BMW loves the idea of a two-wheeler so safe you’ll never have to wear a helmet again. The company tried once upon a time with the C1 — a scooter with a roof, a windshield, and seatbelts — but it didn’t take off the way the company hoped, likely due in part to the jurisdictions that decided riders did, in fact, still need helmets. Now the company’s trying again, with a harness and rollcage added to a CE04 to keep occupants protected in the event of a crash. The company dubbed the concept the Vision CE, and it’s an interesting idea, though one that still seems to raise its fair share of questions and concerns.
BMW says the goal of the Vision CE is to “eliminate the need for a helmet as well as protective clothing.” This is an admirable goal — suiting up in full armor to ride a motorcycle on hot July days is a pain — but it’s not immediately clear how the Vision CE’s cage prevents all injuries. The press release unfortunately didn’t include any images of real people on the scooter, instead following BMW Motorrad’s recent trend of using sloppy AI imagery to promote its bikes and scooters, but even the grim, uncanny valley riders in the AI shots have their hands and elbows outside the Vision CE’s cage to reach its handlebars — those areas should be protected by CE-rated elbow pads and gloves.
What about feet?
The bigger question with the Vision CE’s safety, though, comes below the knee. Legs and feet are the most-damaged parts of the body in motorcycle accidents, since they’re pinned under the bike even at low speeds — having had my own leg pinned under 500 pounds of BMW while riding, I was certainly thankful for my proper motorcycle boots. BMW claims the Vision CE can “completely balance itself when stationary,” preventing the type of low-speed tip-overs that seem to plague the sorts of new riders that BMW hopes to target with this concept, but such technology won’t work in every situation. When the average rider hits a slick bit of road paint in the rain, they’ll still throw a leg out to catch themselves by instinct.
The Vision CE is an interesting idea, but BMW’s claim that it makes all motorcycle armor obsolete seems far-fetched. The scooter poses nearly the same risk to extremities as any other scooter or motorcycle, and riders should dress accordingly — even if your local municipality allows you to ditch the helmet, you shouldn’t give up on gloves, boots, or joint armor.
