New Kid, er, Bike, On The LDT Block?
 

There are any number of reasons why no one should seriously consider and thus why it has not been mentioned here, but I've been eyeballing this little roofie, like a cat a mousie, ever since it hits the ad strips if not exactly the city streets.

Am I out of my mind to consider the roofed BMW C1 as a choice for LDT including RTW?

Respect its limits - small footprint, miserly tank, it being purpose-built to scoot the strasse of Dusseldorf rather than make it to Dakar - then, dey, it has all the goodies to give a new meaning and sight to the possible pleasures and indulgences of LDT.

Start with the roof.

Just the thing to beat the sun of Sahara and rain of British Columbia, no?

Then there's the security of a body cage, that home on the road feeling, and whatever mod cons you can reasonably expect are all close at hand - aircon, mobile phone, cd player ...

With a bit of modification, you can reduce the gap between its original purpose and your intended purpose even closer.

I'm no geomancer, clairvoyant or mechanical engineer, but I look forward to earn one or two I-told-you-so stripes in a year or two when (er, if, actually) BMW will come up with their C1 LDT or dual purpose version - BMW C1 250 GS!

Such are the stuff fantasies are made of!

Oh well. Ian Wright, wait!

Your wish allready came true!
BMW has allready built a "rally" version of the C1 (no joke). I dont think it is a serious attempt but they built it anyway, all inclusive orange-white-blue factorycolours.
I dont think its for sale but who knows..
I've seen it in a magazine a couple of months ago.

Hmmm the BMW C1,

To my mind it is very much on the fringes of what constitutes a motorcycle - much like a sidecar. A big part of motorcycling IS being exposed to the elements & accordingly feeling so much more 'in' the evironment as opposed to being cocooned from it like a car (as I imagine the C1 with it's car seat & seatbelt to be). But hey 'strokes for folks'. Different you will be & that's what defines individuals! As this forum proves R.T.W can be done on virtually anything.

A parting quote about sidecars by Adrian Edmondson the british comedian "Sidecars cunningly combine all the exposure to the elements of a motorcycle with the manuverability of a car"

Graeme

The C1 has several big RTW advantages:

- sitting in it you feel really close to your surroundings. I think it's the tranquillity that comes from not having any wind blast. Somehow it makes it easier to appreciate the passing scenery.
- not needing a helmet multiplies this feeling by three and makes you more approachable to the locals
- it's such a comical device that everyone wants to ask you about it - even in ultra-reserved London

Cornering on it is actually quite entertaining, and I would never dismiss it as "more of a car than a bike". It actually gives you some of the principal joys of biking in even bigger doses than a conventional bike. Don't judge it without trying it!