Home » Royal Enfield Has Launched An Electric Motorcycle Brand And You’re Going To Want This One

Royal Enfield Has Launched An Electric Motorcycle Brand And You’re Going To Want This One

Flyingflea Top
ADVERTISEMENT

The world of electric motorcycles is a tough one right now. Promising upstarts and established names have gone out of business while even Harley-Davidson can’t seem to convince people to buy an electric bike. None of this is stopping Royal Enfield, which has just officially announced its sub-brand of electric motorcycles. Flying Flea will hit the ground running with two motorcycles and I think these have the chance to get Americans to trade an engine between their legs for a stack of batteries.

As I wrote recently, Energica ran out of steam last month after producing high-range motorcycles for years. Sondors crumbled after delivering a motorcycle that didn’t live up to the advertising. Erik Buell’s company took reservations on an electric motorcycle and then folded before delivering. Arc Vector and Onyx died without anyone noticing. Harley-Davidson’s spin-off electric brand is still trying while burning more money than most people will ever make in a lifetime. Those are just the recent concerns that had a bad time.

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

This hasn’t stopped other companies from moving forward. An interesting challenger is entering the EV ring. Royal Enfield is known for building seriously attractive motorcycles at a shockingly affordable price. Now, it wants you to ride its new sub-brand called Flying Flea, and I think it has a lot of potential.

Royal Enfield Flying Flea C6 R

The rumor mill has been abuzz about Royal Enfield launching an electric motorcycle for some time now. English-speaking websites have been talking about prototype sightings for over four years now and the brand previously even confirmed future EV models. In revealing the new brand Royal Enfield say this has been a huge endeavor involving over 200 engineers in India and the UK plus a timeline stretching “many years.” The company says all aspects of these bikes from the battery to the motor are being developed in-house.

ADVERTISEMENT

Now, we’re finally seeing the fruits of their labor with the Flying Flea brand. Two motorcycles will be coming out of this effort: The retro C6 and the scrambler S6. The S6 is below.

Screenshot (1200)

Right out of the gate, Royal Enfield gets to the point and says that these machines are “urban and city+ motorcycles.” Basically, these are urban bikes, but with just enough capability for a short jaunt out of town. Don’t expect to do an Iron Butt on one of these. That makes a ton of sense for the current state of electric motorcycle technology, where adding range costs money, so cheap bikes don’t go very far. Riders all over India and China are picking up electric motorcycles by the millions to use in cities. I like that Royal Enfield is keeping expectations realistic, but America will be a challenge for sure.

Of course, you’re also probably wondering about that name. The Flying Flea is one of the models Royal Enfield considers to be one of its most historically significant, from Royal Enfield:

Simple, tough and resilient, the Royal Enfield Flying Flea, or WD/RE to give it its official title, was deployed as a front line combat machine during the latter stages of the Second World War. An invaluable asset to the elite soldiers of the newly-formed Parachute Regiment, it was parachuted behind enemy lines, carried in assault gliders or ferried to the beaches of Normandy in amphibious landing craft.

Flying Flea Parachute Advert

ADVERTISEMENT

Ironically, the Flea was originally a German design. Launched in 1934, the DKW RT100 was one of the most reliable and best selling motorcycles of the 1930s. In 1938, the Nazis pressured DKW’s Dutch distributor, R S Stokvis & Zonen, to fire its Jewish directors or lose its DKW franchise. Rather than bow to this anti-Semitic coercion, the company promptly despatched an RT100 to Royal Enfield in England with a request to reverse-engineer the motorcycle and supply them directly.

Enfield’s chief designer, Ted Pardoe, set to work, replicating the frame and forks but enlarging the engine capacity from 98 to 126cc. The result weighed just 56 kg and its one-and-a-half gallon fuel tank gave a range of around 150 miles while travelling between 35 and 40mph.

Part of the Flying Flea’s charm was its super low compression engine, which meant that it ran on the poorest quality garbage that could barely be classified as fuel. It also had an interesting cost-effective front fork design. It was built from pressed steel blades with three rubber bands providing suspension, but no damping. Soldiers riding a Flying Flea bounced around, but the suspension was cheap to make and easy to repair in the field.

Imaaage (64)

Flying Flea seems to make a lot of sense for a brand going for lightweight electric motorcycles built for a purpose. The C6 is designed to look like a modern interpretation of the old Flying Flea combat bike. Royal Enfield says there’s a real girder fork up front, but it’s all modern with forged aluminum materials and a mudguard that articulates as the suspension moves through its travel.

