Safer bikes
I'm passionate about having a choice in everything and that includes bike safety. I bought a BMW C1 4 years ago and I still think it is a brilliant concept and a really enjoyable ride round town. I needed to travel further two years ago so bought a Honda Silverwing scooter and I'd love to see Honda bring out one with a safety cell like the C1. The BMW C1 should have been exempt from the helmet law as its safety features are more akin to a car and it is just stupid to wear a helmet in a belted vehicle. The increased weight on a non-professional driver's neck will cause severe neck injuries in an accident. BMW spent millions developing and crash testing a bike that would encourage non-bike riders to get out of their car. The UK DfT wouldn't even tell BMW how to apply for exemption stating "we will not consider any de-regulaton of the helmet law". So, while the C1 protects my head, neck and torso in an accident, they think just protecting your skull is sufficient. With this stupid stance, bike safety will never move forward. There also appears to be great resistance from the biking community as they don't want any new safety laws to take away bikes in their existing form. I don't believe having a choice will stop production of bikes as they are, it will just create a new market for current non-bikers.
I run the http://silverwing.org site for the Honda Silver Wing 600 FJS600 and I am a full member of the C1 owners club http://www.c1ownersc1ub.co.uk/cgi-bin/mwf/forum_show.pl.
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Safer superscooters
Check out Ian Pegram's Suzuki Burgman 650-based Genesis, elsewhere on this site! All the speed of the Silver Wing, with much better handling and aerodynamics, combined with most of the safety of the C1, and narrower to boot!
PNB
Safer superscooters
Yes, the Genesis looks good and is what I would like for the SW. The rain protection does look better. The frame doesn't look like it could stand a forward roll like the 2 tonne capacity of the C1 frame can! The C1 is pretty easy to ride, though the height may be a problem for some. C1 aerodynamics are good ~80mpg for a 125cc engine.
John. BMW C1 and Honda Silverwing FJS600.
I think they were right on in
I think they were right on insisting on helmet the C1 because it is not a total enclosed machine like a car. On the way, FF machines are heading. There seem to be two directions. Low rider and high rider. Which ever takes off is not a problem to me. It has to be better than what we have at this moment, which is sitting on a rocket with no protecting at all.
Burgman 650 Excellent
I have a Suzuki Burgman 650 and had a 400. To difference machines in every way. The 650 is a very safer machine to use but very, very heavy. It should have a reverse because of it weight. Just to give you an idea of how heavy it is. During the heavy winds a year ago, my machine was blowing of its main stand from my driveway which is about four inches of the grass verge and ended upside down, It took three lads to get it upright again. Thank god, the grass was very soft because there was very little damage. The project you mention on the Burgman 650 I find very interesting providing the weight is not more than a passenger and lugged which he will not have. In addition, I would think you would need some form of stabilisers, because of the extra wind aerie on the side on the bike when parked. Also some way of locking them down. I would like to see how it will finish finally before I would dream of do that to my machine. Still it grates to see people like that pushing the concept forward. Hope one day to do the same.
Old pix of Quasars and Dave Taylor
Great old Quasar pix, shame they aren't a bit sharper! Also great old pix of my dear departed friend Dave Taylor MBE. Dave was a great fan of FFs and I have a great pic of him sitting in Royce Creasey's original Hi-Techati when it was still half-built back in about 1985. PNB