Review: BMW CE 04

The Tron Lightcycle? That bike from Akira? A Stormtrooper with two wheels? First impressions of the CE 04 are of a motorbike sent back in time from the future. A radical aesthetic sketched in the 1980s for riding in the 2080s. 

It’s still relatively rare for vehicles to make it into production closely resembling their design-forward prototypes, but eagle-eyed moto geeks will recognize the CE 04 from BMW’s 2017 Motorrad Concept Link and its updated 2020 tease, the Definition. Very little appears to have changed on the final production bike: the modular plastic panels, “floating” board-like seat, a raked-out looking fork, and that long stretched profile … it’s all there. Unencumbered by the need to accommodate traditional restraints like a fuel-combustion engine, air-box, and exhaust system, BMW has been able to throw out the rule book.  

Riding the CE-O4 (the “04” references a 400-cc equivalent combustion engine size) requires a full motorbike license, but you can spec the electric bike to be less powerful for a lower-category motorcycle license. This puts the full-fat version of the CE-O4 squarely in the realm of riders who are “serious” about bikes, rather than newbies fresh from basic training or renegade fast-food couriers. 

With a powerful 31 kW (42 hp) from the liquid-cooled electric motor, the CE 04 will whisk you to more than 30 mph in just a shade over two and a half seconds. This equates to a real-word feeling of “Woahhh!” and means virtually nothing will touch you getting away from traffic lights. Put simply, the CE 04 doesn't accelerate; it takes off. 

Add to that arresting acceleration a maximum speed of 75 mph (120 kph), and the CE 04's domain extends to open highways. Indeed, this e-motorbike appears to have significantly more potential than its around-town marketing suggests. My daughter (the pillion passenger for WIRED's test) was perpetually goading me into racing sport bikes off the lights. 

All this eye-watering propulsion is powered by a whopping 8.9 kWh of battery power, the same type of cells found in batteries that fuel BMW’s own iX and i4 cars. These cells provide a range of up to 80 miles (130 km) in Eco mode. For comparison, the Vespa Elettrica's range is 62 miles, and it costs nearly half as much as the the BMW—but it’s very much an e-moped. 

The CE 04’s all-important charging times are: empty to full in 4 hours 20 mins, with the optional quick charger taking that down to 1 hour 40 mins, or from 20 to 80 percent in 45 mins, making that “long coffee break” charge just about possible. However, note that the quick charger is an additional £850 in the UK, while in the US it is included in the $1,665 Premium Package, along with features such as adaptive headlights and seat heating. The batteries themselves are arranged flat under the bike’s long floorplate. It's a clever way of keeping that weight low for stable handling.

Almost everything to do with electric mobility comes down to battery, battery, and battery. The capacity of your bike will affect your ride from speed to range. The CE 04 has ambitions to take riders out of the central city to the suburbs with the option of weekend trips on those faster roads. For a five-mile there-and-back commute, riders will (as WIRED did) easily make it through a week without even troubling a wall socket. Two days of real-world urban riding on the speediest setting with a passenger half the time robbed my bike's battery of 30 percent, taking it down from full to 70 percent. 

Photograph: Joerg Kuenstle/BMW

Firing up the bike is a cinch. Hold the rear brake and hit the ignition button. Now the bike is ready to go; just flip up the kickstand (which incidentally applies the brakes like a kill-switch when down) and you’re off. 

Power is dispensed via one of three driving modes, Eco (I may be fast, but I’m saving the planet), Rain (I may be fast, but I’m a responsible rider), or Road, (I’m just plain fast). Riders also have the option of upgrading to the sports package to get an additional driving mode Dynamic (I may be fast, but I’m also wealthy). 

I tested the CE 04 in a variety of riding situations in London—from off-peak suburbs to rush-hour gridlocks—in a range of 20-, 30-, 40-, and 60-mph zones, with and without a passenger. Acceleration is progressive, smooth, and accompanied by a variety of electrical humming noises. Silent, it is not. 

To be honest, I struggled to get to full throttle at any time in an urban environment; it’s just so quick. When your route is peppered with 20- and 30-mph zones, you have to concentrate hard to not to get a speeding ticket on the CE 04. It was almost as if the bike wanted to turn me into a hooligan. It should be noted, though, that much as the CE 04 felt like an injection of pure adrenaline at speed, it was polite and mild-mannered at 10 mph in slow-moving traffic. Parking? Hold down the reverse button and the bike instantaneously switches to a backward parking gear.