Behind there is a forged aluminum frame that follows the elegant lines of the old Flying Flea. Captured inside is a magnesium battery case containing wavy cooling fins. They almost look like they’re emulating the look of a large single-cylinder engine.

Imaggge (65)

ADVERTISEMENT

But it’s not just about the visuals. Royal Enfield is leaning heavily on technology. The company said these bikes will come equipped with a touchscreen and an operating system that was developed in-house that will constantly monitor your ride. According to the company, the software should be able to optimize your motorcycle for either “captivating rider feel” or improving range. This involves something called the Vehicle Control Unit, which is something like a central nervous system connecting physical and digital touchpoints together. The company says the operating system will be able to provide “200,000 different ride mode combinations” and that company engineers have been so hard at work that 28 patents were created in the past six months alone.

Other bits of technology Royal Enfield is boasting about are that you’ll be able to use your phone as a key and that the bikes will have lean-sensitive ABS. All of this is pretty high-tech for Royal Enfield. Remember, my 2023 Royal Enfield Classic 350 is so old-school that its biggest feature is just having regular ABS. It doesn’t even have an LED headlight and most of its parts, including its heavy frame, are real steel.

Royal Enfield Flying Flea C6 O

Sadly, Royal Enfield hasn’t revealed any other information, so we don’t know anything about the price, batteries, motors, range, or weight. Judging from the pictures, it seems we’re looking at a frame-mounted motor, Bybre brakes (a Brembo brand), a belt drive, and a monoshock rear suspension. Not bad!

The S6 scrambler (below) is based on the same platform as the C6, but does away with the 1930s vibes and the girder forks for more conventional inverted forks plus a higher ground clearance.

ADVERTISEMENT

Screenshot (1202)

I’m hopeful with a dab of caution. If Royal Enfield can hit that sweet spot of enough range for a low enough cost, I think it might get some Americans on an electric motorcycle. For now, too many brands are selling bikes that are just too expensive. Maybe Royal Enfield will be different. The company says we’ll have to wait until 2026 for the bikes to hit the market to see.

At the very least, I’m totally in love with the look. Royal Enfield might have just made one of the best-looking electric motorcycles yet. Hopefully, the company gets everything else right.

(Images: Royal Enfield)

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on whatsapp
WhatsApp
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on reddit
Reddit
Subscribe
Notify of
25 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Freelivin2713
Freelivin2713
13 days ago

Kramer: Want one? Yeah, I just bought it at the Flea Market.

George: Hey, what goes on there, exactly?

Jerry: You don’t know?

George: No, I-I-I know… [retreats back to his Chinese take out] I know…

Jerry: You think they have fleas there, don’t you?

George: *No*…

Jerry: Yes you do, Biff. You’ve never been to a Flea Market, and you

think they have fleas there.

George: All right, I think they have fleas there. So what…

Rick Garcia
Rick Garcia
14 days ago

Gorgeous design, but British motorcycle reliability, plus British electronic reliability is scarier than what’s left in the club when the lights come on.

Rahul Patel
Rahul Patel
14 days ago
Reply to  Rick Garcia

It sounds like British, but it isn’t. RE is Indian. By that I mean the country and not the nameplate.

Frackle
Frackle
14 days ago

Will there ever be a compelling EV bike, absent game changing new battery tech? Probably not. Will I still wait to be disappointed by the MSRP, once they release that info? Yes.

TheNewt
TheNewt
14 days ago

The street version is stunning. There are few bikes that really make me feel I want to buy one RIGHT NOW but my God.

Twobox Designgineer
Twobox Designgineer
14 days ago

Just a thought—

Low weight in a motorcycle is a good thing. Gas ICEs provide a pretty good power per weight, and the gas provides a good may and volumetric energy density. Electric has advantages of quiet operation, and high low-end torque and broad torque band, as well as no emissions in use.

So, what’s the power/weight of a fuel cell system to provide the electricity? If it’s as good as an ICE, you could sort of have the best of both worlds. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a decent hydrogen infrastructure (which there obviously isn’t). But, if there were some way to swap tanks, maybe a safe system could be made to “charge” a second tank of hydrogen at home by electrolysis.

