Decoding Royal Enfield's new Flying Flea

Royal Enfield's coming Flying Flea electric is full of surprises.

 Three things strike me from the launch of the electrifying new Royal Enfield Flying Flea. 

First, it's not a motorcycle. Flying Flea is a new brand of Royal Enfield. The Flying Flea factory will make first the FF-C6 city bike, then a scrambler version called S6. 

Second, this new Flying Flea is no variation on a previous Royal Enfield, although a Himalayan served as a development mule. It's brand new technology -- 28 patents' worth. 

Third is Royal Enfield's continued attention to its unique history. Flying Flea was the nickname of the little two-stroke Royal Enfield built during World War II to serve Britain's airborne units. 

Royal Enfield Model RE, nicknamed Flying Flea.

The look of the model unveiled this week is purposely "retro" to honor that history.

Of course the new Flying Flea is a lot prettier than the olive drab military original. (In 1943 there was no sense putting high style into a thing you were going to drop from an airplane.)

Instead there is a magnesium battery case adorned with fins mimicking an air-cooled motor. Here's some descriptive poetry from the press release:

"The dynamic front fins, arranged in odd sequences, represent innovation and modern technology while the elegant rear fins, placed in even sequences, embody tradition and legacy. Both clusters of fins twist and turn, eventually merging seamlessly into a graceful wing-shaped motif at the center."

The Flying Flea FF-C6 has clean, light look.

Sounds like a work of art, and, for a battery-operated appliance, the Flying Flea does look nice.

Unavoidably, it also looks somewhat spindly to me. So did the original Flea, of course, as its purpose for being was to get to the front inside a glider or under the wing of an airplane. It had to be light.

So just accept the new Flying Flea is made to excel under battery power, and it looks that way. Except... well, you know, someone could make battery covers out of plastic and claim they were just as pretty.

There will be a learning curve for those of us raised on gasoline motorcycles. In the launch press release, Royal Enfield CEO B. Govindarajan complimented the in-house development of the "BMS."

That was a new one on me: it stands for Battery Management System.

The Flying Flea S6 scrambler will look a bit rowdy.

Battery life, of course, will be an issue. I'm wondering: could I stuff some saddlebags full of laptop batteries and plug them in when I needed a little extra boost to get home?

The press release notes the history of the Flying Flea, being airlifted to the World War II battlefront. "It was later embraced by civilians too, for city exploration purposes."

1947 civilian Flying Flea was spindly looking, too.

While it's true that the nickname Flying Flea must have come from its airborne duties, the fact is that the little Royal Enfield was first designed and built for civilian use, being referred to as the Royal Baby. It was only enlisted to serve the military after the war began.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the new Flying Flea (besides its small size and light weight, for a Royal Enfield) is the remarkable girder fork. This no-doubt much improved device pays tribute to the original Flying Flea's rubber-band girder fork.

Spectacular aluminum girder fork of Flying Flea C6.

Less surprising, but still impressive, is that your smart phone will be how you program the adjustable ride modes, the press release notes. You can choose the throttle, brake and regen modes to suit the riding feel you're looking for.

Being the pessimist I am, I am sure I would make sure all those modes are set to produce maximum range, and I would just put up with how that feels.

I don't need the thrilling experience of not being able to return from the place I got to in an extra big hurry.

Indicative of what all this investment, thought and beauty means is perhaps best summed up by the plan to release the Flying Flea first in Europe and America -- not India. In other words, in  places with lots of disposable income for fun vehicles that only have to be used within their limitations since the rider has other vehicles for daily use.

Putting it gently, the press release says "this is the beginning of a new breed of electric mobility for those who choose to travel in style, for purpose and for fun as well as necessity."

Perhaps the best view is from the rider's seat.

Forget "necessity." Nobody is going to be beating these up delivering pizzas. For one thing, the Flying Flea likely will not parachute into the market at bargain prices.

Royal Enfield's gasoline powered motorcycles have always delivered style (well, of a sort, in the case of the Himalayan) at prices that were attractively low.

The Flying Flea will have be measured on some other scale than price-per-pound if it is to be competitive.

“We’re not betting the entire farm on it,” Royal Enfield boss Siddhartha Lal was quoted as saying at the launch. “We are putting money behind it, but if it doesn’t work, we’ll be okay.”

Watch the video of important moments in the Nov. 4, 2024 launch of the new electric Flying Flea.