By Simon Hargreaves Updated: Yesterday 16:06
The Parisienne scooter rider glances at the slender green electric bike beside him on the traffic light GP grid, on the Rue de l’Egalité. I make a revving gesture with my right wrist, then realise it might not translate.
Thankfully the lights change, I flick the Flying Flea into Sport, and 295lb.ft of geared-down rear wheel torque instantly propels the belt-driven, 124kg Royal Enfield into a shrill, whistling getaway. Au revoir, garçon!
Enfield , best-known for air-cooled, petrol-powered modern classics, is debuting its first electric bike, the Flying Flea C6, with a day’s larking around the hectic streets and leafy suburbs of the French capital – precisely the urban environment for which it’s designed.
The Flea takes its name from a 1940s Royal Enfield 125cc two-stroke, famous for being sufficiently light and durable to be parachuted behind enemy lines in World War II.
The 2026 Flying Flea is an electric city bike promising similar lightweight agility, with a blend of performance, high-tech features, battery and chassis spec, quality components, fresh styling and – importantly – a competitive price of £5300, which Royal Enfield hope appeals to a broad spectrum of existing riders as well as attracting newcomers.
It’s ambitious, as no electric motorcycle has had breakout mainstream success thus far – but Royal Enfield, the world’s ninth largest bike manufacturer, is backing themselves with massive investment in a cutting-edge division with international R&D centres, over 200 engineers and full-scale production facilities in India .
The Flying Flea C6 is the first result, and Royal Enfield say there’s more to come (not least the Flying Flea S6 , a scrambler-style variant).
Reasons to buy: + A true affordable electric motorcycle that stops, goes, turns, and feels conventional. + Artwork on two wheels: the functional design looks boutique and classy. + Low maintenance and belt-driven.
Reasons to avoid: – Limited range of around 60 miles (depending on usage). – The compact and slim dimensions mean sizeable luggage is unlikely to fit anywhere. – Single seater as standard; accessories are needed to carry a pillion .
As a city bike, the Flying Flea C6 isn’t about leisure riding – it’s not replacing your petrol-powered bike and heading off on a 200-mile weekend.
It’s for short-haul, zero-forecourt, downtime recharge, plug-and-play convenience: daily commutes to work or college, popping to the shops or out for a coffee , zooming round a mate’s house, picking up a curry – the kind of rides for which wheeling a cumbersome full-size bike out of the garage feels unnecessary, but you still want the fun, agility and practicality of zapping about on a powered two-wheeler.
For that the Flying Flea needs nippy performance, sufficient range, reasonable recharging time and convenience, at a price that compares with similar-spec electric (and petrol-engined) bikes.
Enfield claim 0-50mph in around 4 seconds – enough to take the lead at traffic lights and stay there until the next set – and a top speed of 70mph. Power output is 20bhp peak, 11bhp continuous – the Flea can be ridden on a provisional licence – and range is said to be just over 60 miles of mixed riding.
Non-removable 3.91kWh battery recharge time is just over an hour from 20% to 80%, using a standard 240v wall-plug – the Flea’s onboard charger means backpacking a lengthy kettle lead for mid-ride recharging and finding a friendly socket to…