Harmon20
Harmon20
14 days ago
Last edited 14 days ago by Harmon20
Cody
Cody
14 days ago

Their advertising said “made like a gun.” That’s amazing

MaximillianMeen
MaximillianMeen
14 days ago
Reply to  Cody

Royal Enfield was bought in 1907 by BSA – Birmingham Small Arms – a gun manufacturer for the Royal Army and subsequent makers of the Lee Enfield rifle that was the main infantry rifle in use by the British through WWII. The Lee Enfield rifle is pretty well known and respected, so not that surprising that they leaned on their history and war effort to promote their motorcycles.

Duane Cannon
Duane Cannon
14 days ago

“…we don’t know anything about the price, batteries, motors, range, or weight.” So those pictures are all CGI?

Aaronaut
Aaronaut
14 days ago
Reply to  Duane Cannon

A pretty common strategy in any vehicle/product ad these days. To my eyes, these are all CG renders, except MAYBE the pic with the model’s hand on the “gas tank”. And, to go a step further, the photo above it (with a rider on the street) looks like all AI, besides the bike.

Last edited 14 days ago by Aaronaut
Chronometric
Chronometric
14 days ago

That is truly lovely and yes, I want one.

Jakob K's Garage
Jakob K's Garage
14 days ago

That 1932 looking retro front fork is a fun idea!
Give it a back fender pillow and one of those old school rear wheel stands, and we’re close to something 🙂

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Ariel_350_cc_Red_Hunter_1938.jpg

Last edited 14 days ago by Jakob K's Garage
Shooting Brake
Shooting Brake
15 days ago

Well they nailed the design I’ll give them that.

Fix It Again Tony
Fix It Again Tony
15 days ago

The company said these bikes will come equipped with a touchscreen 

Not that I want a touchscreen on a motorcycle since its even more dangerous than in a car, but are you telling me that they have touchscreens that work with motorcycle gloves?!?

Kombi Man
Kombi Man
14 days ago

Most new gloves have touch screen material over the leather (or whatever it’s made out of) that works. I use my iphone on a quadlock charging mount (+ awesome) and Waze and spotify on my Cardo. Glove does street glove does fine. My alpinestar GP3 gloves don’t but I’m fine with that.

I **really** like the idea of these. I commute ten minutes to work. This would suit me fine for life stuff and commuting. Price will be the clincher, like other RE bikes, I want this to be cheap. First to make a cheap, sweet, commuter like the ole hondas etc that were copied for ever will win! The generic BYD of bikes that has some style, some range and some features but undercuts the rest.

Fix It Again Tony
Fix It Again Tony
14 days ago
Reply to  Kombi Man

If they put it on a motorcycle it will have to work with all gloves. FWIW none of my gloves work with phones and my newest pair were bought last year.

Last edited 14 days ago by Fix It Again Tony
Sbzr
Sbzr
15 days ago

I like bobber form factor, but this one is super ugly IMO, don’t know what makes this look more like a beach cruiser bike with added plastic covers

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
15 days ago

How well do Royal Enfields sell here in the states generally? I think I can count on one hand the number I’ve seen in the past five years, but that’s hardly an exact gauge.

I love the idea and think it’s terrific that India, as is often the case, is keeping a piece of cool old Britannia alive, but will it forever be an also-ran here in Harley (and increasingly, Indian) land?

Frackle
Frackle
14 days ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

I see a good amount of them around town, but I own one so I’m particularly tuned in to that. They’re still mostly working the cheap motorcycle market, just more competently than they have in the past. More going after Triumph’s market than Harley’s.

Lally Singh
Lally Singh
14 days ago
Reply to  Jack Trade

I don’t see many, I think people are afraid because they’re so cheap – $5-7k new

Fuzzyweis
Fuzzyweis
15 days ago

That looks really awesome but no specs? Also wondering about scale, as a fairly girthy dude I’d probably look like a circus bear on a bicycle one one of them, even in their promo shots the rider looks a little big for it.

Spikedlemon
Spikedlemon
15 days ago
Reply to  Fuzzyweis

As an urban bike, it’s unlikely to be a large bike. If those are 17” (or even 19”) wheels, the scale is on the small side.

But you’re right, the rider looks to dominate the scale here. And I’m sure they wouldn’t put the circus bear on it for the media shoot – so makes me think it’s on the even smaller scale.

Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
15 days ago
Reply to  Fuzzyweis

Folks seem to like the Grom. Maybe small isn’t so bad.

Frackle
Frackle
14 days ago
Reply to  Fuzzyweis

I hear big guys say this a lot but I’ve genuinely never noticed the mismatch people are worried about. Maybe if you were 6’5″ on a grom, but otherwise I don’t think it’s an issue.

25
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x