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40-419: The C1 was originally available from May 2000 with a 125 model designation; in 2001, a 200 model was added. The "125" has a 125 cc capacity four valve, four-stroke, water-cooled, fuel injected engine producing 15 brake horsepower (11 kW) at 9250 RPM; the "200" has a larger 176 cubic centimetres (10.7 cu in) engine producing 18 brake horsepower (13 kW) at 9000 RPM. Torque output

80-576: A 798 cc parallel twin engine with and for BMW, which was built from 2006 to 2020. Brands using Rotax engines include: As of 2020, all Sea-Doo brand personal watercraft from Bombardier Recreational Products are equipped with four-stroke, supercharged and normally aspirated, three-cylinder Rotax engines of the Advanced Combustion Efficiency (ACE) series. Can-Am Off-Road vehicles from Bombardier Recreational Products are equipped with Rotax engines. The company introduced

120-501: A Chinese battery manufacturer, decided to close down Vectrix's US facilities. Vectrix intended to maintain its Poland fabrication plant in order to continue to supply parts for its joint venture with Daimler's Smart division. In March 2014 Vectrix filed for bankruptcy again, this time under Chapter 7 for liquidation of the company. The court filings indicated assets of between $ 1 and $ 10 million and liabilities of between $ 10 and $ 50 million. The bankruptcy trustee announced an auction of

160-585: A French automotive magazine after confirming that Italmotori was the third distributor (after Euromotor and Vectrix France) to cease representing Vectrix, reported that Vectrix appeared to be abandoning two models, its VX-1 and VX-3. A dealer in Portugal, Fuel Free Motors, asserts that they still will offer support for Vectrix scooters. In January 2014 Vectrix ceased all US operations. After numerous manufacturing problems resulting in failed batteries and nonfunctioning scooters, Vectrix's parent company Gold Peak ,

200-557: A four-stroke, four-cylinder, engine: the Rotax 912 , with versions eventually ranging from 80 to over 100 horsepower, followed by a turbocharged 115 horsepower Rotax 914 . Rotax four-stroke engines differ from conventional four-stroke aircraft engines by their unusually small displacement for the amount of horsepower -- compensated for by higher than normal rotational speed (over 5,000 rpm). To reduce propeller-shaft speeds to normal aircraft propeller rotational speeds, (around 2300-2400 rpm)

240-460: A helmet is Sweden, although wearing the seat-belts is voluntary. However both seat belts must be secured for the vehicle to move. It is a shame that the UK government is slow to foresee change when other countries have grasped the idea of a convenient, environmentally sound and safe solution to urban personal transport. With pressure for manufacturers to develop innovative transport solutions which benefit

280-703: A helmet to be unsafe. The added strain on the rider's neck from the added weight of the helmet could cause significant injury to the restrained rider even in a low speed head-on collision. Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Israel and Spain authorities were quick to allow an exception to the helmet law for the C1. However, poor C1 sales in the United Kingdom may in part be attributable to the British government's refusal of BMW's request to change helmet regulations for C1 riders. Another country that requires C1 riders to wear

320-524: A line of motorcycles starting in 1971, powered by Rotax engines. The Can-Am motorcycle operation was outsourced to Armstrong-CCM Motorcycles in 1983, with production ending in 1987. Can-Am resumed motorcycle production with a series of on-road three-wheel motorcycles, starting with the Spyder , using Rotax engines. As of 2020, there are three models: the Ryker uses the 2-cylinder 600 ACE and 3-cylinder 900 ACE,

360-564: A major producer of engines for other light aircraft. The company was founded in 1920 in Dresden , Germany, as ROTAX-WERK AG. In 1930, it was taken over by Fichtel & Sachs and transferred its operations to Schweinfurt , Germany. Operations were moved to Wels , Austria in 1943, and finally to Gunskirchen , Austria in 1947. In 1959, the majority of Rotax shares were taken over by the Vienna-based Lohner-Werke ,

