New Flying Flea buzzes with big ideas

Rider pretends to kick start Royal Enfield's new electric Flying Flea.

 Word salads can have a delicious taste in the mind, whether or not you actually understand what it is you are eating. 

Just for instance, taste this, from the press release introducing the software behind the Royal Enfield's new "Flying Flea" brand of electric motorcycles: 

"Designed specially to support two-wheelers, the Snapdragon QWM2290 SoC is engineered to provide a truly ‘connected’ experience into Flying Flea’s motorcycles. The Snapdragon QMW2290 SoC powers the core vehicle control unit running an in-house operating system, developed by Flying Flea, that enables the motorcycle to manage all aspects of the vehicle and ride experience through the interactive true round TFT cluster. The Snapdragon QWM2290 SoC and Snapdragon Car-to-Cloud give the Flying Flea an ability to maintain seamless communication between the rider and the machine through a secure multi-modal interaction, both on and off the motorcycle with 4G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. This powerful and efficient chip allows users to maximize the potential of the cluster and develop a simple and intuitive UI (user interface) and UX (user experience), including a dedicated Voice Assist button. The motorcycle comes with five pre-set ride modes and allows the rider to customize the ride mode combinations based on the rider requirement and terrain. It also allows the system to recognize and enable mobile phone as a smart key to unlock and start the vehicle." 

Delicious sounding. But is it nutritious? What exactly is this dish, anyway? The press release is happy to explain what it is you're chewing on: 

"Flying Flea, endorsed by Royal Enfield, is the electric vehicle brand that is an expression of Royal Enfield’s commitment to keep moving forever forward. Operating at the intersection of technology and lifestyle, Flying Flea is a new brand of electric vehicles that continues a legacy of innovation and creates a new category for the global electric motorcycle marketplace and beyond. "

Ummm. Sounds mouth watering, although you wonder what it means that Royal Enfield has "endorsed" the Flying Flea?

Is that like, you know, putting sugar coating on oats and promising you'll love them for breakfast?

And WHAT a great cereal box the Flying Flea comes in! The looped introduction to the brand is a masterpiece. It's addicting. You can't stop eating it up.

Hungry for more? You can sign up for updates on Flying Flea motorcycles, which will come in city-bike and scrambler versions.

Want to add a little flavor to your Flying Flea? Feel free to season to taste. According to TopSpeed "Royal Enfield says the processor allows you to fine-tune ride modes beyond the five pre-set settings, with nearly 200,000 unique combinations."

Or is all this just a bit too much spice, for those who associate Royal Enfields with kick start, oil leaks, drum brakes and balky four-speed gearboxes with a neutral finder lever?

No, no! The press releases assures that the heart (although not the internal combustion thump) of Royal Enfield will always be there:

"Royal Enfields are engaging, uncomplicated, accessible and fun to ride; a vehicle for exploration and self-expression. It’s an approach the brand calls Pure Motorcycling."

New Flying Flea's logo includes parachute, a tribute to the original.

OK, OK, I've had a bit of fun here as I try to decode Royal Enfield's recipe for the future.

But it's plain the future is electric and sophisticated and Royal Enfield doesn't want to be left behind.

The original Flying Flea, of World War II, was decidedly crunchy: a two-stroke motorcycle with tank shift, tough enough to parachute into combat.

It isn't coming back, even in "retro" form. But Royal Enfield did try to sell the original to the civilian public after the war. It sold to country parsons and young couples on a budget.

The new Flying Fleas will seek customers among urban residents with sophisticated tastes.

Royal Enfield tried to sell Flying Fleas to the public.