- Royal Enfield has created an all-new EV sub-brand
- The bike is targeting 100 miles of range
- An urban commuter and scrambler are in the works
Royal Enfield has revealed the 'next chapter' for the company with the unveiling of its Flying Flea dedicated EV brand.
With the full backing of the Indian-owned motorcycle company, a marque that has been producing two-wheeled transport since 1901 and is on course for selling almost one million motorcycles a year, Flying Flea will go on to represent and entire family of electric motorcycles that offer a “city++” range.
This equates to around 150km (93 miles) on a single charge, according to Mario Alvisi, chief growth officer at Royal Enfield.
The first battery-powered bikes will arrive in 2026 and will be badged the Flying Flea C6. It takes inspiration from the lightweight 125cc motorcycle that was developed to be parachuted into conflict zones during World War 2.
The Flying Flea grew in popularity following the war, as huge demand for cheap, low maintenance transport peaked.
Managing director, Siddhartha Lal, says that the Flying Flea brand is “going for disruption” and that it will spawn a family of electric bikes, with the reveal event also including a look at a future scrambler style S6 model.
The C6, with its single seat and slim tank, features a number of innovative design touches, including a girder fork at the front, compact battery pack with deep cut cooling fins and the classic Royal Enfield crankcase cover that protects the belt drive final drive system.
It's draws on a similar retro-futuristic vein as the Maeving RM1S, just with the added glitz and polish of a company with years of experience mass producing motorcycles.
During a chat with Mario Alvisi following the unveiling, the chief growth officer revealed that the company had developed everything in-house, from the motor to the touchscreen infotainment and software that powers it.
This is what he believes will allow Royal Enfield to be successful in a market that is notoriously difficult on start-ups.
"Royal Enfield has always been accessible and Flying Flea needs to be the same," he said. "Other brands tend to rush into these things and buy many off-the-shelf parts. The costs soon adds up and it’s difficult to make it work financially," he added.
It helps that Royal Enfield invested €50 million in Spanish electric off-road motorcycle start-up Stark in late 2022. The partnership has seen a lot of Stark's learnings in its off-road Varg model influence both the upcoming C6, the more off-road orientated C6 and the upcoming Himalayan electric adventure bike.
Analysis: A likely success, if the price is right
Once launched, the Flying Flea brand will go up against the likes of Maeving’s RM1S, as well as pricier options from BMW (the CE02) and even Kawasaki’s first stab at an EV in the seriously under-powered and seriously under-ranged Ninja e-1 model.
More recently, Can-Am has entered the market with its Pulse and Origin machines, which offer some excellent tech and an engaging ride. But they are out of the reach of many thanks to their high price points.
Royal Enfield needs to ensure the pricing is spot on, continuing its reputation in the ICE (internal combustion engine) motorcycle market as the affordable and accessible option.
If it can do this and still deliver a great infotainment offering, as well as a fun and reliable ride (not to mention a solid all-electric range), it might just be the first brand to crack the mass-produced electric motorcycle market.