400-597: A manufacturer of car and railway wagon bodies. In 1970, Lohner-Rotax was bought by the Canadian Bombardier Inc. The former Bombardier branch, Bombardier Recreational Products, now an independent company, uses Rotax engines in its ground vehicles, personal water craft , and snowmobiles . The original application for Rotax engines was Ski-Doo snowmobiles from Bombardier Recreational Products including two-stroke and four-stroke, turbocharged and naturally aspirated, two- and three-cylinder models. Rotax

440-465: A respectable 15bhp. But it’s a heavy motorcycle at 185kg – all the 1000cc sports bikes weigh less". The tires are 120/70R13 in front and 140/70R12 in the rear; both the front and rear brakes are single-disc, each 220 mm (8.7 in) in diameter. The C1's aluminum space frame was suspended using a Telelever fork with a single, central spring strut and swing-arm rear unit carrying the engine and transmission, using two spring struts. The space behind

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480-468: A vehicle from Vectrix in August 2008 with the goal of testing and evaluating a fully electric motorcycle's energy consumption, range, and additional road testing parameters. This environmental initiative was part of Transport Canada's ecoTECHNOLOGY for Vehicles (eTV) program. For much of 2010 the company rehired old and new staff and began supporting old owners with issues again. In 2011 Vectrix introduced

520-479: Is one of the world's principal suppliers of aircraft engines for ultralight aircraft , light aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles . Between 1985 and 1995, 60,000 Rotax engines were sold for aircraft propulsion. In the light aircraft class, in 1998 Rotax outsold all other aero engine manufacturers combined. Their four-stroke engines powered most U.S.-certified light sport aircraft when they first appeared around 2004. Over two decades later, Rotax engines remain

560-443: Is similarly improved, from 12 to 17 N⋅m (8.9 to 12.5 lbf⋅ft) for the 125 and 200, respectively. Both engines were manufactured by Rotax and include a CVT gearbox. Both models of the C1 weighed approximately 185 kilograms (408 lb) with a 40/60 front/rear weight distribution. The C1 is arguably underpowered: an MCN review of the 125 model said, "The BMW C1's 125cc engine is an unremarkable four-stroke single producing

600-643: The Rotax 122 and Rotax 804 . Vectrix Vectrix was an electric vehicle company based in Middletown, Rhode Island , United States, with research and development facilities in New Bedford, Massachusetts and an assembly plant in Wrocław , Poland. Introduced in 2006, the Vectrix VX-1 was a maxi-size scooter , and was the first commercially available high-performance electric scooter . It

640-483: The Rotax 532 (circa 1984) and Rotax 582 , both of which augmented the air-cooling with liquid-cooled cylinder heads. Most Rotax two-stroke engines were rated, recommended, or reported with a TBO (time between overhauls) of about 150-300 hours (compared to 1200-2000 hours for government-certified, conventional, four-stroke, light aircraft engines), though later models improved upon that some. Moving towards more demanding aircraft applications, Rotax, by 1989, developed

680-689: The Rotax Max for karting in 1998, and started organizing the Rotax Max Challenge in 2000. Rotax engines designed specifically for light aircraft include both four-stroke and two-stroke models. Current models are: Historical models no longer in production include: The Rotax MAX engine karting engine is a two-stroke engine series, launched in 1997. The company also produces unbranded engines, parts and complete powertrains for original equipment manufacturers (OEM). Uses include motor bikes and scooters, with complete engines including

720-488: The 26-horsepower, single-cylinder Rotax 277 became the most widely used engine powering U.S. ultralight aircraft (and remains, for many, the only Rotax engine they can use to adequately power the aircraft and still remain within the FAA -mandated weight limits for ultralight aircraft which can be operated without a pilot's license). Two-stroke Rotax model numbers approximated the engine's displacement (in cubic centimeters), and

760-439: The C1 200 is 3.2 L/100 km (88 mpg ‑imp ; 74 mpg ‑US ). Top speed of the C1 125 is 103 km/h (64 mph) and of the C1 200 is 112 km/h (70 mph). BMW's intention with the C1 was to appeal to car drivers in crowded city streets. The idea was to offer the convenience of a scooter or motorbike but without many of the associated dangers or hassles. The C1's most innovative design feature

