# BMW C1 - helmet required?



## Kell (May 28, 2002)

Seen a couple of people this morning riding those daft looking BMW C1s, without a helmet. Is this legal?

And if so, is it purely down to the seatbelt?


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## shao_khan (May 7, 2002)

Its all going through the courts at the moment.

A rider has won a case to not wear a helmet as it can cause more injuries wearing one due to the seatbelts and teh additional weight on your head for whiplash,etc.

As i understand the Police are contesting this just to waste public funds.

If you want more info I can giev you a URL for teh C1 forums.


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## gcp (Aug 8, 2002)

IIRC there have been a few court cases in this country.

Most recent lost his case.

In most of Europe no helmet is required in these machines so eventually someone will go through the European courts to get the same here.

Still a crap/expensive machine though.


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

I think I'd wear one just to hide the sheer embarassment of having to ride/drive one.


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## dimitt (Apr 21, 2004)

I like it  .. great little city run around

(she;s not too bad either! :wink: )


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## r1 (Oct 31, 2002)

I hate these things - ridden by smug wankers IMO.

Anyway, to contribute, I was stopped last year on my bike by a WPC (ring of steel) and while she was interrogating me a twat came the other way on a C1. Her words were 'Look at this idiot with no helmet on' and I urged her to throw the book at him. Twatto got off his C1 looking very smug and holding some paperwork that presumabley proved his innocence but the nice WPC nicked him anyway! Good.


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## sattan (Sep 10, 2002)

Not sure I see why you'd need to wear a helmet to ride one, provided you are strapped in and everything else is in order.

worst case if you make it fall over and you have a particularly floppy head :lol: you might scrape your head on the road.

having watched some old documentary on race-car crashes last night :roll: , I'm obviously an expert on the subject :wink: - but the american NASCAR races demonstrated if you wear an unrestrained helmet whilst strapped into a normal (ravcing) seatbelt/restraint system the extra load on your neck can cause serious/fatal injuries to the base of the skull.

Surely its the same risk as driving a roadster with the roof down, or a car with all the windows open - same chance of being struck by something.

on the 'daft looking' comments - I'm sure some people think the same of some of the lurid leathers 'proper' bikers wear :roll:


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## r1 (Oct 31, 2002)

sattan said:


> on the 'daft looking' comments - I'm sure some people think the same of some of the lurid leathers 'proper' bikers wear :roll:


Possibly but the slight difference is that have a functionality. If, by lurid, you mean pinks and light greens then I'd have to agree with you. If you're simply blanket critisizing leathers, so be it. :roll:


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## Jae (May 6, 2002)

When BMW developed these, they wnet through a lot of Crash Testing and they are EXTREMELY safe when ridden with the seatbelt correctly fitted. Its been accepted by European Crash Testing as being safe to ride without a helmet.

Before anyone says that the Italians ride without helmets, they dont any longer, as it is now law that every state has to enforce wearing helmets when riding a Motorbiket.

They are not bad, but I would not ride one.

Jae


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## jam (May 8, 2002)

can you imagine one of those falling over while you are riding it and being strapped in?

it would scare the shit out of me!


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## Carlos (May 6, 2002)

You definitely need to be a helmet.


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

jam said:


> can you imagine one of those falling over while you are riding it and being strapped in?
> 
> it would scare the shit out of me!


True - but I guess you'd be a lot safer than on a normal bike. :?


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