Royal Enfield Flying Flea C6 Lands In Europe
The Royal Enfield Flying Flea C6 has finally arrived in Europe. After its successful launch in India, the company is now bringing its lightweight design, unusual looks and a useful amount of technology to European roads.
The Indian launch gave Royal Enfield its first real-world test of the new Flying Flea brand. Now it’s Europe’s turn. Paris, London, Barcelona, Berlin and Rome are among the first cities to get the C6, with deliveries due to start in October.
For more Royal Enfield news, visit our Royal Enfield page.
The Story
The C6 is the first production motorcycle from Flying Flea, Royal Enfield’s dedicated electric brand. We went deeper into the thinking behind the new marque and the technology when Royal Enfield first revealed it.
The C6 takes plenty of inspiration from the original Flying Flea motorcycles of the 1940s, but this isn't some retro bike with an electric motor stuffed into it. Underneath the styling is a completely new machine, built around a lightweight exoskeleton frame and forged aluminium components.
The first thing you're going to notice is that front end. That girder-style fork looks like someone raided a very cool old bike and then wandered into a modern engineering department. The bike also gets three colour options: Flea Green, Storm Black and Parachute White.
The C6 runs Royal Enfield's Fleaware OS, based on Android Automotive, with connected navigation, remote monitoring and over-the-air updates. There's also a rotary riding-mode switch, cruise control, voice assistance and a configurable button.
Power comes from a 3.91 kWh lithium-ion battery housed in a magnesium alloy casing. The motor produces 15.4kW of peak power and 60Nm of torque, with a claimed top speed of 72mph.
European riders get a WMTC range figure of 104km, or around 65 miles. That's lower than the claimed Indian figure because the two markets use different test cycles, rather than because Royal Enfield has changed the hardware.
Charging from 20 to 80 per cent takes just over an hour, while the C6 can be plugged into a standard 16-amp wall socket. Riders can also choose between Rapid, Standard and Trickle charging.
You also get regenerative braking, lean-angle ABS and traction control. In the UK, the C6 starts at £5,300. European pricing is set at €5,990.
The BCB Take
I've been watching this one since the beginning, and the C6 has always looked like it might either be a stroke of genius or a very expensive way of making an urban runabout weird. Now there's a production bike, more than 100,000 kilometres have already been covered in India, and Royal Enfield is putting its money where its mouth is with a European rollout.
Here's the thing about the Flying Flea: I actually like it. And I wasn't expecting to say that quite so quickly. On paper, the C6 makes a lot of sense for the city. It's compact, light, has enough performance to have some fun and comes loaded with technology.
But 65 miles of WMTC range doesn't mean you'll get 65 miles every time you leave the house. Give it some throttle, ride in cold weather, use the motorway and that number is going to come down. I'm less sure how well that formula translates to the USA, where longer distances and higher-speed roads can be a much bigger part of everyday riding. That is, if it ever arrives here.
It has the looks. It has the tech. It has a proper motorcycle brand behind it. Now it needs to prove that all of that adds up to a bike European riders actually want to live with.
Ride safe, folks.
Tired of scrolling? Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free, no spam, just an email on Friday.
Want more from BCB? Become a member.