800-426: The C1 was claimed to be so safe that the rider did not need to wear a helmet to ride it. This was achieved by using two shoulder-height roll bars, a crumple zone around the front wheel and an aluminium roll cage creating a car-like safety cell. It also had twin seatbelts reminiscent of an aviation style four-point harness to keep the rider in place. Many countries deemed the use of seatbelts in conjunction with wearing

840-597: The C1-E, an electric scooter concept vehicle that it developed as part of the European safety project ("European Safer Urban Motorcycling" - eSUM). The C1-E uses components supplied by electric scooter manufacturer Vectrix and is powered by a lithium-ion battery . The BMW C evolution introduced in 2014 was a similar maxi-scooter aimed at the same market segment, powered by an electric traction motor. Patent drawings for an updated BMW scooter were revealed in 2020, which used

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880-543: The Netherlands and Slovenia, the Vectrix was exempt from paying road tax . The Vectrix scooter uses NiMH batteries with a manufacturer-claimed life of 10 years and 1,500 recharges. The 125-volt battery pack has a capacity of 3.7 kW·h and can be recharged to 80% in two hours from a standard domestic power socket. The battery can also be partially recharged through regenerative braking . Replacement cost of

920-473: The Rotax 912 family had the lowest rate of failure of the six most common lines of engines used in registered Experimental/Amateur-Built (E/A-B) aircraft. By 2014, Rotax had produced and sold 50,000 of 912/914 four-stroke engines. Later models increased horsepower, with several variants of the 912 family, and a new 135-horsepower Rotax 915 iS . The Rotax four-stroke aircraft engine line immediately dominated

960-426: The Rotax brand, the company is one of the world's largest producers of light piston engines. Rotax four-stroke and advanced two-stroke engines are used in a wide variety of small land, sea and airborne vehicles. Bombardier Recreational Products use them in their own range of such vehicles. Since the 1990s, Rotax has been the world's dominant supplier of engines for ultralight aircraft and light sport aircraft, and

1000-536: The Spyder F3 and the Spyder RT use the 3-cylinder 1330 ACE. 1000 V-twin 5sp. In the motorcycle world Rotax are particularly known for their single-cylinder engines of comparatively small to medium displacement. Several major motorbike manufacturers, who are otherwise renowned for their proprietary but bigger engines, use Rotax engines in their smaller models. As an example of larger displacements, Rotax developed

1040-559: The VX-2 and the VX-1 Li/Li+ into the product line showing at some shows and updated on their website. The VX-1 Li is the same as the original bike but using lithium batteries of 30-amp hour capacity, for similar range and performance in a lighter bike. The Li+ has a 42-amp hour capacity, giving greater range. The VX-2 is designed as a smaller, lighter and less expensive version of the original bike for those who don't need freeway speeds or

1080-404: The battery is estimated to be around $ 3,000, almost one third of the cost of the bike. In June 2008, Vectrix indicated that it planned to test lithium-ion battery packs based on lithium iron phosphate battery technology, in an agreement with GP Batteries International Limited of Hong Kong. In the fall of 2008, Vectrix announced an expanded product line with two lower-priced bikes: The VX-1E

1120-637: The chassis of the C evolution; equipped with a removable safety cell, the electric scooter concept was similar to the original C1. Rotax Rotax is the brand name for a range of internal combustion engines developed and manufactured by the Austrian company BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG (until 2016 BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co. KG), in turn owned by the Canadian Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP). Under

1160-721: The company's remaining assets, including unsold scooters, parts, and lithium batteries, to take place in June 2014. During the liquidation process the MPTECH group acquired the majority of the Vectrix US assets from the bankruptcy trustee and relocated them to Wroclaw , Poland. Six months later, the entire assets of the Polish fabrication plant were acquired by MPTECH group and part of the heavy production equipment sold to GOVECS in order to expand their production capabilities. In June 2015,

1200-522: The emerging category of U.S.-certified " Light Sport Aircraft " (LSAs), powering most of them. One general aviation industry media reporter found that 70-80% of the 66,000 aircraft he'd identified, worldwide, used Rotax four-stroke engines. The 912/914/915 series also powers larger certified aircraft, including the Diamond Katana , and the twin-engined Tecnam P2006T and Leza/ Lockwood Aircam . The Can-Am division of Bombardier Inc. developed

