Meet the Flying Flee.

Royal Enfield unveiled its new electric bike brand at EICMA – like Harley-Davidson and its Livewire sub-brand, Royal Enfield has chosen to market a new range of electrics under a different name. Flying Flea, another badge plucked from the company’s bulging archive, this one evoking a lightweight 125cc two-stroke from the 1950s, originally developed as a parachute bike for airborne troops in World War II. Clearly aimed at the British-built Maeving, this 21st Century Flying Flea shouts ‘retro’, with a forged aluminium girder fork (recalling the original Flea’s ‘rubber band’ front suspension), solo seat and curved ‘fuel’ tank. The battery is hidden, Live Wire style, behind a mass of curvaceous fins.

Technical details are few, but the Flying Flea C6 (which won’t go on sale until Spring 2026) will have cruise control, cornering ABS and claimed “visceral” acceleration. No word on range or performance, but it’s clearly a 125cc equivalent, and described as a ‘city +’ machine so will probably have a top speed of 50-60mph. A scrambler version will follow, and Royal Enfield emphasises that the whole machine has been designed and developed in-house.

Jim Freeman, chair of the BMF said: “Evocative name, which I don’t associate with bikes so much as the self-build aeroplane of the same name, the ‘Pou de Ciel’ designed by Frenchman Henri Mignet in 1933 which was supposed to be the Model T of the air. Unfortunately, it had a nasty habit of going into uncontrollable dives and killing the intrepid wannabe pilot. Let’s hope that the ebikes handling is more forgiving, unlike M. Mignet, Royal Enfield know what they’re doing!”

Written by Peter Henshaw

Top image courtesy of Royal Enfield