2 weeks Ago By Bryan Hood
The world’s oldest motorcycle brand is going electric. Royal Enfield announced a new battery-powered sub-brand called Flying Flea earlier this week at the Milan Motorcycle Shows (EIMCA). The company plans to release a pair of heritage-inspired electric bikes over the next two years.
With Flying Flea, Royal Enfield is looking to the future and the past at the same time. The sub-brand is named after the 125cc field bike that was air-dropped alongside paratroopers during World War II (the parachute in the new Flying Flea logo is a reference to this). A name isn’t all the new bikes have taken from their predecessors, though.
They were also designed to be lightweight and practical, something that can’t always be said about electric motorcycles. Flying Flea’s first models will be the traditionally styled C6 and the more scrambler-like S6 (picture up top). The former is expected to go on sale in early 2026, with the latter following shortly after.
That means we’ll have to wait for details and specs, but the early signs are promising. It doesn’t help that they look good too. Both sport retro looks, including a faux fuel tank that ensures the two-wheelers don’t look too skeletal.
There’s nothing generic or appliance-like about the sub-brand’s first motorcycles. The main appeal of the C6 and S6 is that Flying Flea is that they seem to have been designed and engineered for everyday usability. Some electric bikes we’ve seen, be they from Harley Davidson’s now spun-off Livewire brand or Zero , feel more like tech demonstrations, meant to show that zero-emissions don’t have to come at the cost of performance.
The first Flying Flea models, on the other hand, have a more modest goal: allowing you to travel around town quickly with ease. There are some nifty technological features, though, like a variety of ride modes, onboard ABS, and the ability to receive over-the-air updates. They also promise to be easy to keep charged.
Neither Royal Enfield nor Flying Flea have said anything about range, but you’ll be able to charge both the C6 and S6 by simply plugging them into a household outlet. This means they’re probably not suited to long road trips, but should be convenient for less arduous tasks..