1240-498: The engines use a reduction gearbox . They are also designed to accept motor spirit , with up to 10% ethanol content. These engines were initially given a 600-hour TBO, less than traditional light aircraft engines. But operational experience and modifications to address specific reliability issues over time gradually extended the TBO to 2,000 hours. An independent 2022 statistical study of U.S. government accident data found that

BMW C1 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-535: The environment I hope that legislators will become more receptive to our approach. After selling 10,614 units in 2001, BMW only sold 2,000 units in 2002, and ceased production of the C1 in October 2002. The United Kingdom accounted for approximately 1 ⁄ 4 of total sales. It was never made available in the United States. BMW-supplied accessory options included: In 2009 BMW used the same layout for

1320-493: The first two digits (from the 277, on) are very roughly similar to the engine's horsepower (e.g.: The Rotax 447 engine displaces 437 cc, and is rated at 40 hp). Subsequent evolutions of the early designs included the two-cylinder, two-stroke Rotax 377 , Rotax 447 , and Rotax 503 , all in production by 1985 (the last of these, the 503, was discontinued in 2010-2011, by then the most popular engine it its class, and still widely used as of 2023). Later two-stroke designs included

1360-413: The most popular line of engines for light sport and ultralight aircraft, and the second-most-popular (after Lycoming Engines ) for U.S. Experimental / Amateur-Built (E/A-B) aircraft. Rotax air-cooled, two-stroke engines began appearing on ultralight aircraft in the early 1980s, with a pair of single-cylinder, 9.5-horsepower Rotax 185s powering the single-seat Lazair ultralight by 1982. Soon,

1400-477: The rider and outside the "cage" has one of three interchangeable uses: a large, lockable external storage box ; a luggage rack; or a pillion seat . There were four trim lines: Base, Family's Friend, Executive, and Williams. 0–50 km/h (31 mph) on the C1 125 is 5.9 seconds and the C1 200 is 3.9 seconds. Fuel consumption for the C1 125 at a constant 90 km/h (56 mph) is 2.9 L/100 km (97 mpg ‑imp ; 81 mpg ‑US ) and on

1440-702: The super bike prototype at the SWISS-MOTO 2012 show in Zürich, Switzerland, announcing that they are taking orders and may produce the bike with as little as 200 pre-orders. In 2008, Vectrix announced a 3-wheeled version of the Vectrix Maxi scooter. The New York City Police Department announced in December 2007 that it would be testing vehicles from Vectrix with the goal of replacing its current gasoline-powered scooters. The Government of Canada purchased

1480-518: The weight of the original. Though it has similar range to the original, its top speed is less than half, but so is the price. In 2012, Vectrix entered into a distribution agreement with Peirspeed to distribute Vectrix electric scooters in the U.S. In October 2013, Vectrix lost its French distributor Italmotori after allegations of failing to ship scooters, batteries, and scooter parts required for repairs under warranty. In addition, in November 2013

1520-404: Was capable of over 60 mph (97 km/h), and 50 mph (80 km/h) was reached in a little under 7 seconds, with maximum torque available from zero rpm, a characteristic of electric motors . It has under 250 parts, compared with 2,500 for a conventionally powered scooter, and has a range of up to 65 miles (105 km) at 25 mph (40 km/h). In the United Kingdom, Italy,

1560-415: Was its emphasis on safety. However, being secured by a seat belt could make slow speed handling and manoeuvring rather tricky until experience is acquired. BMW added passive safety and car-like crash testing to the scooter. It claimed that in a head-on collision, the C1 offered a standard of accident protection comparable to a European compact car. That was the prime marketing strategy to convert car buyers;

1600-636: Was projected to arrive March 2009, with the VX-2 following in June 2009. Pre-production models of both bikes were shown at the New York International Motorcycle Show in January 2009 and also at Birmingham Motor Show, but they never entered production due to the company ceasing trading. Vectrix showed a 125 mph (201 km/h) superbike concept vehicle at the 2007 Milan motorcycle show , to be produced if 500 deposits were received. In 2012 New Vectrix (re)-unveiled

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