Daily News Capsule

While concept bikes are successful at raising customer expectations and interest, we are often frustrated when the final product is a watered-down production model. Fortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case with the 2021 BMW’s CE 04 electric scooter, as the newly released design IP reveals that the showroom edition is nearly identical to the Definition CE 04 concept from last year.

Despite the fact that the Definition CE 04, which debuted in November and was derived from the earlier Concept Link showbike from 2017, was “approaching production readiness,” the radical styling looked much too futuristic to make the leap to a real-world showroom floor. The recent design patents reveal a system that is so subtly altered that it could be mistaken for the prototype bike if it weren’t for the inclusion of key street-legal elements.

• To save you the trouble of looking for the differences, the main ones are the inclusion of mirrors, which were lacking on the concept bike, as well as a longer rear fender with a license plate bracket and rear turn signals. To brace the extension, there’s extra fender support on the back of the single-sided swingarm, as well as tiny LED turn signals on either side of the odd wind deflector upfront.

• Fractional improvements to the bike’s belly pan and side stand, as well as slightly repositioned and revised pillion footpegs, have been made, and the ironing board-flat seat has lost the central hump that divided rider and passenger on the concept prototype. It also lacks the concept’s center stand, but it’s easy to imagine both pieces being available as add-ons.
• When it comes to technology, we had a good look at the CE 04’s guts when the prototype was revealed, and the production model won’t deviate far from that. The battery is located between the rider’s legs and continues under the seat, where there is also a storage room accessible by opening side panels rather than the traditional flip-up seat cushion.

• The electric motor is located directly behind the battery, but unlike most scooters, it is not incorporated with the swingarm, instead of mounting to the tubular steel frame to reduce unsprung mass. It drives to an exposed belt final drive via a reduction gearbox.

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