India-based motorcycle maker Royal Enfield has announced a new all-electric model and a new sub-brand: Flying Flea. Due to begin deliveries in 2026, the urban-focused electric motorbikes are named after the lightweight gas-powered Enfield motorcycles delivered to British Army Red Berets by parachute (below) to battlefields during World War II. Troops nicknamed the lightweight bikes "Flying Flea" and the name stuck. Soldiers used the sprightly 4-horsepower two-stroke motorbikes to move around more quickly, speeding communications and intelligence work. The small motorbikes were toughened for such duty and have a following among collectors.
The WWII design actually came to Royal Enfield from a pre-war design by German motorcycle maker DKW through a circuitous series of events. Now, the model has returned as a fully electric lightweight motorcycle with an emphasis on gas-free urban riding.
Royal Enfield, first founded in England in 1901, expanded with a factory in India while the country was under British imperial control. Cooperation continued with the Indian factory after India regained its independence in 1947. When the company folded in England in the 1970s, the brand re-centered in India. The simple, rugged, dependable and easily serviced 350 and 500cc single-cylinder "Bullet" motorcycle models, introduced in the 1950s, found a receptive market in India as the population rapidly expanded, and the company continued to produce the post-war designed Bullets into the 1980s. Today, India is the second largest domestic motorcycle market behind China, and Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycles, while currently not in production, are revered in much the same way as Jeeps in the U.S. or Range Rovers in Britain.
In the mid 1990's, publicly traded vehicle and agricultural equipment maker Eicher Group took over the brand, built a state-of the art factory in Chennai, India, and began producing throughly modernized but still familiar single-cylinder models with an eye on entering world markets. The brand remained on the fringes until 2018, when a new line of stylish, air-cooled but modern 650 twin-cylinder models (review below) debuted and found success in markets worldwide. Recently, a new gas-powered adventure motorcycle, the modernized Himalayan 450, also debuted and has proven popular. The company claims it now completes a motorcycle every 40 seconds every day versus making 1,000 per month before modernization.
The success of the 650 line, which has just expanded to six models including the new Bear 650 scrambler and Bullet-inspired Classic 650, along with a popular slate of more affordable urban-friendly 350cc singles and the adventure-capable Himalayan 411, have given Royal Enfield the financial cushion to undertake designing an all-electric model, according to Royal Enfield managing director Siddhartha Lal, a motorcycle enthusiast who heads up Royal Enfield Motors and now Flying Flea. While the electric motorcycle project began in 2018, it wasn't until 2022 that a prototype emerged. Modeled on the first version of the dual-sport Himalayan (and called the "HIM-E," a nod to the ADV Himalayan's "Himmie" nickname), it appeared to be a full-sized, full powered machine, but Royal Enfield maintained it was and is only a testbed.
Now, the "Flying Flea C6" electric motorcycle has arrived, at least in prototype form. Revealed at the annual EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy, the Flying Flea isn't just a model, it's also a new all-electric sub-brand, with a parachute-themed "FF" logo. Unlike Harley-Davidson's spun-off and more independent electric LiveWire brand, Royal Enfield will oversee Flying Flea.
The Flying Flea C6 is a lightweight model and features a curving but practical design reminiscent of the original Fleas dropped to troops. It features regular-sized wheels rolling on fairly slim tires, a motor sourced from collaborator and respected electric dirt moto maker Stark Future, which Eicher took a 10% stake in two years ago as the project progressed. Prototypes shown at EICMA featured a battery located mid-frame and an usual "girder" type fork in a strong callback to the original, but it is clearly a product of modern design, much of which is done in a U.K.- based Royal Enfield design facility.
While common before the advent of the modern hydraulic sliding fork in the 1950s, girder forks are complex but do have some advantages over a sliding fork. Only Harley-Davidson has offered them recently on its Softail Springer models. Rear suspension on the Flea is an almost mountain-bike style monoshock with preload adjustment. Royal Enfield said the Fleas shown at EICMA are very close to production form, with perhaps just the battery casing, which mimics a gas motor's fins, as an area that could see changes.
The bikes will also feature Royal Enfield's new "Tripper" single instrument (above), which is user-configurable to a degree and will pair with apps and smartphone to show full-color GPS maps on its 4-inch round TFT screen. The company showed a more Scrambler-type variant of the Flying Flea, the S6, with normal slider forks in a video, but there was no prototype on hand at EICMA.
No motor, battery, charging specs or pricing have been released, but Royal Enfield says the Flea is targeting the growing "city plus" or "urban plus" riding segment served by a new crop of popular and affordable sub-400cc gas motorbikes (and scooters) and electric motorbikes that spend most of their time on urban streets but can also go freeway speeds (the "plus" part) for short hops if need be. Royal Enfield says the Flea will have freeway capability but high-speed speed riding will dramatically reduce riding range from the as-yet to be announced capacity battery.
