Naked BMW CE04 (RHS)

This photo, courtesy of our friends at Scooterlab.uk, shows a couple of interesting things about the CE04.
1/ It has conventional 'RWU' (Right Way Up) telescopic forks, so they're different from the USD (Upside Down) ones fitted to the C-Evolution, but do sport similar twin discs. The 2012 Cevo chassis is also much less conventional than this much newer CE04 one, with the front and rear suspension, and drive, just bolted onto the battery box. See here: http://bikeweb.com/node/2530
2/ There's an upper frame member in the way of FF modification. So removal of it would obviously require some reinforcement lower down, in its place. PNB
Photo: Screenshot from Scooterlab.uk article, of original BMW Motorrad image. More here:
https://scooterlab.uk/welcome-to-the-future-bmw-motorrad-definition-ce04-news#800-10

Naked BMW CE04 (RHS)

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It would be good to see some pics of the stripped chassis, like the C-Evo ones, but given the apparant convertibility, the real question is the powertrain performance. Making a chassis, as I've noted elswhere, is the easiest part, the real question is, is it worth it? If it's some speed and range limited 'urban scooter' as advertised, probably not. It would need to cruise at 70 mph to justify aerodynamic FF bodywork - and have enough range to actually need comfort. On a personal basis I'd be happy to make the chassis, cockpit and bodywork for an FF conversion of this powertrain if it could pull the 'real vehicle' train. If not, not.

I'm still trying to get a response from BMW Park Lane, just main UK dealers, but the point of contact BMW requests. If they won't play I'll try the Munchen address I have from 1985, but that's R&D, really it should be marketing or product management.

It is amazing that BMW have pissed about with this concept for three or four years and, unlike various start-ups (see EMN) or the nations youth, have failed to notice the urban delivery scooter market. It's just as weird that, despite supplying Peraves with powertains for decades, the idea of turning the C4 into a cheaper, more accessible, E-FF has also escaped them. If I was BMW Motorrad product manager, I'd be considering my position. If I was their boss I'd fire them. But maybe it's just a toy to help corporate bonding.

We know BMW 'don't want to be first' and have never knowingly made a vehicle that's any use apart from boosting owner's self-esteem* but they've done 'first' with the C-evo and, in the future, self-esteem may well rest on not conspicuously trashing the environment.

*OK, Ok. I accept that the K100 series were quite useful motorised bicycles - until you needed to buy spares.

EMN report

Electric Motorcycle News are now carrying the offical BMW press release on the CE04 at https://electricmotorcycles.news/bmw-motorrad-definition-ce-04-a-new-style-of-urban-two-wheel-mobility/ for students of advanced marketing bullshit. It says nothing about the actual performance - range, speed, acceleration and so on but buried in the text is the admission that the design group normally travells about 12Km in an urban setting. So it might be about as useful as an E-bicycle... There's rather more text about the 'floating' seat that allows the rider to slip on from the rear.

Given that it looks like an uncoodinated collection of bits and peices and could easily be described as 'ugly as sin', with no performance data at all, it's difficult to understand why BMW have released this. It does look potentially convertible to FF and it has got a new, PTW-specific, battery pack but that would seem to be the limit of it's significance.

What's it all about BMW?