Royal Enfield “Flying Flea” Electric Bike

[Hugh Janus]

Royal Enfield is working on a new electric motorcycle which could be called the Flying Flea, paying homage to the bike of the same name from World War II. (Royal Enfield/)

Back in November 2022, a single cropped photograph emerged via Autocar India showing the front section of an electric concept bike carrying the Royal Enfield logo and the name “electriK01″ on the side, which set tongues wagging that it was on the verge of an official unveiling. That never happened and the electriK01 remains officially unreleased to this day, but now a new design registration filed in India shows what looks like a production version of the same machine.

The key elements that could be seen on the leaked photo of the 2022 concept bike included an exoskeleton-style frame, appearing to be made from cast aluminum, sweeping around the shoulders of a “fuel tank” area, bolting to the steering stem at the front, and then curving back down under a black plastic section that appeared to be a battery case. At the front, a pair of girder-style forks, again aluminum castings, were supported via a pair of stubby wishbone-style linkages and two small spring struts, with a retro, circular headlight at the top.

Several of those signatures are carried over into the new design registration, seen in one low-resolution illustration newly published via the Indian government’s patent and design journal, but there are just enough differences to suggest that where the electriK01 was a concept, the new design might be a planned production model.

Starting at the front, the spindly alloy wheel is a slightly different design to the one seen in the leaked picture of the 2022 concept bike, with spokes slanted at an angle rather than spreading radially from the hub. The girder-style fork remains, along with the dual spring/damper units, and the distinctive, curved external chassis is also clear to see. However, the bolt holes where those frame rails attach to the steering stem are slightly repositioned and it now looks like the lower arms of the frame are separate parts, with seams between them and the upper sections, where the original design was one-piece.

Below the traditionally shaped “tank” section there’s a large, finned box that surely houses the batteries and electronics. This is a departure from the leaked 2022 photo, which showed a smooth battery housing instead of one with cooling fins that are surely intended to evoke the look of a conventional combustion engine.

The rear section of the bike wasn’t visible in the leaked picture from 2022, but on the new design it includes a solo saddle and a monoshock-rear suspension design that mimics the shape of a hardtail frame, plus a long rear fender tucked close to the rear tire, carrying the taillights and license plate bracket. The presence of mirrors, front and rear turn signals, and even what appears to be a “sari guard” to prevent long clothing from getting tangled with the rear wheel all point to a bike intended for production rather than simply a show model. Such guards are a legal requirement on Indian bikes but only if they’re capable of carrying pillion passengers—something that this design doesn’t appear to be able to do.

Royal Enfield is already hard at work on an electric version of the Himalayan ADV bike. (Royal Enfield/)

Royal Enfield’s electric bike plans crystallized last year with the reveal of the prototype Electric Himalayan that’s been undergoing extensive testing, but while that’s intended to be a relatively high-performance and long-range machine, this design looks more like a low-speed city-oriented motorcycle. There’s a distinct similarity in style and stance to the British Maeving RM1 and RM1S neo-retro electric bikes.

Could the new bike be called the Flying Flea? That was the name of one of the company’s famous WWII motorcycles that could be air-dropped into combat zones. (Royal Enfield/)

There’s even evidence in trademarks owned by Royal Enfield’s parent company, Eicher Motors, suggesting a bike like this is heading to showrooms. Since 2020, the company has filed more than 20 applications for trademarks around the globe on variations of the name “Flying Flea,” with paperwork around that title appearing this year alone in places as far flung as Cambodia, Mexico, New Zealand, and Switzerland. The name was registered in the USA in March 2021. Why Flying Flea? Because that was the nickname given to the 125cc two-stroke Royal Enfield WD/RE that was used throughout World War II as a lightweight, parachute-capable British military bike. One look at the original Flying Flea, with its hardtail frame, girder forks, long fenders, and single saddle, shows a clear influence on the new electric bike’s design.

The Flying Flea in its air-drop crate. (Royal Enfield/)
Historic Flying Flea ad. (Royal Enfield/)
A 1947 RE 125 at the Factory. (Royal Enfield/)

Source

[Buckster]

Indian P.O.S.