GS. It had a radio/cd with auto volume control so that the faster you went the louder the stereo got....except we soon discovered that by moving your weight forward you could spin the rear wheel and do the same thing, I still have this vision of this stupid red thing wheel smoke wreathing the rear as Smack my bitch played out the speakers. He could wheelie the thing too which was rather worrying to watch.
He then started commuting to Kent round the M25 , went thru 3 engines under warranty and eventually gave it the boot when we used to ride our push bikes round to his and asked if we was coming out to play on it.
But...he commuted round London in the pissing down wearing a suit and an hein gericke rain suit and never got wet. A cab drove into the side of it knocked it over and he was fine . He even carried a pillion once ....
It does work, its does look stupid but it makes some sort of annoying sense if you're riding around town.
Stu
.
Steady Eddie
Registered user
CI Cop bike
.....I saw one going down the dual carriageway near the J.R. Hospital once............ all marked up in Police livery , so the Oxford boys in blue definately had one [ don't suppose anyone will want to own up though ] .
Steve
.....I saw one going down the dual carriageway near the J.R. Hospital once............ all marked up in Police livery , so the Oxford boys in blue definately had one [ don't suppose anyone will want to own up though ] .
Steve
somclan
Registered user
The Devil made me do it
Bought one last weekend.. Kinda always admired them for being so out there... Not for the shy but being a K1 rider I feel I am prepared for the second looks .. So far I have had two people with the camera phones out as they roll by on the outside lane.. I brought it home the 200 miles by motorway and I gotta say it was fine..Rolls along nicely at 90 k and sips fuel... Its cold and dark but I am warm and dry.. Having a windscreen wiper on a bike really is a bonus.. Brought to work on Monday to give the lads a good laugh... Have hacked in and out of work each day since and I got to say I am warming to it. Keeps up with the commuter crowd and can filter almost as good as my F 8 GS . Body work on this one is a little rough but the engine and all the other ,light ,stop go bits work fine.. I bought it because I always fancied a go of one and reckon it was worth a punt .. Its the 200 executive model with heated seat and grips and I will ride it for a while before I decide whether its a keeper or not...Watch this space or alternatively watch the for sale section... Who knows?
Bought one last weekend.. Kinda always admired them for being so out there... Not for the shy but being a K1 rider I feel I am prepared for the second looks .. So far I have had two people with the camera phones out as they roll by on the outside lane.. I brought it home the 200 miles by motorway and I gotta say it was fine..Rolls along nicely at 90 k and sips fuel... Its cold and dark but I am warm and dry.. Having a windscreen wiper on a bike really is a bonus.. Brought to work on Monday to give the lads a good laugh... Have hacked in and out of work each day since and I got to say I am warming to it. Keeps up with the commuter crowd and can filter almost as good as my F 8 GS . Body work on this one is a little rough but the engine and all the other ,light ,stop go bits work fine.. I bought it because I always fancied a go of one and reckon it was worth a punt .. Its the 200 executive model with heated seat and grips and I will ride it for a while before I decide whether its a keeper or not...Watch this space or alternatively watch the for sale section... Who knows?
Backmarker
Registered user
Somclan - where did you buy from, how much etc (if you dont mind saying). Rode one for a day when they first came out, my only abiding memory was the wind noise (far worse than any bike I have ever ridden) which I put down to the fact that it was not designed for use with a helmet.
But I am after a scooter, and currently it's a case of a C1 200, MP3 250/400, Gilera SP180 or Italjet 180. First one of any of these I can find at a decent price, hence my question. The ones on the Chas Bikes forum just seem overpriced to me (as in same price as an equivalent F650GS Dakar).
But I am after a scooter, and currently it's a case of a C1 200, MP3 250/400, Gilera SP180 or Italjet 180. First one of any of these I can find at a decent price, hence my question. The ones on the Chas Bikes forum just seem overpriced to me (as in same price as an equivalent F650GS Dakar).
i rode a loaner for a couple days . What a hoot! It was a 125 and really struggled to keep up 60 mph on the A9 ! Definitely go for 200. Did what it said on the tin! was fun , watching the pedestrians doubling up laughing!
Going back further
My FIRST BMW was an Isetta - I boughjt nit for £45 ....and sold it a few months later for the same price when my son refused to use it ! I think it would be quitr valuable now but that was about 40 years ago. I have has ten BM's since then and am now on my th 4th GS - a 1200. I
My FIRST BMW was an Isetta - I boughjt nit for £45 ....and sold it a few months later for the same price when my son refused to use it ! I think it would be quitr valuable now but that was about 40 years ago. I have has ten BM's since then and am now on my th 4th GS - a 1200. I
That's spooky. Lately I've found myself eyeing them up. I'm looking at the 200cc exec model with a humungous box on the back and thinking that it would be better than a car.
Yes,
Depends on what you want it for. Town work and country lanes, OK.
Motorway work or long runs, forget it.....
C is for CITY. I worked with Mondial for a long time and assisted quite a few.Weak points are,
1. Rectifiers fry. Battery stops charging then it wont start.
2. Wheel bearings fail. Only seemed to be on higher mileage bikes, or bikes that were used on the motorway. (Small wheels spin faster!!!)
3. Timing chains snap. Again only on high (100k plus) motorway bikes. They are not designed for motorway/prolonged high speed runs!)
4. Valves burn out. (see 3 for reason).
5. You need to master the stand system. If you pull the levers out of synch, you can break the stand pin, very expensive to fix!
Apart from that theyre great! The last few were liveried in Williams F1 style, and from memory were 1500 quid, wish i'd bought a few and stored them......
Depends on what you want it for. Town work and country lanes, OK.
Motorway work or long runs, forget it.....
C is for CITY. I worked with Mondial for a long time and assisted quite a few.Weak points are,
1. Rectifiers fry. Battery stops charging then it wont start.
2. Wheel bearings fail. Only seemed to be on higher mileage bikes, or bikes that were used on the motorway. (Small wheels spin faster!!!)
3. Timing chains snap. Again only on high (100k plus) motorway bikes. They are not designed for motorway/prolonged high speed runs!)
4. Valves burn out. (see 3 for reason).
5. You need to master the stand system. If you pull the levers out of synch, you can break the stand pin, very expensive to fix!
Apart from that theyre great! The last few were liveried in Williams F1 style, and from memory were 1500 quid, wish i'd bought a few and stored them......
That's what it would be used for, I have a K1 for the rest.
somclan
Registered user
Lots of fasteners
I thought the panel work on the K 1 was time consuming until I stripped down C 1 on Sunday....
I thought the panel work on the K 1 was time consuming until I stripped down C 1 on Sunday....