Nice as the Flying Fleas appear to be, the timing of the venture may be problematic. Electric motorcycle makers are finding success difficult, with prominent Italian e-moto maker Energica recently joining a growing list to exit the market. Harley-Davidson reported that subsidiary LiveWire sold fewer than 100 units total in the last quarter. Market leader Zero continues to run on investor cash over a decade into operations. The major Japanese and European brands have shown prototypes but as of yet have not joined the fray. But for Energica, Sonders and others, time, patience and money has run out, and with President-elect Trump fairly EV averse except perhaps with Tesla, EV incentives for buyers the help on pricing could shrink or disappear.
The Flea will hopefully give riders a range above the average amount driven daily in most places - a core goal in the "city-plus" electric motorcycle market. Basically, if riders can get a day's urban riding done on a single charge and plug in overnight, the money saved on gas and repairs over a gas-powered motorbike can math out for most people. Again, the bikes are said to be able to make short highway-speed hops but are not designed for open-road touring or high-speed antics. But freeway capability does give the Flea an edge over the very popular 125cc class of urban buzz bikes like the Honda Grom and 125 Super Cub, a model Honda has had in production in some form since the 1960s. However, the 125s are not freeway legal or even fast enough for highway riding.
There is competition as well as the "city plus" EV moto niche is becoming more popular as it combines affordability with at least true urban capabilities, and no gas. BMW produces several popular electric scooters, including the futuristic urban CE-2 for $7,599 and larger CE-4 (below), which is highway capable and much more motorcycle-like than most scooters.
Electric motorcycle market leader Zero just introduced two new lightweight models that they have sourced externally, which will be street-legal in Europe but not in the U.S. to start. I recently rode the $7,000 Land Moto District Scrambler (below) and found it a solid offering, and Land has also announced a third model, the Land Moto Super District, as a limited release. Other companies including DAB, Solar, NIU, KTM and others are beginning to focus on the same segment, while some top-tier electric bicycle models may also soon be in the mix. In China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and throughout Southeast Asia, scooters and lightweight electric motorcycles using battery swap designs are increasing in popularity. The Flying Flea will not feature a swappable or user-removeable battery, according to the company.
The Flying Flea lands between surface-street-only e-scoots and the larger gas-powered highway-permitted middleweights, perhaps closer to larger scooters since it will have twist-and-go, single-speed simplicity with no gears to change, while the larger motorcycle tires with ABS brakes up the safety quotient. Plus, it's a motorcycle, the rebel father of the more friendly scooter, even if it uses no gasoline. The Flea comes with a rebel-only solo seat as stock while a two-up perch is an option.
In communications with Siddhatha Lal (above), who leads Royal Enfield and Flying Flea, I asked about the risks associated with the still nascent electric motorcycle market. Lal acknowledged the challenges but said they had several motivations, including reducing air pollution in India's large cities, which are notoriously polluted, sometimes up the point of rising to an immediate health hazard. More electric vehicles on the road means more of the polluting two-stroke taxis and gas-powered scooters are off of it.
India is also the 2nd largest motorcycle market in the world, with Royal Enfield selling nearly a million units in the home market while international sales were over 100,000 in 2023, a large YoY increase. However, the company clearly serves its large domestic market primarily and designs motorcycles for the rigors of travel in India. Lal says he believes the motorbike industry - including scooters and other small vehicles - is at the beginning of an era of electrified transportation in India and beyond. Tesla cars and other EVs, including electric scooters, are popular in India and gaining market share. "We want to be ready" as that new era more fully arrives, he said. Enfield also competes domestically with Honda, India-based Hero and multiple Chinese brands in the motorbike market. However, the vast majority of the bikes sold by those companies are 125cc or under, but new electric models are beginning to appear.
What if it doesn't work? Lal responded that they haven't bet the company on the Flying Flea, and if it takes time to get sales to the desired levels, his said Eicher has the commitment and resources to give the Fleas time to take flight.
Royal Enfield has been on a hot streak as of late. The company also announced the Classic 650 Twin at EICMA, an homage to the popular Bullet models but now with the bigger twin-cylinder engine and modern suspension. At this time, no models in the lineup are called "Bullet," but one 650 sub-model is called the Shotgun 650. Another new 650 twin-based model, the Bear 650 scrambler, was also announced shortly before the EICMA show.
Production of the Flying Flea is slated for 2026, and a lot can change in the market in just a year.