Just like most EVs and hybrids these days—all the way from an F1 car to a Toyota Prius—the BMW bike uses regenerative braking to harvest power back into the batteries when the throttle is released. Out on the road, you’re using the conventional brakes very little, as forward motion is so heavily moderated by this feature. Throttle off and that regen braking arrests the bike in a notable but predictable fashion. It’s possible to ride down seriously steep hills using only the regen system to control your speed. 

You’ll soon end up adjusting your riding style accordingly. Indeed, the regen system is so effective that for safety the rear brake lights are activated when you roll off the throttle—a clever and necessary touch, as drivers behind you would otherwise not know you’re slowing.

All those batteries come at a price, in this case increased weight. The BMW comes in at a hefty 231 kg. For context, that’s heavier than BMW’s F 750 GS gas-powered adventure bike. On the street that weight isn’t so noticeable and the bikes thrives on smooth, arcing turns. In fact, as the CE 04’s weight is carried low and finely balanced, you’ll notice the weight shifts the bars in quickly as you weave in and out of traffic. That said, when tight maneuvering with the bars at full lock and at walking pace, the bike is well mannered and predictable. 

Out riding, I’d go for plenty of gaps on the CE 04 before I would on other bikes, including my tiny moped, due to the e-bike’s rapid and reliable acceleration. Riders are always looking to “get out of trouble,” whether that’s away from traffic lights or around a vehicle that’s pulling out. In these situations, the CE 04 held plenty of confidence-inspiring power in reserve.

Photograph: Studio Goico/BMW

The bike’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth handle a host of modern connectivity needs. The CE 04 has a wide range of options, from nifty dual helmet-, intercom-, phone-, and contact-synching to music-sharing and mapping. The bike’s partner app, Motorrad Connected, features an Efficient Route finding service that aims to use minimal energy, a range display radius on a map to show how far you can travel on a charge, and the all-important location of charging stations. The onboard system handles technical data on tire pressures, service intervals, and the usual trip info. 

Navigation itself comes via a large 10.25-inch TFT full-color screen. BMW has gone out of its way to make setup and pairing as intuitive as possible. But I still struggled to get the route I’d planned to display or to hide a pop-up window I’d accidentally selected. When I did eventually master the mapping, the 3D POV-style navigation was slick and easy to follow. For the best results with the app, you have to hand over loads of data, however, including information that may highlight any illegal riding habits. We’d suggest reading through the permissions fine print first.

On-bike storage is reasonable, with a side-loading, under-the-seat compartment for a full-face helmet and charging lead. Up front, there’s another actively ventilated compartment for your phone with a USB-C port. The idea is that the phone is always paired for communication, powering your navigation and sharing data through the app.

Interestingly, I had to change the way I navigated the city on the CE 04 compared with my more modestly sized electric moped. London is carved up with “low-traffic neighborhoods,” and many routes are now blocked to motorized traffic, so I’m usually prepared to dismount and walk the bike when I have to. But the CE 04 is just too heavy and long for that kind of renegade flexibility. 

Photograph: BMW

Riders looking to lug the bike into small front gardens, up curbs, or into trickier parking spaces will find the BMW a bit of a beast, even with that effective reverse gear. How you ride and where you can park should be serious considerations when looking at the BMW. There’s a trade-off for that speed and comfort. After all, the CE 04 is in essence a smart motorbike disguised as a scooter.

And there's no disguising the price. The CE 04 starts at $11,795 (£11,700 in UK), going up to $14,795 (£13,400) for the highest-spec model. That’s a serious outlay for many riders and  places the bike at the top of the premium maxi-scooter market. For context, the Suzuki Burgman is £6,999, BMW’s own C 400 is £6,995, the Yamaha XMAX £6,200. But, yes, they are all traditional gas-fueled bikes. 

So who is the CE 04 for? Someone who values the riding experience, is looking for bleeding-edge design, and may be conscious of the crisis at the pump. I’d suggest this is also for a rider with off-street parking at both ends of their commute.

Buried in trendy prose on BMW’s press release for the CE 04 is the term “silent rocket.” It’s not silent, it’s not strictly a rocket, and it’s not the lost twin of Kaneda's Soul of Popynica, either—but it’s as close as any electric motorbike gets in 2022.