Anyone remember the BMW C1 scooter? From the early 2000s? BMW decided that they wanted to make a scooter that was as safe as a European compact car of the era, and the canopied C1 was the result. I’m not sure if it actually was that safe, but it’s fun to watch BMW slam the things into E46s and E36s to see what happens. You can watch it, too, right here, set to music!
The C1 was pretty clever: it had a real seat and seatbelts (which some argued weren’t actually safer when worn with a helmet), it had a pair of roll bars by your shoulders, and, incredibly for a scooter, a crumple zone around the front wheel!
It was also pretty underpowered and, arguably, dorky. Also, one version was called the “Family Friend,” which, I don’t know, just feels sort of creepy.