Royal Enfield’s new Flying Flea electric motorcycle has officially spread its wings beyond India, with the retro-inspired C6 now launching in Europe and the UK. And perhaps just as importantly, we finally know what Western riders can expect to pay for it.
The Flying Flea C6 is opening for bookings at €5,990 across Europe and £5,300 in the UK, with deliveries expected to begin in October. The initial European rollout includes Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Berlin, and London, according to local Indian sources.
That’s a fairly significant milestone for Flying Flea, Royal Enfield’s new all-electric sub-brand. We’ve been following the C6 since it was first unveiled, but one of the lingering questions has been when the bike would actually start making its way into major export markets – and what it would cost once it got there.
Now we have our answer, at least for Europe.
The C6 packs a 3.91 kWh battery and a 15.4 kW (20.6 hp) peak-power motor producing up to 60 Nm of torque. Top speed is listed at 115 km/h (71 mph), while the European bike gets a WMTC range rating of 104 km (65 miles). That European figure is a much lower range than the rated range using India’s national standard, and is still likely much higher than real-world values will reveal.
But at 124 kg (273 lb), it’s also significantly lighter than many full-size electric motorcycles. Charging from 20-80% takes around 65 minutes, largely thanks to the small battery pack.
At nearly €6,000, the C6 isn’t exactly inexpensive considering those performance specs. There are plenty of lower-cost Chinese electric motorcycles and e-motos that can offer more battery and power for the money.
But spec sheets don’t tell the entire story here. Part of what buyers are paying for is presumably the more refined manufacturing and engineering associated with Royal Enfield, including touches like the forged-aluminum frame, magnesium battery case, unusual girder front suspension, belt drive, lean-angle-sensitive ABS and traction control, and a fairly sophisticated connected electronics package.
There’s also the not-insignificant advantage of buying from an established motorcycle manufacturer with an actual dealer and service network behind it. Royal Enfield’s network may not be as extensive as some of the biggest legacy motorcycle brands, but it’s a very different ownership proposition from importing a cheap electric motorcycle from a little-known manufacturer and hoping you can find parts a few years later.
The big question for us, of course, is when the Flying Flea will make the next hop across the Atlantic.
There still isn’t a US launch date or US pricing. Flying Flea’s American website currently says pricing will be announced later, suggesting the company at least continues to have the US market on its radar.
It wouldn’t be surprising if that rollout takes longer. Lightweight urban motorcycles and scooters have traditionally enjoyed a much larger market in Europe than in the US, where motorcycles tend to skew larger and more highway-oriented.
Electrek’s Take
For those of us waiting to see the Flying Flea in the US, I’d take this as a positive sign.
The C6 has gone from an interesting concept and India-focused launch to an actual export product in several major Western markets. That doesn’t guarantee an American launch anytime soon, but it certainly makes one look considerably more plausible.
And now we have a much better idea of what to expect on price. If Flying Flea eventually makes the jump to the US, don’t expect bargain-bin Chinese e-moto pricing. This is clearly being positioned as a premium lightweight urban electric motorcycle – and Royal Enfield seems to be betting that its design, build quality, technology, and dealer support can justify the premium.
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